David Burke, the Laika’s Chief Marketing and Operations Officer, said, “’Wildwood’ is a testament to Laika walking its own path.” He added, “For ‘Wildwood,’ we’re taking a more customized approach to how we bring the film to audiences, matching partners to the specific needs and ambitions of the project. Partnering with Fathom’s Denver-based team brings national perspective and operational strength to the U.S. release, while working with FilmNation internationally positions the film with scale, reach, and deep expertise in global markets. It’s a strategy built specifically for ‘Wildwood,’ preserving Laika’s independence while aligning with world-class collaborators to support the film’s ambition.”

Going with Fathom seems like a peculiar choice. I associate them with theatrical live streams and low-low distribution re-releases.

My immediate question is about the quality of the picture we're going to get. I don't associate streaming with high bitrate anything, but I suppose that's what the Coraline and ParaNorman re-releases were meant to test out.

I just hope it sees a wide release.

[–] TheImpressiveX@piefed.social 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I know for certain that Fathom uses DCPs for their annual Ghibli Fest, and I didn't notice any compression artifacts when I watched Fellowship of the Ring recently, so I assume that was a DCP instead of a livestream.

I think the livestreams are only for the Met Op screenings. I see no reason why they wouldn't distribute Wildwood on a DCP.

[–] neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 month ago

From what I recall, Fathom got its start by doing live streams of all kinds of events, not just the met opera.

If they've moved into traditional digital media delivery (either downloadable or physically delivered), that rules. That's all the assurance I need.

It still seems like a big get for Fathom, though. With all the consolidation going on, I figure studios would be salivating to get their hooks into Laika if it weren't all run on private Nike money.

Maybe it is possible for a production company to be run for the love of the game.