Mexican ‘Wildwood’ Distributor Orders New Dub After Backlash Over Celebrity, Influencer Voice Cast

After backlash from moviegoers, Laika’s Wildwood is getting a new Spanish-language dub in Mexico. The original drew heavy criticism for using celebrities and social media personalities instead of established voice acting professionals.

Travis Knight’s ambitious stop-motion feature opened in Mexico on October 29, arriving in a country with a tremendous appetite for animated films. But its release quickly sparked controversy over the casting of actress Macarena García as Prue McKeel, influencer and film commentator Javier Ibarreche as the Bandit King, and television personality Natalia Téllez as Alexandra Svik.

Critics argued that the performances lacked the emotional range and expressiveness expected of professional voice actors, creating an unfortunate contrast with the film’s elaborate stop-motion visuals. The backlash spread quickly across social media, inspiring a petition demanding a new dub.

On Tuesday, Mexican distributor Imagem Films Mx announced that it had prepared an alternative version of the film, which will begin screening nationwide on November 12, just two weeks after the original release.

Creemos en el poder del cine para conectar, emocionar y abrir nuevas conversaciones.

Con ese espíritu, anunciamos una nueva versión de doblaje de Wildwood: El bosque salvaje, que estará disponible en cines de México a partir del 12 de noviembre.

Agradecemos y reconocemos el talento de todas las personas que han dado vida a esta extraordinaria historia.

Los invitamos a descubrir esta aventura creada con tanto arte, dedicación y amor.

#ValoramosTodasLasVoces #ElRespetoNosUne #Wildwood #ElBosqueSalvaje

— Imagem Films Mx (@ImagemFilmsMx) November 10, 2026

In its statement, the company defended the original production, insisting it met established creative and professional standards and received approval from all relevant parties in Latin America.

“The creation of a new version is not intended to invalidate or discredit the previous process, or any of the artistic contributions made,” the distributor said, adding that it welcomed respectful audience feedback and remained committed to considering different perspectives.

According to El País México, the replacement cast includes professional dubbing actors Danna Alcalá and Erica Edwards, while Emilio Treviño will remain in the role of Curtis.

The distributor’s decision is a victory for critics of celebrity voice casting, a common practice in Latin American animation distribution in which distributors hire recognizable personalities for their promotional value rather than their voice-acting credentials. It’s also a rare example of a distributor responding to audience complaints by making a substantial change to a film that’s already in theaters.

Whether the new dub will satisfy those critics remains to be seen, but the controversy has at least given Wildwood a second chance to make a first impression. Perhaps it will even get a second wind at the Mexican box office.