The Stolen Child – Watch the trailer for the new medieval fantasy film
The Stolen Child is from writer-director, Sebastian McKinnon, who is also an illustrator for Magic: The Gathering. The film was inspired by The Lord of The Rings and Stalker.
Overwhelmed by grief and fear, the child’s plight moves the Faerie Queen, who compassionately spirits him away to the Faerie State, to preserve his innocence. Yet, this well-meaning act unwittingly deepens the crisis in the Human Realm. As the balance between the two worlds crumbles, a unique band of heroes emerges: The Poet, The Knight, The Horse, and The Fae Princess. United by a common cause, they embark on a journey to locate the lost Prince and restore him to his rightful throne, in hopes of rekindling the equilibrium between the Human and Faerie worlds.
Speaking to Variety, McKinnon said the idea for the film happened during a back-packing trip across Scotland with his brother Benjamin.
What I really loved about ‘Stalker’ was this sense of eeriness and mystery. Like when they walk into the ‘Zone,’ and they’re being led by the Stalker, and they’re in a natural environment, and yet you feel that there’s some sort of danger around them. When I watched that film, it aligned with when I was reading about fairy tales and these old legends. This is what I wanted it to feel like when walking through the Faerie World. In our case, we’re using the natural landscapes of Canada, and British Columbia especially, to depict the Faerie World. And what I want to do is have characters wandering around this lush green, fern-ridden forest, and there’s this presence behind the scenes.
We have to feel like there’s an intelligence or a presence at all times when you’re in the Faerie World and that’s why we went to British Columbia. I remember walking in those forests for the first time and feeling that energy there, especially when you’re there during the stormy season. You can’t help but feel there’s something here, there’s some sort of energy or presence in the forest that I really wanted to try to capture for the movie.
The brothers worked on the idea and it became a series of three short films, before becoming this full feature. Sadly, Benjamin never got to see the final film.
The Stolen Child will premiere at the European Film Market in Berlin and will hopefully get a 2026 release date.