Directed by Travis Knight and based on the novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, Wildwood follows Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay) who are drawn into a hidden magical forest in an attempt to save Prue’s abducted infant brother Mac (Arthur Knight) from a murder of crows led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan). Along the way they discover a fantastical world filled with magical creatures and warring factions.
Stop-motion animation is a truly beautiful form of filmmaking and special effects that has always been a crucial part of film history but it has slowly started to become a lost art form in recent years. With the advances in technology and more interest in 3D CGI animation that is easier to create, the more labor-intensive craft of stop-motion animation has slowly become less popular amongst most major studios and directors, but there are some who choose not let it fade into obscurity. Laika Studios, under the leadership of Travis Knight, has been one of the only studios to keep this magical art form going and they have created many overlooked yet wonderful films over years including Coraline, which is considered to be the most popular among their films. But for almost the last 16 years, Travis Knight and the many talented artists of Laika have been working on what was said to be their most ambitious film to date called Wildwood, which is based on the 2011 fantasy novel of the same name by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. I was very interested to see what this film was going to be like and I was fortunate enough to see it at a last-minute early screening. After 16 years of waiting, I can honestly say I was absolutely blown away by this film.
Wildwood is a phenomenal dark fantasy animated epic that is masterfully crafted by human hands. From an emotionally compelling high-stakes journey to breathtaking visuals and unbelievable animation, this film truly is the magical Magnum Opus for Laika Studios in many ways. In a time where AI threatens to take over the film industry, especially with animation, it is very important for everyone to show up and support this film in theaters if they care about true human made art on the big screen.
This film features an immense cast of talented voices who put forth their full effort into bringing these characters to life no matter how large or small their roles are in the story. Leading the charge of it all is Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue McKeel. Prue is honestly one of the most compelling and relatable leading characters Laika has created since Coraline, who goes on a truly remarkable journey that changes her as a person just as much as she changes others around her.
When we are first introduced to her, she is shown to be someone who has a selfless love for her family, including her brother, but at the same time is someone who believes she is ready to be grown up and tackle the world head-on, which is something a lot of us believed growing up too. But once she finds herself confronting the world head-on, in this case the fantastical world of the Impassable Wilderness, in order to save her brother, she finds that life isn’t as simple as she believes it to be and has to muster the courage to face all of the great challenges that are thrown at her. It is a hugely physical, psychological, and emotional journey she takes on that you feel incredibly invested in, thanks largely to the incredible writing for the character and the truly amazing performances she is given by Peyton Elizabeth Lee in her grand theatrical debut.
Also on a journey that is equally as compelling as Prue is her hapless but bighearted classmate Curtis Mehlberg, voiced brilliantly by Jacob Tremblay. He is initially presented as your typical wimpy sidekick character that is accidentally dragged along for the ride but he proves to be an investing character on his own as he learns to muster his own confidence and courage to survive this world as well as attempt to help Prue get her brother back. You feel bad for him at first when he is subjected to the horrors of war firsthand, but then cheer him on as he finds his footing to become the heroic figure he has been wanting to be since the beginning.
With two equally compelling lead heroes, there has to be a compelling lead villain for them to face, and we get that with Carey Mulligan as Alexandra, a dowager governess who once ruled The South Wood benevolently, but has now become lost in a spiral of grief that has corrupted her heart as well as her mind, making her into a dangerous enemy to all factions in the Impassable Wilderness. Carey Mulligan absolutely nails her performance as such a complex yet engaging character that you feel sympathy for due to her tragic past, but then are horrified by the monster she has become by refusing to move on from her past and losing sight of the difference between what is morally right and wrong. And while there are parts of this character we can sympathize with, the film never tries to make the character redeem herself in any way and fully commits to keeping her as a relentless villain all the way through, which I found incredibly refreshing for an animated film after getting too many redeemed villains these days in other animated projects.
The rest of the cast proves themselves to be just as compelling as the leading characters playing various humans and beasts that inhabit this magical world. Some of the most notable performances come from talented individuals like Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Tom Waits, Awkwafina, Charlie Day, Maya Erskine, Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg, Tantoo Cardinal, and many others. Even Jake Johnson, who is known mostly for his comedic roles, delivers a surprisingly tender and heartfelt performance as Prue and Mac’s father, Mr. McKeel.
The narrative centers primarily on a young girl’s selfless, high-stakes journey into a dangerous, enchanted forest to rescue her kidnapped baby brother, but the story is made to feel much larger than life due to incredible world building and emotionally compelling writing that makes this film a full on dark fantasy epic. And when I say dark fantasy, I do really mean it because this is a PG-13-rated stop-motion animated film that really pushes the boundaries of its rating with violent deaths and large-scale battles I’ve never seen accomplished before in this specific style of animation. Major stakes get established right from the beginning of the film, creating a mature tone and showing that no character is ever truly safe from a sudden and brutal fate in this story.
There is a great balance of grand thrills and epic, action-packed adventure with character-driven moments full of heart and soul that really keep you engaged in the story, similar to other grand fantasy epics like Lord of the Rings. While being a beautiful story about bravery and family, it is also a story involving confronting adult authority figures, overcoming suspicion and unity, and exploring different political systems to see which best promotes the happiness and harmony of citizens. All of these themes are highly relevant given the current events of today and it serves as very important lessons for younger audiences to be exposed to in a time where such knowledge is being taken away from them. Art like stop-motion animation can be used as a valuable tool to tell important stories for all generations, and I’m glad this film used it hugely to its advantage.
With this film being Laika’s biggest project ever, there is 16 years worth of insane stop-motion animation and visuals all built masterfully by human hands that left me completely stunned and in awe of its absolute beauty and perfection. It is made extremely clear from the first frame that Travis Knight and his team were truly dedicated to bringing this epic story and world to life despite the many unique challenges they faced, including staging epic battles, aerial sequences, and even crafting the eagle character, General, who was apparently the largest stop-motion animated creation that has ever been built. According to research on the production, this film features at least 136 sets and 231 practical puppets with almost all of them having numerous replacement faces to simulate changes in emotions for each character in different frames. In addition to facial components, 3D printing was employed to create armatures, puppet musculature, and simulated water, with VFX providing some additional touch-ups. That is some of the most intensive work I have ever seen done for an animated film, yet it was absolutely worth the long years it took to complete. While I don’t want to knock on the amazing work and effort other animated films have done in recent years, I feel that the work and effort done for this film is far more impressive in comparison to them, especially given the amount of time it takes.
Adding to the masterful animation and visuals is a majestic score by composer Dario Marianelli, who gives this dark fantasy epic lots of energy both in the larger-than-life moments and the small intimate and emotional moments.
Wildwood is a masterfully crafted animated film that not only has become one of my favorite films of this year but, in my personal view, is one of the best animated films ever to be created. The 16-year-long wait was absolutely worth it and it should not go to waste so it is very crucial that people do show up and support this film in theaters when it has its wide release. This film is way more important than people realize, as it shows that human-made art will always triumph over slop that is made by a lazy and uncreative program. AI cannot replicate what this film has done, nor should it ever be allowed to replace it, which is why people need to get off their ass and go see this film. Show Hollywood and the world why phenomenal films like this deserve to continue being made. I’m going to give Wildwood an A+ = 100.
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