Have you ever watched a movie that made you feel like that was the first movie you’ve ever seen in your life? Like it was so magical and inspiring that you genuinely felt like a kid watching it? That was Wildwood for me.
Wildwood is the newest movie by Laika, an independent stop-motion animated studio best known for movies like Coraline and Paranorman. It follows a young girl named Prue who journeys into a mysterious forest with a friend after her baby brother is stolen by a murder of crows. It’s been in production since the release of their last movie, Missing Link (2019), and the work definitely shows. I am in awe of every single thing I saw in this movie.
The first thing I have to mention is how incredible this movie looks and how it immediately pulls you in. According to the Hollywood Reporter’s interview with director Travis Knight, there were 233 puppets, 132 practical sets, and 728 miniature trees. There are so many trees in this movie, and they all look so beautiful.
The characters and environments are so vibrant, with such colourful designs that stand out against everything around them, making every character feel so unique. From the humans to all the coyotes and birds, to every other creature that lives in “Impassable Wilderness”—everything looks great. I still can’t believe that they’re all puppets and so much of it is made by hand. The animators would have adjusted everything little by little to make each scene perfect.
There’s a specific chase scene in this movie, and it is just so impressive because of how many moving parts there are; it’s incredibly choreographed. One scene in particular apparently took five years to complete. At over 131 minutes, it’s the longest stop-motion animated movie of all time, so I commend all the work that went into it.
Speaking of its runtime, it’s over two hours long, but it never slows down. It starts out fast and barely loses its momentum, with really engaging action set pieces and such beautiful shots and compositions. It uses the stop-motion medium to the max, and it had me glued to the screen.
The actual plot is great too. At times, it feels like you’re watching a combo of The Chronicles of Narnia, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, but that’s a double-edged sword. It has a lot of fun fantasy elements and archetypes with its characters, but it can lean too heavily on those sometimes, and it feels like you’ve watched parts of the movie before.
Still, I think the main thrust of the story is unique and builds on things we typically see in fantasy. Themes of grief and growth are a large part of it, and the stop-motion medium displays it perfectly. It adds a human quality with very lifelike faces, but allows them to be in more surreal situations than could be shown in live action. It, along with the voice cast, helps these moments hit hard.
The cast absolutely killed it. Peyton Elizabeth Lee plays Prue, while Carey Mulligan plays the main villain, Alexandra. Jacob Tremblay is hilarious, and Charlie Day is great as always. Angela Bassett plays arguably the coolest character in the movie, and Mahershala Ali is Mahershala Ali.
I think it’s also important to note how no AI was used in this film whatsoever. To quote Knight, “it’s antithetical to everything I stand for.” In a time when AI being used in film and animation is more of a possibility, it’s always good to see a director take a clear stand—especially one who is so involved in their movies. He also used to be a rapper; it’s worth a Google.
I’ve loved movies like this since I was a kid, and I think this easily joins the ranks of movies like Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Paranorman for me because I know that I will remember this movie for a long time. I need you to remember it too. Go watch this movie in a theatre, because it makes it so much better. The visuals, the music, the action—it’s incredible. Even heartbreak feels good in a place like a Landmark Cinema.
Watch it. You won’t regret it.
