Fifteen years in the making, Wildwood sees Laika returns to the big screen with their first stop motion work since 2019’s Missing Link, a rich epic that may well be the studio’s best to date.
Wildwood is something special. A sprawling epic based on Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ novel, it focuses on teen Prue McKeel, who must venture into the Impassable Wilderness to rescue her brother who has been kidnapped. There she finds a wild of witchcraft, talking animals and a kingdom on the verge of war. With hints of Labyrinth, Chronicles of Narnia and even Lord of the Rings, Wildwood sees director Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Masters of the Universe) hone his craft to reach new heights.
And speaking of craft, Wildwood is the culmination of hundreds of artists, working towards this final film. And its all on the screen, magnificently shot by Caleb Deschanel and paired with a beautiful score from Dario Marianelli. While there are some weaknesses to the script of Wildwood (there’s just too much to adapt here), you won’t notice this as you watch the film in awe.
There is a rich voice cast to Wildwood, with strong works from the like of Jake Johnson, Awkwafina, Charlie Day and Angela Bassett. But this is Prue’s film and Peyton Elizabeth Lee brings warmth and life to match the character we see on screen, one matched by the complexity that Carey Mulligan brings to the antagonist figure.
A warning amongst the praise for Wildwood, which is to say approach this film with caution with young children. This is a long, sprawling work with sequences of violence and characters who make morally grey choices. Plus, the narrative is dense and packed, and it feels one could get lost watching this. My ten-year-old daughter had a great time with this but any parents looking at attending Wildwood are best to be warned that this is quite different work from its peers.
That’s not to take away the breath-taking quality of Wildwood, from the small details of the animation (all those ivy leaves in the finale!) to some of the finest action sequences of the year (a mid-film aerial chase will make you gasp). Stop motion is a wild endeavour, as can be seen by the decade and a half it has taken for this film to be released, and what is achieved in Wildwood is really quite remarkable.
Wildwood
Summary
At times, it’s hard to fathom the craft on display in Wildwood. It’s profoundly beautiful, captivating and exhilarating. See it on a big screen and wallow in something incredible.
