WILDWOOD
Starring: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine, Tantoo Cardinal, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant
Director: Travis Knight
QUENTIN
Honestly, I went into Wildwood expecting another impressive-looking but ultimately tame family-friendly adventure from LAIKA Studios. Dear reader, I could not have been more wrong. Wildwood is grand and epic in scale, with director Travis Knight ferociously pushing the boundaries of what LAIKA’s first PG-13 rating will allow. It’s surprisingly violent for a movie of this ilk, especially in the final act, which plays like stop-motion Game of Thrones; it’s also soulful, whimsical, fantastical, heartfelt, and action-packed. With ambition this unparalleled, including the best stop-motion animation I’ve ever seen, Wildwood enters the rarified air of being the near-masterpiece that will mesmerize adults and children alike.
ADRIANO
Wildwood is an outstanding next evolution of stop-motion animation. Considering how daunting the style of filmmaking is already, some of the visuals pulled off here are jaw-dropping. Not just the character designs and set pieces, but even something like a scene where coffee’s being made had me thinking, “How is this possible?” The story itself is serviceable. It’s a baseline fantasy tale with interesting world-building, but not that compelling of a lead character. But even though it didn’t get me to the emotional points it wanted me to, I was still engaged and in awe of the spectacle.
AMARÚ
Wildwood is an immaculate marvel. The animation is mind-blowing, Dario Marianelli’s score is whimsical and dangerous, perfectly set for the brutality and honesty of this fantastical world, and Travis Knight directs a tale as epic, yet human, as anything out of Middle Earth. There’s a lot thrown at you to start, and that initially disconnected me from the characters, but the marvelous scale unfolding was undeniable, even avoiding the trappings of my biggest cinematic pet peeve: questionable decisions happening with impunity. Protagonists were as flawed as their enemies, and this film explored that with the beauty and cruelty of life and trying to live in it.
ADELAIDE
The animation medium has achieved a new benchmark, a standard all future endeavors should look to as the echelon of what can be possible. This 15-year endeavor of production, model creation, and stop-motion animation created a masterpiece of a film. Beyond the stellar look of the film, Colin Meloy’s original novel also lends itself beautifully to the movie, as you get swept up in the epic tale of a family, love, and war. The standout character here is the Dowager Governess (Carey Mulligan), who serves as an incredibly daunting villain to overcome, as well as the powerful thematic core of this epic.
JANE
Director Travis Knight’s Wildwood is a triumph of epic fantasy, made truly magical by LAIKA’s meticulous stop-motion artistry. There are live-action battles less detailed than the surprisingly bloody ones here, and watching puppets fly and sway in the wind feels like actual wizardry. That care extends to the worldbuilding, voice performances, and music without bogging the plot down, creating a world full of characters and details I already want to revisit. It’s rare that an ostensibly family-friendly fantasy balances this much heart with genuine darkness, and the result is utterly delightful.
BODE
As a stop-motion animation studio, LAIKA has never lacked in ambition. But with Wildwood, it’s operating on a whole other level. The craftsmanship on display is truly astounding, each gorgeously textured set piece (the third act battle sequence especially) and character design a testament to the demanding work that goes into something like this. It’s fitting for a film this epic in scope, though this also extends to a story so overloaded in lore it’s hard to get a complete handle of its intricacies. Still, it’s hard not to enjoy how high it aims overall. “Enjoy handmade art before it’s gone for good.”
