Animated movies should spark wonder in its audience. The awe-inspiring adventures of its characters should be fun to follow, including a certain level of danger that all ages can fear and appreciate. And for a feature film to be a truly addictive experience, it must be pleasing to watch. Wildwood is all of those things and it happens to still be showing in movie theaters, as it premiered just before Halloween.
“From the hands that created Coraline” really means something to this very big fan of Tim Burton (who has successfully collaborated with filmmaker Henry Selick on multiple occasions). It was the byline that actually sold me on investing the time to watch the film, as Laika Entertainment was also responsible for bringing Corpse Bride and Bumblebee to life on the big screen. I happen to have enjoyed each of those films, so I was fully prepared to step into this new animated world with an ICEE by my side for good measure (for hydration purposes, naturally).
What begins as an ordinary day for Prue McKeel (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) leads to an Earth-shattering event: Having to babysit her little brother while her parents go out. As with all good stories, one major rule is a given for the character: Do Not Take Mac Outside By Any Means!
But just like many other young teenagers, she doesn’t listen to her parent’s rules and stubbornly decides to take the baby on a sightseeing tour of Portland, OR via her bicycle, anyway.
When she stops at a local playground to let baby Mac play on the slide, an unusually large murder of crows appears and abducts the young child, headed toward the Impassable Wilderness, just as she remembers her parents past futile warnings. As she steps into “a world of magic,” Prue is willing to break all the rules in order to retrieve her kidnapped little brother.
“I don’t want any part of your fairy tale. I just want my brother.”
Walking into Wildwood’s enchanted forest. Courtesy of LAIKA.
Growing up a Child of the ’80s, I was well aware of the intricacies of stop-motion animation. I’ve been a fan of King Kong, Clash of the Titans and all of the televised Christmas specials featuring Rudolph, Frosty and the Island of the Misfit Toys long before The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wallace & Gromit and even Memoir of a Snail were released in movie theaters.
Sadly, it feels like a dying art form — one which I try to catch at every opportunity possible… but I had never read the 2011 novel written by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, so I was going into this adaptation with a fresh set of eyes.
The very first thing I noticed was a variety of characters with hard to pronounce/remember names. There’s Prue (which I didn’t catch onto at first), a dowager governess (What exactly is that?), Septima, Niamh and Iphigenia. Good thing I could recognize them by their roles and their outward appearances, because those wacky novelists might have gotten a little too crazy with their name choices while writing this story. And with a cast that includes Jemaine Clement, Awkwafina, Tom Waits, Angela Bassett and Mahershala Ali, it was surprising that I wasn’t blown away by the actors involved. They were all very good, dutifully doing their jobs, but I was truly taken aback by the scenery of the film.
The visuals are incredibly beautiful. Each time a new scene is introduced, I marveled: The dangers of the deep forest. The intricate ivy. The bloody battlefield and all of its black magic. Trying to catch every little detail, I almost lost track of the ongoing storyline.
Along with Prue on this adventure is her classmate, Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), who also encounters talking animals, bandits and a warring nation fighting amongst themselves within this enchanted forest. From the outside looking in, this seems to be a rescue mission against all odds, but at the heart of the story, this is truly an exploration of grief from a variety of perspectives.
First and foremost, there’s Prue grieving her missing brother, who chooses to sacrifice everything in order to rescue baby Mac, because her direct actions led to his disappearance. There’s Alexandra (Carey Mulligan), who previously lost her only son — and eventually her family — who’s willing to fall to the dark side, sacrificing everything in her life (along with every single resident of the Impassable Wilderness) in order to feel a portion of that once-pleasing happiness. Then there’s the displaced bandits, fighting for their lost homeland due to Alexandra’s ambition. And finally, there’s Prue’s parents initially grieving over their infertility issues, not being able to start a family, which ultimately drives the main storyline.
My biggest disappointment of the film comes from its teaser trailer. The musical selection from the very first preview initially caught my attention. In case you missed it, “My Tears Are Becoming a Sea” by M83 is prominently highlighted, beautifully setting the tone for the film. As someone who defiantly refuses to watch ALL trailers due to their revealing nature, it was the primary reason I paused to notice the stop-motion animation for the very first time with a tear in my eye (partly because the music, partly the on-screen beauty and partly because of the family-dynamic storyline).
Not gonna lie, I had to rewatch it a few times in order to experience that feeling multiple times. It really creates an emotional reaction. Sadly, the song is never featured in the film. That was a huge mistake. Maybe it oversold the premise?
The other noteworthy development of the film is director Travis Knight’s contributions. After watching his underwhelming adaptation of Masters of the Universe, I was unsure about ever wanting to sit through another big-screen adventure under his credit again. But it seems like Laika kept Knight on track for the most part, which is a good thing — and I couldn’t believe there were only four producers credited to this film!
Wildwood is definitely a gorgeous, sweeping animated adventure that demands to be enjoyed on the biggest, highest-definition screen possible. If there’s any justice in the world, it should win quite a few technical awards. And I won’t be forgetting this one when the awards season nominations arrive for the Music City Film Critics’ Association Awards very soon.
It feels like an instant classic, which I can proudly group with all of my favorite stop-motion masterpieces from years past.