Film Review: ‘Wildwood’ is a Gorgeous Handcrafted Epic

It is absolutely mind-boggling to me that Laika is able to do what they do. Stop-motion animation is so difficult, so expensive, and so time consuming, anyone who is able to complete a project deserves my deepest respect. At the same time, as impressive as Laika’s visuals always are, I don’t always fully connect with their stories. Truly, only ParaNorman is the only time I was completely locked in from start to finish. So, it’s probably not a surprise that Wildwood is far more stunning to me as a visual treat than as a fantasy epic. That being said, as someone who doesn’t tend to dig fantasy films, having this movie work for me is an achievement all its own.

Wildwood is a true animated epic, which would be impressive enough, even before you consider what goes into doing this all with stop-motion animation. The size and scale help to create a full world, one unlike we’ve seen before in the form, especially during a stunning third act battle sequence. Now, there’s a flip side to this, as the flick runs well over two hours, with a notable hump in the middle. It starts and ends well, but the middle, while interestingly dense, struggles to keep up the momentum.

Prue McKeel (voice of Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is a teenager living in Portland with her parents (voices of Jake Johnson and Maya Erskine) and infant brother Mac. She’s a serious teen, exhausted by the crunchy ways of her folks. While taking her brother on a walk, she heads downtown, where she bumps into nerdy classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), who tags along on their afternoon. While Curtis tries to convince Prue to join him in a role playing game, they fail to notice the murder of crows that have convened at the park around Mac. Before she can spring into action, the crows abduct the child, taking him into the woods outside of town. Pursuing her brother, Prue and Curtis wind up in a magical land within the forrest, beginning an epic adventure.

Curtis is captured and brought to the dowager governess Alexandra (voice of Carey Mulligan), who rules over the land. He learns a bit about how she’s connected to Mac’s kidnapping before being conscripted into her coyote army. Prue winds up encountering the various animals in the land, including the bureaucratic government of the land, all while continuing to seek out her brother. How it all ties in, as well as how it ends up leading to war, is better left discovered, but it’s certainly epic in nature.

The voice work here is very solid, as everyone is very committed to helping bring the world of Wildwood to life. Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay are best in show, giving the human characters their literal humanity. They invest you in the story while never forgetting the stakes here. They get some funny moments, sure, but this is overall serious work. Carey Mulligan is also impressive, as she has a real heavy role, full of tragedy, but she aces it. Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson are no slouches either, as you might expect. Other voice performances here include Awkwafina, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Tantoo Cardinal, Jermaine Clement, Blythe Danner, Charlie Day, Rob Delaney, Richard E. Grant, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, and more.

Director Travis Knight and writer Chris Butler are Laika stalwarts, with this their most ambitious work to date. Adapting the novel by Colin Meloy (illustrated by Carson Ellis), this is truly one of the most gorgeous animated works ever made. Cinematography from Caleb Deschanel is stunning, both transporting you to another world while never letting you forget the love that went into every single shot. The visuals are amazing, while the score from composer Dario Marianelli sours. Knight and Butler also did good work with Masters of the Universe earlier this year, even if this is more of a passion project. Again, the pacing is a little rough in the middle, as this probably could have lost ten minutes or so, but the end result is nothing less than impressive.

Wildwood may not have blown me away like it has others, but don’t let that dissuade you, as I still think this is a very good film. Any fans of Laika will fall instantly in love with this movie. This is certainly one of the most important animated works of the year, and beyond 2026, will surely stand the test of time. Long live Laika.

SCORE: ★★★