Shooting a feature-length stop-motion animated film (a process taking several years, hundreds of thousands of individual photographs, hundreds of puppet designs, and thousands of 3D-printed faces) is already a breathtaking technical feat. But with Wildwood, it’s almost impossible to wrap your head around the sheer labor, time, and relentless passion evident in every single frame. A majestic experience like no other, Wildwood pushes the boundaries of the medium and tests just how dark animated storytelling can get, all while capturing the pure, vulnerable wonder of a child navigating the frightening ways of the world beyond her familiar home.
The voice cast is stacked and completely stellar, led by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who is devoted and determined as young Prue and will go to all lengths to save her brother. Her empathy is what changes the woods she enters as much as they change her. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Alexandra, written with such intricate layers that you understand her fragility even as her choices turn destructive. Mahershala Ali is another standout, while Jacob Tremblay gets many of the film’s funniest and sharpest lines. The rest of the ensemble, including Awkwafina, Maya Erskine, Charlie Day, Angela Bassett, and Richard E. Grant, each serve a distinct purpose in populating this world.
It’s mind-blowing just how much skill and craft it took to breathe so much life into these characters. There is something truly miraculous in how it all comes together, making us completely forget the sheer length of time it took to build frame by frame. It’s also very violent and shows the harshness of grief and war, but its reflection of loss and familial drive also makes the film incredibly poetic. It may one day have the same artistic impact that Spirited Away had on a generation of storytellers and viewers, transporting us to another world to help us make sense of our own as we grow up. Even if you thought Laika’s previous films like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings were extraordinary, prepare yourself: you’ll already be floored by the storytelling and visual achievements here by the first few minutes.
