Jensen Kugler
A&E Editor
On Oct. 23, LAIKA Studios released its first feature film since 2019. “Wildwood” is a handcrafted, masterful example of stop-motion animation, clocking in at an impressive 132 minutes.
I would like to preface this article by saying that this movie means a lot to me. Colin Meloy’s “Wildwood” has been my favorite book since I was 12. I have read it several times, and my dad even read it aloud to me and my siblings. “Wildwood” is so important to my family that my dad flew to Ohio to see the film adaptation with me. This review will be biased and sentimental. I hope you read it anyway.
Outside of the story itself, I am personally invested in the creative team behind “Wildwood.” In addition to being an author, Colin Meloy is lead singer of one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists. My dad and I are huge fans and have seen them perform multiple times. Meloy’s wife, Carson Ellis, is an incredible artist in her own right, and did all of the illustrations for the book. Both of them were involved in the movie (and have cameos in it!) I’ve never met Colin or Carson, but I think their family of artists is a lot like mine. There is so much love and whimsy weaved into “Wildwood,” and I think LAIKA did a great job honoring that in their adaptation.
For those unfamiliar with “Wildwood,” the story follows a girl named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who goes on an adventure into the magical “Impassable Wilderness” outside Portland, OR, to rescue her baby brother, who has been kidnapped by a murder of crows. Prue’s classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) follows along, and fantasy hijinks ensue.
When LAIKA announced that they were making a “Wildwood” movie, I was both excited and scared. It’s always nerve-wracking to see your favorite characters in a new space. I have read the book enough times that I immediately noticed all of the changes, of which there are several. Many characters are less present in the movie than in the book, and the plot is very clearly condensed. This is the nature of adaptation, and should not deter you from watching. Making a movie adaptation necessitates “killing your darlings,” so to speak. It’s just that I really, really love those darlings. The best way I can summarize my thoughts on “Wildwood” is that I wish there were more of it.
Despite the shorter format inherent to film, I felt that the characters and story were quite engaging.
“Wildwood” boasts a star-studded voice cast, including Mahershala Ali and Angela Bassett, who give their respective characters real gravitas. Relative newcomer Tremblay brings an awkward, funny charm to his performance as Curtis. Lee is believable and clever as Prue, bringing a new and interesting skepticism to the character. The one casting decision I was not a fan of was Awkwafina as Septima the rat. While the movie is quite funny at times, her brand of humor did not feel like a good fit to me.
With a PG-13 rating, “Wildwood” has a different feel than its middle-grade counterpart. I was surprised by how much violence LAIKA was willing to show the audience. “Wildwood” is by no means a gore-fest, but its battle scenes have a whole different resonance than they do in the book. It feels a little like the story aged up with its audience, which is always nice to see.
“Wildwood” is thoughtful and smart, tackling themes of grief, family and personhood with tact. Without spoiling the plot too much, I will say that this movie has some surprisingly nuanced things to say about parenthood. The film explores the challenges of being in community quite gracefully, and with talking animals to boot. “Wildwood” is a story that cares very deeply about its characters and its audience; you can feel it in every frame of the film.
This movie is not only impressive narratively and visually, but also musically. Dario Marianelli’s score adds to the movie’s atmosphere and magic, while the soundtrack features several warm folk tunes. Meloy wrote the lyrics for multiple diegetic songs in “Wildwood,” as well as the Decemberists song that plays in the credits. The song is called “The Better Part of Bravery” and is my favorite on the soundtrack because it beautifully encapsulates the heart of the film.
“Wildwood” is a work of art in every sense of the word. As a stop-motion feature film, “Wildwood” feels like an antithesis to AI-generated content. “Wildwood” is immersive, vibrant and full of heart. If you care at all about supporting human artistry, I would implore you to go see this movie. I promise you will leave that theater feeling less alone.
