WILDWOOD and LAIKA brings the deep magic!
The release of a new LAIKA film brings two reoccurring themes to the forefront; a.) Nobody makes movies like this anymore and b.) the process is as interesting as the finished product. More or less.
Wildwood does the same, but immediately elevates the discussion. Five minutes into the film and the process washes away like waves on the sand and all that is left is the story, the world-building and the performances. All of which are truly outstanding.
Based on an original story by Colin Meloy of the Decemberists with original illustrations by Carson Ellis, Wildwood borrows themes from other well-known stories to present something wholly original. A brave girl must enter dangerous territory to save a loved one against dark and terrible odds. We've heard that song before, but not sung like this. It's a wild and wonderful pleasure to be sitting in a movie theater and NOT know what's going to happen next.
There's a little bit of Labyrinth, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Narnia, The Borrowers Down Under and The Lord of the Rings all mixed together here. And it works so very well.
The film offers Talking Animals Wearing Clothes and "Peopling" so I'm already 100% on board. But then there's absolutely carnage in a brutal and intense final battle sequence. So you get your Owls In Waistcoats, but you also get your beheadings, stabbings, bodies burning on battlefields.
As an adult human being, I loved absolutely all of that.
This film is animated, sure.
But it is 1000% not for all kids.
We talk a lot about writing a villains with a sympathetic backstory and sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. It works remarkably well here and the film benefits immensely from it. There is a lot to emotionally invest in here.
Vocal performances are strong, across the board. But they're all so well cast that you don't hear the actor in the performance; you hear the character. Which is another sublime joy from the film.
Wildwood is lush and beautiful. It wears its artistry with confidence and bold kinetic energy. The plot zips along to a satisfactory conclusion. And the world is so rich that it would take multiple viewings to see all the vibrant life happening on the borders of the movie screen.
If you're nostalgic for a time when fantasy movies could carry you away to magical and beautiful worlds, Wildwood is here for your journey. I enthusiastically encourage you to take it in on the biggest screen that you can find.
No after-credit scene but LAIKA helpfully adds a little behind-the-scenes in the credits, with a new song by the Decemberists and beautiful animation. What more could you want?
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