Laika Studios has been dazzling audiences with its stop motion feature films since Coraline released in 2009. The creation of stop motion films themselves, which involves taking 3D rendered figurines and moving them ever so slightly until a series of pictures amounts to a moving film, is quite a meticulous task to take on. However, the dedication and work ethic of this talented team brings us these remarkable features time and time again. This is especially true for Laika’s latest film, Wildwood. Sixteen years in the making and based on the book series of the same name, the story follows a teenage girl named Prue who must venture into the mysterious woods of Portland, Oregon to save her kidnapped brother, encountering a plethora of mythical creatures and fantastical dangers along the way. For starters, I must give props to the visuals. The animation was so fluid and the environments were so impeccably detailed that I forgot many times throughout this movie that I was watching stop motion. This movie was an absolute feast for the eyes, and you could feel the intentionality behind every frame. This is apparently the longest stop motion film ever made, and the animators deserve a round of applause for accomplishing such a feat. Next, the characters, the story and the world the story takes place in is just as intricate as the animation itself. I’m not too familiar with the source material myself, but I found the world of Wildwood to be beyond captivating. Everything from talking animals, to ancient magic, to even its own form of politics and government made this truly feel like a fully realized fantasy world. The characters were all very interesting as well, with Prue and her friend Curtis being the standouts for me in terms of character growth and representing the coming-of-age themes of the film. The world building and even the supporting characters, like the great eagle General or Brendan and his group of bandits, evoked a sense of wonder that is synonymous with some of the best fantasy stories. (I definitely got heavy Narnia vibes from this story for sure.) Although, some of these fantasy tropes are ones we’ve seen before, they were executed in a way that it remained engaging to watch and absorb. Speaking of the themes, without giving too much away, this film is quite dark, but its maturity is one of its best qualities. This is Laika’s first PG-13 movie, and it definitely shows in the intense action sequences, as well as its exploration of themes such as grief and the loss of innocence. The villain, Alexandra, was also as terrifying as her motivations were compelling. (I was on the edge of my seat whenever one of these brutal action set pieces occurred.) However, I appreciate how despite the fact that this was a stop motion animated film, it wasn’t afraid to be mature and explore darker themes while also never losing sight of its heart and its emotional focal points of love and friendship. Overall, Wildwood may not just be the best animated film of the year, but probably the best film of the year in general. Please go see this masterpiece of a film, and shoutout to the dedicated animators and producers who made this insurmountable feat possible. Score: 10/10
