Ticketworthy - Wildwood

Laika is a studio known for exceptional stop-motion animated films. Its biggest hit, Coraline, is widely regarded as a modern masterpiece of both storytelling and animation. However, even its less financially successful films, like ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link, have all been critical darlings that have developed devoted cult followings over the years. The studio has a reputation for prioritizing artistry and story, resulting in beautiful, beloved films time and again. The question, then, is whether their newest outing, Wildwood, can live up to that reputation. The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes.” If anything, this is the best film that Laika has produced since Coraline, and easily my favorite animated movie of the year so far.

In Portland, Oregon, a teenage girl named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) is asked to watch her baby brother. When a murder of crows kidnaps the baby and takes him to a mysterious forest outside the city, Prue and her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) have to venture into the woods to bring him back. Inside the forest, however, is nothing like they expect. They encounter talking animals, rebel bandits, and an evil Governess named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan) who is poised to throw the entire place into a brutal war. If they want to save her brother, Prue and Curtis may have to save the magical realm itself.

First and foremost, the world of the forest is beautifully realized. It is genuinely impressive how much work and attention to detail has gone into literally every frame of this movie. The characters and costumes are clearly painstakingly crafted, down to tiny tears in the clothes or blemishes on faces. The same can be said for the backgrounds and environmental details. The houses, roads, trees, caves, and waterfalls of the forest each look fantastic and unique, giving the world a realistic, lived-in feel. Every leaf and tendril of ivy feels intentionally placed. It’s a technical marvel.

The acting is fairly superb across the board as well, with Lee and Mulligan being particular highlights. Prue is a complicated girl, and every step of her journey takes her further and further out of her comfort zone. Lee does a wonderful job selling the desperation, awe, fear, and determination that she demonstrates over the course of the story. A good voice actor makes you forget that their voice doesn’t really belong to the character. Lee pulls that off flawlessly. Mulligan’s Alexandra is excellent too. She has a smooth, terrifying charm that makes the character seem far more dangerous than she looks. Underneath, though, is a pain that she cannot hide. It’s a really great performance.

I also really enjoyed how far the film was willing to push its PG-13 rating. There’s a tendency with a film like Wildwood to appeal to children by making things feel safe. Nothing in this movie feels that way. The world Prue finds herself in doesn’t offer security or unearned kindness very often. It’s violent, dark, and teeming with danger. Sure, the filmmakers don’t soak the whole thing in blood, but that doesn’t make the battles and the multiple violent deaths feel any less intense. This is a story about a girl who leaves behind the comfort of the safe world that she knows in order to rescue her brother, and the difference is stark. I appreciate that the film isn’t pulling its punches.

Finally, I have to note how amazing the soundtrack is. The film is based on a book of the same name by Colin Meloy, lead singer of the indie folk-rock band, The Decemberists. As such, it should come as no surprise that the music selection for the movie is heavy on folk and indie-rock. For a magical coming-of-age adventure like this, the tracks perfectly set the tone for each scene and are utilized with as much care as any of the visual art. It’s a treat to listen to, not just watch.

If I had to complain about something, I do think that some of the elaborate world-building and backgrounds are a bit wasted on sequences that blow through them rather quickly, particularly in the middle portion of the story. There is quite a lot for the film to cover narratively, so some of the events happen very quickly. Characters come and go with little time to even get used to them, and some of the locations that seem important or interesting are moved past a bit quickly and never revisited. I understand the need to move things along at a fast pace considering just how much story there is to tell, but the world is so beautiful that it seems like a real shame to only see some of it in brief passing.

Still, it’s hard to fault a movie constructed this well for a relatively small flaw. If the worst I can say is that the middle of the film goes by a little too fast, that’s a pretty good indication that the overall film is spectacular. Which is exactly what Wildwood is. Give Laika credit, they give their movies every ounce of creativity, passion, and skill that they have. They clearly believe in the magic of their work. Wildwood will probably make you believe in it too.