Director Travis Knight’s latest stop-motion animated film, Wildwood, marks a significant development for studio Laika, continuing their collaboration after their work together on 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings. Released recently in cinemas, the 131-minute feature is based on the award-winning novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis and showcases a richly detailed, ambitious fantasy adventure.
The story centers on Prue McKeel, a teenager voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, who is tasked with babysitting her infant brother Mac while their parents attend a craft fair. The plot is set into motion when a murder of crows abducts Mac, taking him into a magical and dangerous forest. Prue teams up with her reluctant classmate Curtis, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, to mount a rescue mission. They face numerous obstacles, including confronting a sorrowful governess, portrayed by Carey Mulligan, who plays a key antagonist.
Wildwood’s visual style and storytelling have drawn comparisons to classic fantasy works like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, particularly in its sweeping action sequences and richly textured world-building. The film opens with a poignant scene of self-sacrifice, establishing a serious and sometimes somber tone that underscores the narrative’s themes of loss and perseverance.
While the film’s length pushes the limits of stop-motion animation, reaching over two hours and ten minutes, it serves a purpose by allowing the story to unfold with depth. The journey to rescue Mac weaves together various side quests that build the film’s immersive atmosphere, though some moments slow the pacing. Notably, a character voiced by Awkwafina—a rat companion to Curtis—adds moments of humor and warns viewers that darker challenges lie ahead, reflecting the film’s embrace of the unease often present in traditional fairy tales.
Wildwood represents a notable achievement in stop-motion cinema, advancing the medium’s storytelling and technical possibilities while engaging audiences with its epic scope and emotional complexity.