Wildwood is an absolute gem of cinema. With an impressive voice cast, breathtaking visuals, a dark and edgy screenplay, and plenty of witty moments, it’s an instant classic with serious awards-season potential.
In recent years, LAIKA Studios has cemented its reputation as a pioneering force in animation. Picking up the mantle from the legendary special-effects maestro Ray Harryhausen, the studio has become a master of stop-motion filmmaking. This painstaking art form demands extraordinary patience, precision, and years of hard work, making every new project from the studio a rare gem worth celebrating. Now, after nearly fifteen years in development, LAIKA returns this week with its latest technical marvel, Wildwood.
The film promises to be a landmark achievement, showcasing the cutting-edge animation for which the studio has become renowned. With a whimsical, fantasy-fuelled storyline and years of painstaking craftsmanship poured into its creation, Wildwood has all the ingredients to become another instant classic. But does this latest adventure represent the pinnacle of LAIKA’s brilliance, or could it mark the studio’s first stumble?
REVIEW
Fear not, LAIKA fans, because Travis Knight’s WILDWOOD is an absolute gem of cinema. This stop-motion triumph delivers a heartfelt, poignant, and heroic story brought to life through gloriously crafted animation. With an impressive voice cast, breathtaking visuals, a dark and edgy screenplay, and plenty of witty moments, it’s an instant classic with serious awards-season potential.
From the outset, the film showcases its technical brilliance with a gripping opening sequence that pushes well beyond the traditional boundaries of family animation. This is no light-hearted adventure aimed solely at younger audiences. WILDWOOD is a fully realized animated marvel, blending whimsical fantasy with a surprisingly mature storyline that will leave audiences captivated and hungry for more. What’s more, the film isn’t afraid to tackle some seriously heavy themes, including suicide, child death, kidnapping, and war. These weighty subjects are woven into a visually sumptuous experience, brought to life through crisp, meticulously crafted stop-motion animation that’s as mesmerizing as it is beautiful.
Ultimately, WILDWOOD is a triumph of storytelling and craftsmanship. Its heartfelt, resonant, and heroic narrative is matched by some of the finest animation you’ll see all year, making this a certified winner. If there’s any justice, LAIKA’s latest technical marvel will be a serious contender come awards season.
A GRIPPING STORY
From the outset, Wildwood sets itself apart from its predecessors with a mature, emotionally charged story that may surprise many in the audience. This edgier tone is an unexpected but welcome change of pace, elevating the material and giving the film a darker, more compelling edge. The gripping opening sequence introduces a heartbroken mother who, having lost her child, attempts to fill the void with an animatronic doppelgänger. But when her artificial replacement discovers the truth about his origins, the revelation ends in tragedy. In the aftermath, the mother, Alexandra, a dowager governess, is cast out of her community for witchcraft and retreats into the wilderness, where she begins plotting her revenge.
Fast-forward several years, and we meet Prue McKeel (voiced by the brilliant Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a rebellious teenager tasked with babysitting her baby brother. But, as any teenager might, Prue decides to bend the rules and takes her little brother out for a bike ride against her parents’ wishes. Along the way, she crosses paths with the increasingly unmissable Jacob Tremblay as the nerdy Curtis, and the pair head to the park for what promises to be a spot of harmless fun.
Unfortunately, their innocent outing takes a terrifying turn when a flock of crows, acting under Alexandra’s command, swoops down, snatches baby Mac, and carries him into the forbidden woods. Desperate to rescue her brother — and dreading the prospect of facing her parents — Prue ventures into the untamed wilderness. With Curtis by her side, she plunges into the heart of Wildwood, setting the stage for an extraordinary adventure filled with danger, dark magic, and unexpected discoveries.
COMING-OF-AGE
From here, Wildwood kicks into full fairytale mode, serving up talking animals, corrupt governments, evil coyotes, and crushed villagers living under the oppressive rule of a dowager governess who commands the woods with dark magic. It’s a wonderfully imaginative world brimming with danger, mystery, and plenty of surprises. I’ll refrain from delving any deeper into the film’s fantastic story to preserve your viewing experience, but needless to say, this is fantasy filmmaking at its finest. Packed with magic, mayhem, fantastical characters, and epic battles, Wildwood is an exhilarating adventure that defies expectations and threatens to blow your mind!
Even the characters aren’t guaranteed a happy ending. Make no mistake, this is a mature story, so don’t expect everyone to make it out alive. As we approach the finale and an absolutely mind-blowing climactic battle erupts, nobody is safe. Not even the adorable little critters Prue befriends along the way are spared from the danger, and that gives the film some genuine dramatic weight. These stakes make the story feel tangible, heightening the emotional impact and giving the adventure far more heart than I ever expected. It’s a surprisingly bold move that reinforces the film’s darker edge and makes every moment of peril hit that much harder.
EFFORTLESS WIT
Travis Knight also knows exactly when to cut through the story’s darker elements with a healthy dose of humor. The film is peppered with witty jokes, quirky character traits, and laugh-out-loud moments that provide some much-needed comic relief without undermining the story’s emotional weight. There are even a few cleverly placed Easter eggs thrown in for good measure, and they land gloriously. Keep your eyes peeled for a guy riding a unicycle. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it!
And the animals are every bit as hilarious as their human counterparts. From coyote soldiers stopping to lick themselves to a rabbit sporting an unconventional choice of battle armor, Knight packs the film with ridiculous antics and wonderfully silly in-jokes, and his characters sparkle with his creativity.
A SENSATIONAL CAST
Thankfully, a sensational cast brings these wonderful characters to life. From Peyton Elizabeth Lee’s beautifully grounded portrayal of Prue to Jacob Tremblay’s understated yet equally compelling turn as Curtis, the film’s leading duo are nothing short of phenomenal. Add outstanding voice performances from Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, and Richard E. Grant to the mix, and Wildwood has all the ingredients of an awards-season contender.
Mulligan deserves particular praise for her portrayal of Alexandra, the dowager governess. Every so often, glimpses of innocence shine through the darkness of the twisted witch she has become. But in an instant, we’re reminded of the heartbroken mother beneath the malevolent exterior. One desperately clinging to the hope of reuniting with her dead son. That all-consuming grief has transformed Alexandra into a formidable force who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Mulligan captures this tragic duality beautifully, imbuing the character with such emotional depth that we can’t help but sympathize with her, even as her actions become increasingly horrifying. Her breathtaking performance adds another layer of emotional complexity to the film, and I applaud her craft.
SETTLING THE SCORE
Balancing the film’s darker elements with its lighthearted fantasy tone is no easy feat. Thankfully, composer Dario Marianelli strikes the perfect balance with an exceptional score that gives Wildwood its beating heart. From the sweeping, whimsical melodies that accompany its fantastical adventures to the powerful, tension-building cues that propel its epic battle sequences, Marianelli demonstrates his extraordinary versatility at every turn. His work is truly magnificent, adding emotional depth and cinematic grandeur to an already spellbinding adventure.
Complementing these brilliant soundscapes are a handful of carefully curated songs that inject a little extra lightness into the material. They’re perfectly placed, keeping the film’s breezier moments buoyant while complementing Marianelli’s orchestral compositions beautifully.
One particular musical cue towards the end, as Alexandra’s coyote army marches into battle, is nothing short of exceptional. It’s a thunderous, stirring piece of music that feels destined to earn Marianelli a place on the Oscars’ Best Original Score shortlist. That’s how impressive this score is, and I cannot wait to add it to my playlist! In short, it’s the final perfectly crafted piece of a flawless jigsaw puzzle, and that just about sums the film up.
VERDICT
Overall, Wildwood is pure, unadulterated cinematic perfection. The film may have taken more than a decade to reach the big screen. But if this extraordinary finished product is anything to go by, it was worth every second of the wait. Travis Knight has crafted a truly remarkable piece of filmmaking that deserves the highest form of recognition. From its jaw-dropping stop-motion animation to its beautifully balanced storyline, Wildwood is a precious, rare gem that deserves to be treasured. The late, great Ray Harryhausen helped pioneer the art of bringing fantastical creations to life through animation, and I have no doubt he would be bursting with pride at the extraordinary technical achievements LAIKA has delivered here.
Make no mistake, Wildwood is in a league of its own and deserves to be thrust straight into awards contention. This is LAIKA at the absolute peak of its powers, delivering a cinematic achievement that feels truly special. It’s pure escapism at its finest, a breathtaking reminder of the magic that happens when imagination, artistry, and storytelling collide. So, book a ticket, settle into your seat, and watch cinema come alive as it was always meant to. Just make sure you stay through the credits, because there’s one final treasure waiting for you!
Thank you, LAIKA. You haven’t just given us a magnificent film; you may well have gifted us the best film of the year — if not the entire decade!
Wildwood sprinkles its magic in cinemas from October 23.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
