By Aedin Maya
Staff Writer

“Wildwood” is the sixth feature film produced by LAIKA Studios and has taken nearly 16 years to be made. This highly anticipated movie is a beautiful example of the art of stop motion. From small angles to wide shots, every scene feels filled with life and detail.

Wildwood movie poster. Photo taken from https://www.imdb.com/

Every character feels unique and expressive, so it can be easy to forget that everything seen isn’t animated. “Wildwood” is scheduled for a theatrical release on Oct. 23.

The film was directed by LAIKA Chief Executive Officer, Travis Knight. That name may feel familiar to most Oregonians, especially those who find themselves watching College GameDay. That familiarity finds its place in Knight’s father, Phil Knight, the Co-Founder of Nike. 

The movie is based off of Colin Meloy’s “Wildwood,” a novel that unfolds the newly chaotic lives of Prue McKeel and her classmate Curtis Mehlberg. The story follows the two exploring a dark mysterious fantasy world outside of Portland, Oregon called the Impassable Wilderness.  

Prue and Curtis. Photo taken from https://www.imdb.com/

The exploration begins after Prue’s younger brother, Mac, is mysteriously abducted by a murder of crows.  

Along their journey to rescue Mac, they discover the Wildwoods, an ancient magical forest full of hidden civilizations and secret conflict. While in the Wildwoods they encounter the main antagonist of the film, Alexandra, The Dowager Governess.

Some of the scenes feel a bit rushed and unfinished during the earlier parts of the movie, other parts feel overwhelming and solely focused on the wow factor and visuals. 

The midpoint of the film finds itself slowing down to a steadier pace that’s filled with less cinematic shots, yet feels more enjoyable to watch. 

The film exhibits changes to its plot throughout, and while the majority of changes are small and done for faster pacing, some changes redirect the story to support its main premise of how far someone will go to save their loved one.

These changes take away smaller memorable moments between characters used for development and shortens certain story arcs.

The finale of the film, though changed from its original source, is a cinematic semi-realism masterpiece of a brutal war, shot in tight angles that give a sense of the brutalism and death not usually expressed in PG-13 films. 

Peyton Elizabeth Lee, voice of Prue, and Jacob Tremblay, voice of Curtis, give a thoughtful and expressive performance of their characters that feel natural in the film.  

The rest of the voice acting cast give a phenomenal performance as well, though housing a few exceptions. Some of these characters include Mr. McKeel, voiced by Jake Johnson, and the postmaster, voiced by Len Cariou. 

Wildwood cast and director at the BFI London Film Festival. Photo provided from https://www.imdb.com/

These shortcomings become evident by the voice actors sounding out of place, or even having been poorly recorded at times. 

The film is an amazing modern-day piece of stop motion that could be LAIKA Studios’ best project to date. From every wide shot to the tightest of angles, every single speck of dirt and hidden detail truly brought out the imagination of “Wildwood,” making the art feel alive. 

If you enjoy stop motion, didn’t get a chance to read the book, or just want to witness a fantastic movie based in our very own city of Portland come to life, then this is a must see for you. If you fell in love with this story before it hit the big screen, you now get the opportunity to see it through a slightly new magical perspective.