Confidently, this is the only Wildwood review that references Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.
However, a quote from the 1969 western masterpiece captures the magic of this stop-motion delight. “We all dream of being a child again,” said Chano Ureta’s Don José to William Holden’s Pike Bishop in The Wild Bunch. “Even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all.”
Watch: Stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay tell RTÉ Entertainment about bringing Wildwood to life
With that in mind, allow this midterm-must to whisk you away.
You can feel the love and patience in every frame
You’ll be joining bolshy teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and her bumbling pal Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) as they desperately search for Prue’s baby brother – taken by a murder of crows on a day out and brought deep into the no-go lands that surround their Portland home. “It’s not one of your stupid games,” Prue admonishes Curtis, and Wildwood gets into the action almost from the get-go, introducing a bevy of characters and agendas. “Everyone at each other’s throats”, “Things ain’t what they used to be”, “You’re an outsider”, Prue hears as she fights the good fight. Along the way, she also realises everyone needs some help from time to time while Curtis discovers he’s stronger than he thinks. Once again, there’s probably more here for adults than kids.
Allow this midterm-must to whisk you away
In its first set-piece (there are many), Wildwood carries the on-screen exhortation to “Enjoy handmade art before it’s gone for good”, and if ever there was a film to keep that fantastic flame alive, it’s this one. Wildwood took the geniuses at LAIKA (The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Coraline) 16 years to make – production and filming took six – and the level of craft in every scene is stunning. You can feel the love and patience in every frame, beautifully captured by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The Natural, The Right Stuff). Stick around for the closing credits to see just how much went into bringing 230 practical puppets across 132 sets to life.
At over two hours, Wildwood is too long, but its goodness is infectious, and it will become a comfort movie for many.
The level of craft in every scene is stunning
“There’s no happy ever after,” Prue reminds us. “There’s just happy right now.”
This film does its utmost to make us happy right now.