Wildwood is a film that has had fans chomping at the bit for over a decade. The stop-motion spectacle is over two hours long and took 16 years to make. Led by director Travis Knight, the film is based on the 2011 fantasy novel of the same name by Colin Meloy.
There was a lot of hype riding into this week’s opening, and while I can understand why (with the tremendous undertaking in making a project like this), the story wasn’t up to snuff. The amount of work and man-hours put into this film wasn’t commensurate with the quality. For this to have taken almost two decades, I expected a much better story with higher-quality dialogue. And that leads to a more important question: does the entertainment industry get to dictate what qualifies as a “family” film?
As far as the medium itself, this ranks as one of the greatest stop-motion feats of all time. The film suffers self-inflicted wounds in its writing and its labeling as a family-friendly film. For starters, this is not a family-friendly film at all. *spoilers ahead* There’s a suicide in the first 30 seconds of the film that’s a jolt to the system, and that’s because you’ll immediately question the “friendliness” in such a start. If you aren’t taken aback by the film’s opening, you might raise an eyebrow watching clay figures swear at each other. “You son of a b****!” says one anthropomorphic coyote soldier to another. The subject of family viewing needs to be addressed in a more in-depth manner, but for the sake of relevancy, we’ll continue with the film. *end spoilers*
A theme in recent theatrical releases (like Klara and the Sun and Wildwood) is that people aren’t dealing with grief well… at all. Amy Adams’ character in Klara wasn’t grieving the loss of her daughter; The Dowager Governess (Carey Mulligan) is grieving the death of her son Alexei. In the former, the mother is shrewd to her daughter because she still hasn’t processed her loss. Here, the mother is shrewd to the forest at large, determined to do whatever is needed to bring back her lost son.
With a few certain tweaks, the story would’ve been pleasing. But as it stands, it’s simply unsatisfactory. After her baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows, a headstrong teenager named Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) undertake a daring rescue mission inside an enchanted forest on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. The overall premise is fine. The problems arise with the characters who we know nothing about (The General, Owl Rex, etc.) who aren’t offered a sufficient backstory. The Dowager, who also goes by Alexandra, has an army of coyotes by her side. Armed with magic and a duplicitous personality, the motivation behind the path she takes is questionable. The same goes for Prue’s parents.
The messaging is pretty in-your-face throughout the film. The usage and implementation of magic was very intentional. It was brought up constantly. Even the elders of a specific part of the forest were called “mystics.” From the gamut of pronouns used to describe Prue’s future partner to same sex partners embracing before departure, the themes were very noticeable and deliberate. It didn’t add or take away from the story, but it did seem performative.
As awesome as the animation, cinematography, and sequences were executed, there’s no reason for this film to be over two hours long. It takes over 100 grueling minutes to reach the climactic battle for Wildwood. Led by Brendan (Mahershala Ali), the leader of the Bandits, it was everyone against Alexandra and her army of coyotes. The battle was shot in such a way that you couldn’t tell you were watching stop-motion animation. The details in the landscape, uniforms, and damage done in battle were like nothing I’ve ever seen.
The ending wasn’t clear, but it involved magic, which seemed to be enough for Knight and his team. Magic couldn’t carry this film on its own, and in some parts, it appeared that they tried. But the film is good enough to be ranked as a staple. Only time will tell how this performs in theaters, but I can see people streaming this during the holiday season (not families, but people). For camera work and props, I can see this racking up hardware during awards season.
Wildwood gets a 7.5 out of 10. A suicide in the opening scene of an animated film in 2026 is kind of crazy. At least with Disney’s traumatic events, they come through with a powerful story that outweighs the pain you first experience. Here, you’re brought low, stay there for a time, and end up on a rollercoaster for the rest of the movie. Definitely not a kids’ or family movie, but it’s worth a watch if you’re a fan of stop-motion animation.
Wildwood premieres in theaters on Friday, Oct. 23.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Laika Studios
Genre: Animation
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: October 23, 2026