Wildwood - Review: A Handmade Masterpiece

"From the Hands that made Coraline" the poster proudly declares. That may be true, but Laika has been gracing movie goers with new stop-motion adventures every few years since their founding in 2005. The studio has given us the 2009 modern classic, as well as "ParaNorman," "The Boxtrolls," "Kubo and the Two Strings," and "Missing Link," each beloved upon their releases. Now, after five years in active production and having reinvented their own production tools, Laika's longest and most ambitious film yet hits theatres. "Wildwood" is here.

After her baby brother Mac is taken by a swarm of crows, 13-year-old Prue McKeel, played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee ("Andi Mack," "Doogie Kameāloha, M.D."), ventures into the Impassible Wilderness, the fog covered woods surrounding Portland, Oregon. Accompanied by her classmate Curtis, played by Jacob Tremblay ("Room," "Wonder"), she ventures into the land known as Wildwood, a seemingly separate world of humans and animals living together in a woodland society, as she attempts to find her brother and seek out the leader of the Coyote army, Alexandra the dowager governess, played by Carey Mulligan ("Promising Young Woman," "Pride & Prejudice (2005)").

Adapted from the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, Chris Butler's ("ParaNorman," "Kubo and the Two Strings") script manages to expertly handle the film's grand adventure and heavy themes with a deft hand. No parts ever feel watered down, and yet also never feel trumped up purely for the sake of it. It's an unflinching movie in its drama and violence, earning a rare PG-13 rating for an animated film. Prue is an excellent protagonist, and her coming of age tale is an inspiring and thrilling one. Butler avoids any moments of grand speeches or opining to overexplain themes. In fact, one monologue moment is completely muted, with only the music swelling behind it. Butler and director Travis Knight ("Kubo and the Two Strings," "Bumblebee") so clearly understand their audience's intelligence and sincerely respect it, letting the film's ideas flourish and speak for themselves. 

Lee's vocal performance is nothing short of perfection. Prue is the sort of exceptionally complex character most actors would dream of, and she imbues her with a teenaged energy and mentality that perfectly sets her up against the fantastical nature of her adventure. This is a classic coming-of-age arc, but one that's made more complicated by Prue's own nature, with Lee's performance perfectly buoying those intricate details. Tremblay's role may initially seem like a comedic supporting act, but Curtis's arc through the film is a perfect example of how the film starts simple and builds to something far more complex. His performance is excellent as well, and Curtis becomes a standout throughout the film. Mulligan is a menacing and heartbreaking antagonist, and her motherly voice is a soothing sense of dread throughout this tale. It's a performance that stands out as one of the actress's best in an already storied career.

These three leads are bolstered by an impressively broad supporting cast with all manner of talents behind them. Some appear for mere moments in more comedic capacities, like Jemaine Clement ("Moana," "What We Do in the Shadows") or Marc Evan Jackson ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "The Good Place"), while others make big impacts with limited screentime. Jake Johnson ("New Girl," "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse") and Maya Erskine ("Children's Hospital," "PEN15") play Mac and Prue's father and mother respectively, and they do wonders of warmth and emotion with only minutes of screentime. Angela Bassett ("What's Love Got to Do with It," "Black Panther") is the Avian General and sets her commanding presence on the screen alongside a massive wingspan. Tom Waits ("Short Cuts," "Bram Stoker's Dracula") gives life to Maksim, one of Alexandra's coyote commanders, and his gravelly voice is a menace whenever it crawls back into your ears. Awkwafina ("Crazy Rich Asians," "The Farewell") plays Septima, a rat who befriends Curtis, and she manages to deliver a remarkably somber and understated performance given her previous vocal work. It's a cast full of character actors, big names and small, and each and every line melts into the fantastical world until they're imperceptible from the character.

The film's characters and story are excellent, and reason enough to see the film, but the sheer feat of technical craft on display makes this a film that simply inspires awe. Entirely animated by hand, with 24 frames for one second of film, "Wildwood" is simply breathtaking. From the smaller moments of almost imperceptible human detail to massive battles with hundreds of characters on screen together, it's a mind-boggling amount of work put into this story. Scenes of characters wading through leaves as the wind blows them around them or tussling and rolling around in fights are exciting to watch, but then the thought reenters that every bit of what is on screen is not only human made, but handmade and it becomes all the more impressive. To have a story so focused on growing up and becoming a new person crafted with this level of intricacy lends a new level of meaning that even other animation mediums simply cannot match.

Beyond even the handmade nature of everything, it's a gorgeous film. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel ("The Right Stuff," "The Black Stallion") works to frame each moment as precisely as possible. His specific look meshes with Laika's animation beautifully. This is backed up by Dario Marianelli's ("Atonement," "Anna Karenina") phenomenal score that blends traditional fantasy instruments and themes with an undercurrent of alt guitars and drums. These help the film's pace to never falter, keeping you immersed in the tale without overloading things with saccharine moments or incomprehensible action. It's a believable tale, despite the seven-foot-tall birds and armies of coyotes. Knight's hand is a calm, commanding one that steers this ship into the territory occupied by other fantasy epics like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Dark Crystal." It's a sweeping film for all ages, but with the maturity and respect that will make it last across generations.

"Wildwood" is a fantastic coming-of-age tale, packed with complex characters and arcs in a world that's easy to get lost in. It's one of the best stories of the year, and it would already be an easy recommendation if that was the end of it. But the sheer technical feat on display for the gorgeous, jaw-dropping animation pushes it over the edge into the realm of the sublime. This is a truly special film, even amongst Laika's already impressive catalog. Knight leads his team forward into new territory for this beloved medium and turns a fantasy epic into something more. It's not a film. It's magic. 5/5