This stop-motion animated fantasy tells the story of a teenage girl named Prue who braves a forbidden, enchanted forest known as the Impassable Wilderness, on a mission to rescue her baby brother after he is kidnapped by a murder of crows. Prue's classmate Curtis accidentally gets dragged along for the adventure.
They enter a magical but dangerous world, hidden on the outskirts of their hometown of Portland, Oregon. The forest is filled with talking animals, bandits and mystics.
There's a wonderful contrast between the characters in this movie, directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, based on the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. The film gently pokes fun at Portland's hipster culture - anyone who has spent time in East London will recognise the humour. Prue's beanie-wearing dad is a bit wet compared to his headstrong and gutsy daughter, and the timid, nerdy Curtis, perfectly complements Prue's confident and stubborn personality. The mission forces both Prue and Curtis out of their comfort zones, and as an audience, you feel invested in both their growth journeys. I watched Wildwood with my sons, Odhran, 11, and Reuben, 8, and Curtis was their favourite character.
Wildwood has a UK age rating of 12A, meaning it's generally considered suitable for anyone aged 12 or over, but younger children can watch it if accompanied by an adult. It's down to the parent to judge how sensitive their child is to dark imagery and intense moments. This is not a lighthearted family cartoon. It's moody and atmospheric and doesn't shy away from complex and heavy themes around societal frameworks and political structures, family, grief, loss and trauma. Wildwood was created by Laika, the studio behind Coraline - another dark fantasy stop-motion rated PG. But Odhran and Reuben told me they found Coraline, with its macabre atmosphere, scarier. And they love Coraline!
Wildwood draws on classic fairy tales with Prue venturing into a deep dark woods, similar to Little Red Riding Hood, but with the Big Bad Wolf replaced by an army of coyotes, and I could see inspiration drawn from the original Brothers Grimm tale of Rapunzel.
Overall, we rate Wildwood 4 out of 5. It's the storyline that marks it down slightly for us, as we feel its core concept lacks the originality or Coraline or other stop motion favourites, such as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas or Aardman Animations, Chicken Run.
But Wildwood must be honoured for its groundbreaking evolution of stop-motion animation. In an age of digital generation, this film is a celebration of human talent and craftsmanship. Wildwood took 16 years to make, from development to completion and is the longest stop-motion animated film ever created, with a run time of 2hrs 12mins (It felt a little too long and was a bit of a slow start).
A team of more than 1,000 artists worked on this film. It uses more than 230 handmade puppets and more than 130 physical sets. It's incredible to imagine how each of these three-dimensional models must be carefully crafted using materials such as silicone, latex, rubber and fabric, layered over a skeleton to simulate skin, muscle and clothing. Facial expressions and movements are then operated through internal mechanical gears, tens of thousands of 3D-printed replacement faces, or hand-sculpted clay/wax. Laika developed 'breathers' to simulate natural, lifelike chest movement in the characters.
The puppets interact with tangible sets and every tiny movement must be photographed frame-by-frame rather than generated digitally.
The results are visually beautifully, from the small details (I'm still thinking about the realistic texture of Prue's mum's unkempt hair) to the epic battle towards the end of the movie.
Unlike digital animation, the result of stop-motion is a movie that doesn't age. The Nightmare Before Christmas, released in 1993, still looks as visually striking today as it did more than 30 years ago.
Wildwood is a triumphant labour of love. It's a celebration of human artistry and a huge leap forward in our appreciation of the craft of stop-motion animation.
In cinemas now.