Laika's 'Wildwood' Review: A Pleasingly Old-Fashioned Stop-Motion Adventure
Laika's 'Wildwood' is a fantasy adventure set in Portland, Oregon, featuring stop-motion animation and a secret world of strange beasts and talking animals.
In Brief
- •Laika's 'Wildwood' is a fantasy adventure set in Portland, Oregon, featuring stop-motion animation and a secret world of strange beasts and talking animals.
- •The film, written by Chris Butler and based on a novel by Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy, follows a 12-year-old girl named Prue who enters a mysterious forest to rescue her baby brother.
- •The story is directed by Travis Knight and features voices by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jake Johnson, Maya Erskine, Jacob Tremblay, Marc Evan Jackson, Carey Mulligan, and Mahershala Ali.
- •The animation style is distinctively direct and organic, offering a change from Pixar's digital look.
- •The film explores themes of mystery, adventure, and the fear of confronting unknown forces.
Why It Matters
Laika's 'Wildwood' offers a unique blend of fantasy and adventure, appealing to both children and adults. The film's distinctive animation style and engaging story make it a standout in the fantasy genre. It also provides a fresh take on the classic themes of quests and the unknown, which have been explored in literature by authors like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.
Key Details
- Director
- Travis Knight
- Writer
- Chris Butler
- Based on
- Novel by Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy
- Voices
- Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jake Johnson, Maya Erskine, Jacob Tremblay, Marc Evan Jackson, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali
- Animation Style
- Stop-motion
- Setting
- Portland, Oregon
Context & Background
Laika's 'Wildwood' is part of a series of fantasy films created by the Portland-based Laika studio, known for its distinctive animation style and engaging stories. The film is set in a modern-day city but features a secret world of mystery and adventure.
Original Reporting & Sources
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