Wildwood
Laika Studio’s Wildwood is truly breathtaking and some of the most astounding film-making I’ve witnessed all year, all decade, all century. It is truly something else. Stop motion on a scale like nobody has ever seen.
Considering this was nearly two decades in the making, the level of human artistry on display is truly unbelievable, and it's precisely this level of craftsmanship that is the reason this film is garnering such love.
When this film enters its third act specifically, I couldn't fathom how some things were made. I was scratching my brain as to how any of it was stop motion. I genuinely found myself tearing up at multiple points in the movie just due to the sheer amount of effort that went into making this film. Pure unfiltered human creativity on display.
In an age where there are films being made with ai, where there are content creators and our social feeds filled with ai slop, it is so cool to see what human hands are capable of.
However, upon rewatch, after the sheer spectacle had worn off slightly, the cracks were a little clearer. This mainly being how rudimentary the story is. There's nothing wrong with playing into tropes, or stereotypes, but they should be used as starting points. We should go on a journey with the characters, understand them deeper as we spend more time with them, and this just isn't the case for Wildwood.
We barrel through a fairly involved story quickly, never getting to sit with any character or part of the world long enough to feel for them. This really sings true with Curtis' character who's climax in the film feels slightly unearned and underexplored after it happens. It also happens with Prue, in the final moments of the film she states something emphatically that, while it made me cry, is completely unrelated to the story we just watched.
The plot may be simple but there is plenty to like. The world building on offer surrounding the story is truly something else - and then you add on the layer that is all stop motion and it truly becomes unfathomable. The darkness and willingness to not shy away from the darkness of the story that it wants to tell is extremely commendable.
It's not the most perfect narrative in the world but I think the artistry that is on offer overcomes that tenfold. It’s got a huge beating heart at its centre, the emphasis on family and threading that between the protagonist and villain was wonderful.
And when I tell you that this third act had my jaw on the floor, I’m not kidding, I still don't understand how they made it. Not only from a technical point of view, but the swell of emotions that the film helps elicit, thanks in part to the gorgeous score which reaches a beautiful climax at that point, is truly magic. Genuinely I would compare this to something like Helm’s Deep and I don't say that lightly. I was in disbelief.
I truly think this movie is the pinnacle of human artistry. It's not my favourite film in the world but wow did it move me. Go support stuff like this and show that you want humans making movies please