{"id":45694,"date":"2026-11-12T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=45694"},"modified":"2026-11-12T15:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T20:21:35","slug":"review-stop-motion-magic-brings-wildwood-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2026\/11\/12\/review-stop-motion-magic-brings-wildwood-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Stop-Motion magic brings \u201cWildwood\u201d to life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Warning: This review contains spoilers for \u201cWildwood.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWildwood\u201d is a newly released stop-motion picture<\/a> by the acclaimed Laika Studios and was directed by Phil Knight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWildwood\u201d follows a young girl named Prue and her timid classmate Curtis venturing into the \u201cimpassable woods\u201d to save Prue\u2019s brother from a grieving witch.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The “Wildwood” movie poster. <\/strong>IMDB.COM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Trekking through the woods, Prue and Curtis discover fantastical societies occupied by humans and anthropomorphic animals, a mystical force that whispers through the woods, and a conflict that threatens the well-being of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWildwood\u201d is Knight\u2019s second directorial film with Laika Studios, the previous being \u201cKubo and the Two Strings,\u201d which was released with critical acclaim in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the past decade, Knight and the creators at Laika Studios have honed their craft to an unfathomable degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easily the film\u2019s strongest aspect is its visuals and animation. Several shots in \u201cWildwood\u201d look photorealistic, as if you can feel the warmth of the scenes\u2019 lighting, or the clammy fog of a Cascadian wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are scenes that are massive, beautiful and breathtaking. The fact that the film utilizes stop-motion animation makes for an outright unbelievable viewing experience, especially in a theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soundtrack is also extremely well-done. Ranging from sweeping orchestral pieces during battles to quiet indie songs during intimate moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film\u2019s narrative, while still great, does have more flaws compared to its visual and auditory elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest flaw with \u201cWildwood\u201d is mostly characterization issues within its writing, especially with the movie’s many side characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Characters are introduced and then exit the narrative at a frequent rate, often with little characterization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While these characters are written well, there isn\u2019t much written about them. Aside from a few characters, such as the two protagonists, the villain and one or two side characters, many characters only serve one purpose and then leave the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also felt that \u201cWildwood\u201d<\/a> struggled to establish a core theme. Not to say the themes presented were bad or poorly written, but similar to its side characters, varying themes are all vying for the spotlight.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Someone filming in stop motion.<\/strong> BEFOREANDAFTERS.COM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Despite these flaws, the story presented is engaging, shocking, and emotional, with several scenes bringing me to both tears and laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The voice acting is phenomenal and Prue is one of my favorite protagonists in an animated film, with her realistically written character providing a humorous contrast to the otherworldly adventure she finds herself in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another aspect of the film I\u2019d like to note is that it\u2019s surprisingly brutal, and it\u2019s not afraid of killing off characters, a few swear words, or violence. All of it worked well in the narrative and wasn\u2019t egregious or redundant, though it was shocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWildwood\u201d is a wondrous film and definitely worth viewing. Not only as a film in itself, but as a true statement of human creativity and craft in a world where those traits are increasingly needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter Cousino, staff writer <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out more from The Clarion: <\/p>\n\n\n