Review: Wildwood (2026)

I'm inspired to write my own review after reading many reviews of Wildwood online.

In case you don't know, Wildwood is a stop-motion fantasy film made by Laika Studios. In a world dominated by computers, technology, and now AI, running an animation studio that still creates stop-motion animation is brave. The company makes stop-motion films simply because it can, and because much of the funding comes from Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, so it doesn't have to worry as much about making money. I mean that as a compliment, by the way.

If you haven't watched a Laika film before, I recommend that you do, even if it's just to appreciate the craftsmanship. The amount of effort put into creating this movie is incredible. It's mind-boggling to me that everything could have been animated in 3D, yet the company chose stop motion instead. Again, huge respect to the animators and their craft.

The story is just alright. It's not bad, but it isn't particularly strong either. I've not read the book that the story was based on, so I won't comment on how closely the film follows it, and that's not important anyway.

I also don't want to talk about the themes in the movie because they aren't the most important aspect.

I want to talk about scriptwriting. This movie doesn't have enough highs and lows. A good movie should have highs and lows. Not all good movies need dramatic highs and lows, sure. But when a movie lacks them, it's harder for the audience to become emotionally invested. I was definitely amazed by the visuals, but not by the story. I admire Prue for her determination to save her baby brother. Curtis, in my opinion, is a filler character who was added mainly to provide character development.

Highs and lows are important. Take the movie Hidden Figures from 2016. I could tell the movie was going to be great within the first five minutes. It gives you a low point and a high point early on, then throws in a surprise, and continues that pattern throughout. While I can no longer remember the exact plot, I can still remember how the movie made me feel. A film earns huge bonus points from me if it includes a surprise, twist, or something genuinely unexpected. Even the unexpected moments in Wildwood weren't mind-blowing. They felt more like, "Oh, so that's why she did that. Next."

Another thing that makes a good movie great is having relatable characters. The characters in Wildwood are fine. I just don't have much to say about them. By the way, the worst movie I've watched this year is Supergirl, where the main character is so unrelatable that if she died, no one would care.

I would still recommend that you watch Wildwood despite everything I've said. You can still admire the visuals, appreciate the craftsmanship, support the people behind the film, and maybe you'll enjoy the story more than I did.

5/5 for visuals. 3/5 for story.