Wildwood, Laika, and the Power of Stop-Motion
So Angel and I finally got out to see Laika’s latest stop motion masterpiece: Wildwood. And both of us LOVED it.
I know it’s been years since I wrote something on here, but if you’d ever read anything of mine that I used to post on here, I’ve decided I want to start writing again. BUT I’m not going to care so much about having a true structure. Think of this as like what I write on Letterboxd, but with more thoughts and meanderings. It’s for me, but I hope you enjoy it.
Wildwood starts off with a bang. Angel and I both thought we were probably going to see a story aimed at a younger audience. But, in the very first scene you’re faced with a terrible topic for children: suicide. Like WOW, ok this isn’t what either of us expected. Throughout the whole opening act too they absolutely play on this, jumping between youthful humor and serious storytelling, showing it ain’t a story just for kids. I’m trying not to do a lot of story spoileries, but I just want to say yes it has bones that are similar to stories you’ve seen before, they manage to really subvert expectations in a good way. One thing Angel also mentions a bit later is I LOVE that they keep the kids kids. They don’t make them these massive conquering heroes.
BUT the story isn’t what makes this movie just absolute MAGIC. It’s the damn ANIMATION. I think of all these stop motion artists working diligently to create the artwork and character models for this story. It’s INSANE to think about how much work went into this. From what I could it took SEVEN years to get this movie complete. It’s a work of love by everyone involved. For me, I love watching stop-motion, but I can’t help finding myself thinking about how it’s done. The magic of wildwood is you get so engrossed in the beauty of it that you forget about all of the behind the scenes work. I suppose in a way you could say that’s a negative? But it isn’t at all. It’s a compliment. You go from thinking “Wow this is awesome, I wonder how they do it.” - to - “HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE.” That’s the best way I can think to say it. It’s truly gorgeous, especially as the story grows more in depth, resulting in more complex scene work. By the end, I couldn’t have cared how the story was playing out (not that I even mean that in a negative way, I found myself tearing up which is always a plus in my book); I just wanted to see what Laika could do next! It’s a true work of art and I truly hope that they make every dollar they can from this because I can’t wait to see more from them. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It’s that good, and that magical; neither of us wanted to leave the theater when it ended. We’re already talking about a second viewing.
I now leave you Angel’s SPOILERY thoughts, please view with caution:
ANGEL’S THOUGHTS:
Ok I am always name dropped on this site, so hiiiii!!! Here are some thoughts I had throughout the movie:
ass cheeks not even 5 mins in?
I relate to the eye bags
thrilling, humorous, perfect balance
she is such a good older sister
I knew off the rip type owl with the jewelry and a portrait of himself would 1) get arrested and 2) become a political leader duhh
I’m VERY glad that she only gave Curtis a hug in the end and did not take the “knight in shining armor” route
HOW did they do the war scene?? And the VINES
Dowager was serving CUNT the whole time SUE ME!!
AND they kept them kids, like killing is BAD I know I wanted to be a hero but now I got blood on my hands!
Thanks for coming! We’ll see you again next time we wanna talk more in depth about something!
