Wildwood

Laika Studios has consistently defined the gold standard for stop-motion artistry, building a remarkable cinematic lineage with triumphs like Coraline, Paranorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings. Adapted from the 2011 fantasy novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, Wildwood—directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee and Kubo and the Two Strings)—finds the studio crafting a generational opus that feels like a monumental leap forward in ambition, scale, and emotional depth.

The film opens with a vibrant, lived-in portrait of Portland, anchoring its narrative around a young, empowering sister named Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee). Prue lives in a famously inclusive, progressive city alongside her wonderfully realized hipster parents (Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson), who sip artisanal coffee and casually affirm that they will love her baby brother no matter who he grows up to be. That domestic tranquility is upended when a flock of birds descends to sweep away her young brother, Mac (Arthur Knight), carrying him deep into the forbidden territory of the local forest. Panicked and determined, Prue rushes after him, accompanied by her timid classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay). Despite Curtis’s frightened warnings that they must turn back, the pair cross the threshold into a treacherous wilderness that instantly swallows them whole.

Once inside, the narrative expands into a rich, fantastical tapestry reminiscent of the wondrous, otherworldly realms found in the finest works of Hayao Miyazaki, brimming with unique creatures, ancient sorcery, and profound environmental beauty. The forest itself is controlled by a ravenous pack of military-clad coyote soldiers led by the fiercely imposing General (Angela Bassett), while the chilling tyranny behind the region’s oppression is ultimately unraveled as the work of a powerful witch character named Alexandra (Carey Mulligan). Separated from Prue early in the journey, Curtis undergoes a remarkable transformation of character when he crosses paths with Septima (Awkwafina), a rat whose initial outward appearance of gruffness gives way to a deeply sincere loyalty, grounding the emotional stakes of the adventure.

Courtesy Fanthom Entertainment

Beneath the surface conflict lies a sprawling civil war led by a renegade faction of banished exiles and renegades known as the bandits. Operating out of the hidden reaches of the forest, these rugged outlaws are commanded by Brendan, the charismatic Bandit King (Mahershala Ali), alongside key lieutenants like the eccentric bandit operative Roger Swindon (Jemaine Clement). Rather than existing as mere background rogues, the bandits function as the beating heart of the woodland’s resistance who are all trained guerilla fighters who refuse to bow to the witch’s absolute rule and who share a reverence for the natural world alongside the native forest citizens. When it is revealed that Mac was taken as a sacrifice due to dark family secrets and hidden skeletons harbored by Prue and Mac’s parents (Maya Erskine and Jake Johnson), these renegade bandits prove vital to the story, opening their ranks to train Curtis and aligning their forces with Prue in a breathtaking display of collaboration.

The film handles its runtime of over two hours with astonishing grace, maintaining a propulsive, gripping momentum that never flags. Sequences like the tense, high-wire rescue inside the caged dungeon where Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) finds himself trapped alongside captured bandit freedom fighters showcase peerless physical craftsmanship, while the climactic third-act battle unfurls with such sweeping, operatic grandeur that it feels like an animated equivalent to Akira Kurosawa’s Ran or Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bolstered by stellar voice work across the board from a phenomenal ensemble, Wildwood pulses with tangible passion, emerging not only as a towering achievement for Laika, but as one of the most mesmerizing and unforgettable animated cinematic experiences of this decade.

Wildwood is now playing in theaters