Travis Knight might be the poster child for what a nepo baby should be. Using his father Philip Knight’s Nike wealth, he founded Laika back in 2005, a studio dedicated to producing stop-motion animated features. The studio has crafted some of the best stop-motion animation on the planet. Coraline is a cinematic masterpiece, and their later films continued to push the medium forward. Wildwood, their first feature since 2019, is highly anticipated given its adaptation of the acclaimed fantasy novel of the same name. The result is a film that left me whelmed rather than in love.

Following Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a young girl whose brother is never allowed to leave the house, the film begins when, on babysitting duty, she breaks this rule and takes him out on the back of her bike. During her adventure, she bumps into Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), a child who still wants to play games that are considered “childish”. Their lives are about to change when a murder of crows suddenly kidnaps her younger brother and carries him into the woods, a place Prue has been explicitly told never to enter.

We are then transported to a fantasy world on the verge of conflict, where Prue’s presence threatens to fan the flames. On a visual level, the film is nothing short of a masterpiece. It serves as a case study in why stop-motion is such a meaningful and powerful form of animation. Ignoring the CGI utilisation to remove rigs, extend backgrounds, etc. You can see and feel that every frame has been meticulously handcrafted and captured in camera. There are some unusual qualities, such as moments when Prue’s hair reacts like a video game texture clipping into the environment. However, that is simply because it is not easy to keep every strand perfectly in place when animators must manually adjust the character between every frame.

As the film continues, that beauty only becomes more awe-inspiring. From gliding high above the clouds on the back of an eagle to the climactic final battle, the film constantly finds new ways to impress. That final battle should not be possible in stop-motion, as it has more in common with a big-budget live-action fantasy epic than a traditional stop-motion feature. If the train sequence from Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers was the gold standard for stop-motion action, then Wildwood may well have raised the bar. Throughout most of the film’s runtime, I couldn’t help but say “wow” every few seconds. It is all accompanied by a magnificent score that feels like it’s from another world.

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Animation is more than just visuals, and this is where the film falls short. Despite stellar voice acting by Lee, Prue never truly won me over. I found myself more interested in the world she inhabits than in her as a character. Although she is not a blank slate, she lacks the defining qualities that make for an interesting protagonist. Beyond her love for her brother and her desire to be treated as an adult, I could not tell you a single memorable character trait. On the other hand. Curtis has the most compelling arc in the film. Voiced wonderfully by Tremblay, he is the typical nerdy companion who goes above and beyond for the protagonist. Living out the fantasy adventures he previously only experienced through tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. While his journey turns out to be more nightmare than dream come true, it remains consistently thrilling to watch unfold on screen.

Still, the film’s themes of overcoming grief and exploring the coexistence of humanity and technology are interesting on paper. Yet it feels as though we have seen all of this before. While this may have been fertile ground when the book was published in 2011, it now feels like familiar territory in the age of AI. The theme is primarily explored through an AI recreation of a child, similar to what we saw in Sheep in the Box. However, despite the film’s best efforts to grapple with complex emotions, I felt almost nothing while watching it.

Wildwood wants to be Laika’s magnum opus, the stop-motion film that redefines the genre for the next generation of animators. However, despite being visually striking and nothing short of mesmerising, Wildwood ultimately left me feeling cold. There are only so many times I can say “wow” before I start asking whether there is anything more on offer. Unfortunately, with this film, there really isn’t.

★★★

Having its World Premiere at the 2026 BFI London Film Festival on the 11th and 17th October / Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett / Dir: Travis Knight / Black Bear / 12A

About the Author

Robert Ewing

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Rob is a freelance film critic and writer who specialises in Anime and Asian cinema. I have adored film since a young age, having watched films that were far too old for me, such as RoboCop, Die Hard, and Hot Tub Time Machine, to discovering the heights of foreign cinema through films like Headhunters and Battle Royale. Growing up with such a diverse catalogue of films that I cherished sparked my desire to discuss them. This passion eventually led me to become a reviewer. Dissecting films, speaking to filmmakers I admire, and showcasing the best of Asian and anime cinema is how I live my best and truest life.

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