[6]
After her baby brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows, a young girl named Prue and her nerdy classmate, Curtis, embark on a rescue mission inside a magical forest world adjacent to Portland, Oregon, where humans and anthropomorphic animals live side by side. A disgraced governess named Alexandra plans to sacrifice Prue’s brother in order to resurrect her own son, who died in a tragic accident many years earlier. To stop Alexandra and her army of coyote warriors, Prue and Curtis rally the birds, the bandits, a bunch of hippie farmers, and other factions to help them wage a climactic battle to not only rescue Prue’s brother, but save the entire realm from ‘the ivy’ — a deadly scourge the ritual sacrifice will unleash upon the land.
Wildwood, based on a novel by Colin Meloy, is a big, complicated story that doesn’t at all fit comfortably into a film that runs a mere two hours and change. The pacing is often frenetic, rushing over emotional moments and character development that have the potential to be much more engrossing if given time to properly play out. As the villain, Alexandra (voiced by Carey Mulligan) is perhaps the most fleshed out and compelling. Nearly every other character — and there are dozens of them — needs more screen time for us to warm up to them. I never invested in Prue’s journey like I should have, but I did relate with her friend Curtis a bit more. There’s also a wise old owl, a huge brave eagle, a sympathetic turncoat coyote, and a little rat that I kinda liked — but again, there’s just not enough time with them. The script also has structural problems. It withholds vital information for so long, that the first half of the film feels aimless and boring. I wasn’t the least bit invested until the midpoint, after the real story is unveiled through a series of flashbacks and secrets revealed.
Another thing that bugged me tremendously — and I know it may sound small and insignificant — but this creative decision set the whole film off on the wrong foot for me: I hate how a pop song is played over the kidnapping of Prue’s brother. This is the dramatic hook of the whole story, with Prue and Curtis chasing desperately after the crows, and you put an irreverent pop tune over it? It sucks all the dramatic weight and tension out of the moment and hobbles the rest of the movie in a profound way.
Director (and heir to the Nike fortune) Travis Knight (Masters of the Universe) employs stop-motion animation courtesy of Laika Studios to bring this adventure-fantasy to life. It’s a remarkable, hand-made, state-of-the-art achievement, with some assistance here and there from computer animation (mostly with special effects, crowds, and the swarms of birds). While the effort is certainly Herculean and commendable, I don’t particularly care for the style and design of the world or its characters. Nor does this fantasy world feel cogent or believable. It often feels too similar to fantasy-adventures of the past, with glaring similarities to Labyrinth, The Lord of the Rings, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
What I do like about Wildwood is its rich thematic subtext. It’s ultimately a story about overcoming grief. Do we let it go, or do we let it consume us? Alexandra is a villain because she lets her grief transform her into a monster. Prue faces it head-on and fares better for it. She and Curtis come of age by the story’s end, sacrificing their innocence to the greater cause in ways that are ennobling and bittersweet. I think the film also contains allegory pertaining to artificial intelligence and how older generations saddle younger ones with debt and burden. The story is thoughtful and provocative enough that I ultimately appreciate Wildwood. But, man. I could have liked it so much more if it just slowed down and allowed me to savor some moments. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if I like this movie more upon rewatching.
With Petyon Elizabeth Lee as the voice of Prue and Jacob Tremblay as Curtis. Other voice actors include Angela Bassett, Charlie Day, Richard E. Grant, Tom Waits, Jake Johnson, Blythe Danner, Tantoo Cardinal, Awkwafina, and Mahershala Ali.