Laika may not be the largest animated studio working today, but whenever they churn out a project, it becomes an event. With Coraline becoming a new holiday staple and Kubo and the Two Strings breaking records at the Academy Awards for animation and stop-motion, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy their movies. With over seven years since its last release, Wildwood faced pressure to keep up Laika’s hot streak, and luckily, they succeeded.

Based on Carson Ellis’ 2011 novel, the film follows Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a teenager searching for adventure in her small town, which is surrounded by a mysterious fog. After her younger brother, Mac, is suddenly kidnapped by a murder of crows, she ventures into the fog to save him and bring him home. Helping Prue on her adventure is Curtis (Jacob Trembley), one of her classmates who is eager for her approval. What may seem like a simple task unfolds into something far more sinister as Prue and Curtis discover the magic that lies outside their city.

Wildwood began preproduction weeks after the original novel was released, meaning the film took 15 years to make. Spending 15 years on one project means the filmmakers must have a lot of passion to get it off the ground, and you can see it in every second. The animation is gorgeously crafted, with each frame drowning in detail. From the texture of feathers to the stunning forest backdrops, the visuals never stop popping. The third act, especially, is so well crafted that it makes you wonder how they pulled it off in stop-motion. It may have taken them an entire childhood to create a two-hour feature, but it was more than worth it.

The film has a Studio Ghibli-style storytelling: a child meets various characters and creatures while learning about the world and growing up. At first, Wildwood felt like it borrowed too much from the beloved studio’s work, but its more action-centered story helped it stand out among similar films in its genre. Making action via stop-motion is no easy task, but director Travis Knight’s choreography is as fluid as if real humans were throwing punches. Because the filmmakers use still images to create a moving picture, the action should be slower than most, but the film somehow manages to be as effective as any other action movie. A sequence involving birds fighting stands out because of all the overlapping characters, making for an awe-inspiring sequence unlike anything done in stop-motion animation.

Prue’s drive to find her brother makes for a compelling protagonist, but it’s the supporting cast that truly makes the movie. Curtis’s transition from a scared young boy to a brave fighter is satisfying, and Jacob Trembley’s childish performance enhances the character’s charisma. Carey Mulligan’s work as the villainous Alexandra is easily the standout of the supporting cast, and not just because of her voice performance. Her drive to become a parent again brought an excellent amount of sympathy to her demented character, and Mulligan captures that duality to a T. Awkwafina’s distinct voice is often distracting when performing a voice role, but her role as the rat sidekick Septima is fantastic, showcasing layers of drama that led to the most emotional sequence in the film. Although the film is littered with hundreds of characters, the writing and performances ensure none of them feel wasted.

The grand-scale storytelling and mind-blowing animation make for an always-watchable experience, but by focusing so much on scale, it loses some intimacy. Outside of the obvious kidnapping of her brother, there isn’t much that we know about Prue and why she is the person that she is. Her bravery and passion to find her brother make her a solid enough lead, but the film never digs into why she is that way. The film also introduces an interesting family dynamic between Prue and her parents, but it doesn’t explore it nearly as much as it could in favor of getting to the next action sequence. For a film as ambitious as this, Prue needed some kind of catharsis to push it to masterpiece status.

Wildwood may not hit the highs of other Laika films, but its stunning animation and epic storytelling made for a phenomenal two-plus hours in the theater. With a fantastic voice ensemble and textured world-building, this is the kind of animated content that is best viewed in a theater. It’s hard for movie studios to produce zero duds, but Laika remains one of the few outliers.

Wildwood will release in theaters on October 23.

Rating: 8/10

Oscar Prospects:

Best Animated Feature