Wildwood Spoiler-free Review

by Cineman

As a huge fan of LAIKA Studios, and someone who absolutely loved Kubo and the Two Strings, I was pretty much teed up to love Wildwood. The film, directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, features the voices of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, and Mahershala Ali. With LAIKA returning to the fantasy genre, I was expecting another epic adventure packed with wonder, heart, and some genuinely spectacular stop-motion animation. And while Wildwood delivers on several fronts, it also left me with some mixed feelings.

Let’s start with the good stuff. LAIKA is at the top of its game, and arguably the game, when it comes to stop-motion animation. The textures, movement, and sheer fluidity of the animation are so incredible that there are moments when you’d swear the entire film was computer-generated. Knowing that everything is painstakingly crafted by hand makes the whole thing even more impressive. The amount of time, patience, and skill that goes into creating something like this is almost unfathomable.

The story itself is good, and there are several fantastic set pieces throughout. The final climactic battle, in particular, is an absolute spectacle. It’s complex, ambitious, and a phenomenal showcase of what stop-motion animation can achieve. There is plenty here for fantasy fans to sink their teeth into.

However, Wildwood has a tonal problem. I went in expecting an epic adventure with some darker elements, but what I got was a genuinely dark, sometimes brutal fantasy film that feels considerably less accessible than Kubo and the Two Strings. The darkness isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the way it clashes with the film’s other elements can be jarring. At times, I found myself wondering who exactly this film is supposed to be for.

The only answer I could come up with was adults who are massive nerds about how LAIKA makes movies. And while I proudly count myself among that crowd, it’s a smaller audience compared to the one this film could have reached.

I love what LAIKA is doing, particularly in an age of digital slop, but I sometimes wonder whether the studio’s creative process needs a little more restraint. Wildwood tries to be everything at once. There are so many subplots, characters, and ideas that several of them feel like they could have supported their own films, or even sequels in a series. Instead, everything gets crammed into one enormous adventure.

Perhaps that’s the downside of a studio that releases films so infrequently. When you only make one of these every decade or so, there’s a temptation to throw absolutely everything at the screen. Unfortunately, more isn’t always better.

Ultimately, Wildwood is a captivating time for fans of dark fantasy, stop-motion animation, and adult-oriented animation. It’s an extraordinary technical achievement, but its uneven tone and overstuffed story hold it back. And parents should be warned: this definitely isn’t a film I’d automatically recommend for younger kids.

Impressive? Absolutely. Magical? Not quite as much as I’d hoped.

Wildwood is in cinemas on 23 October 2026.

Rating: 6.5/10

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