Wildwood’s Stop-Motion Magic Will Take Your Breath Away

A rescue in the wilderness

Prue McKeel, played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, is left to babysit her baby brother, Mac. After she takes him outside despite her parents’ warning, a murder of crows carries him to the Impassable Wilderness, a magical forest near Portland, Oregon.

Prue and her classmate Curtis, played by Jacob Tremblay, go into the forest to find Mac. They must bring its divided factions together against Alexandra, the Dowager Governess, a witch who uses dark magic.

Themes beyond sibling bonds

The story’s focus reaches beyond Prue’s rescue mission, examining grief and parenthood as well as the ties between siblings. Prue is appealing and determined, but her personal journey toward accepting magic is less developed than the film’s broader ideas.

Curtis begins the journey thrilled by the forest’s resemblance to the fantasy role-playing games he loves. He soon understands the danger is real and must reconsider what it means to be a hero.

A tragic antagonist

The Dowager Governess emerges as the story’s central figure. Her painful history is presented with care, making it possible to understand her while recognizing the harm in her choices.

Carey Mulligan gives the character a layered, haunted performance. Her story adds emotional depth to a film that has more to say about the adults around Prue than about Prue herself.

Darkness and animation

Wildwood includes a jarring opening and more violence than expected. The violence is noticeable rather than excessive, reflecting a forest caught in war. The stop-motion work is the film’s major achievement, especially in its fiery, bloodshed-filled climax. The puppets move with striking smoothness, and the ambitious story remains coherent despite its crowded plot and many themes.