Wildwood review: A jaw-dropping cinematic triumph
You know that buzzing feeling you get after you’ve just seen an extraordinary film? Well, I’m currently basking in the glow of seeing the outstanding Wildwood, my new current favourite of 2026 (sorry to The Invite).
This stop-motion animation follows Prue (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), teenagers who enter a hidden, magical forest in Portland when Prue’s baby brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken inside. She discovers that her brother is part of the dowager governess Alexandra’s (Carey Mulligan) evil scheme to destroy the enchanted wood forever. Prue and Curtis must band together with the forest’s divided factions to save her brother and their home.
Wildwood, based on the 2011 fantasy novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis, is a staggering technical achievement that made me think “how did they do that?” over and over again. The scale and ambition blew my mind. It really pushes the limits of what we’ve come to expect from a stop-motion animation, including the length of the film (it’s the longest one ever at 131 minutes), how many characters are in one shot, how many things can take place at once, and the richness, depth and texture of the landscapes. That’s not to mention the action sequences, which are just utterly jaw-dropping. How did they do it?! How!?
The film reminded me a lot of The Chronicles of Narnia, with familiar aspects like children entering an enchanted woodland, talking animals and a powerful, magical woman at the centre. I don’t want that comparison to diminish Wildwood, because it is a brilliant, epic fantasy tale, even if you take the stop-motion aspect out of the equation. It doesn’t feel more than two hours long, the production design and cinematography are absolutely gorgeous, the voice cast are solid (also featuring Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina and Angela Bassett), Dario Marianelli‘s score is beautiful, and the third act ascends to a whole other spectacular level.
Warning: this is not for young children. The story is much darker than I expected and there are a few scary and/or upsetting moments that warrant its 12A certificate. There’s bloodshed, threat and many deaths (it’s quite a morbid family film!) that may be too much for those under 12. But otherwise, older children and adults should be enthralled by this in equal measure.
Wildwood, which has been in the making for 15 years, more than deserves the Best Animated Feature Oscar – if it doesn’t win, I will kick up a fuss!
In cinemas from Friday 23rd October