Laika has delivered multiple animated classics like Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings. But with Wildwood, the studio delivered a revolutionary magnum opus that showcases the best of stop-motion storytelling. Directed by Travis Knight (Masters of the Universe), this movie follows teenager Prue (Elizabeth Peyton Lee) as she and her friend Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) venture into a magical forest to rescue her baby brother from a murder of crows sent by the evil sorceress Alexandra (Carey Mulligan).
2026 saw the release of multiple animated hits, including Hoppers, Toy Story 5, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, GOAT, and Forgotten Island. However, with its mature story, realistic characters, and jaw-dropping animation, Wildwood has proven itself the top contender for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.
Wildwood is a wonderful world for all audiences
Wildwood is the kind of thrilling fairy-tale adventure that kids grow up reading before bed. Once Prue leaves her Portland home and enters the Impassible Wilderness, she finds herself in a colorful world filled with fantastical creatures that spark the imagination, from the proud Avians to the rebellious Bandits to the vicious Coyotes. It also condenses Wildwood’s rich history into just two hours, giving it enough depth while leaving the audience wanting to learn more.
Though Laika injects this tale with childlike joy and wonder, it doesn’t write Wildwood off as a kids’ movie. Like The Lord of the Rings, it tells a poignant tale about the horrors of war, refusing to shy away from depicting death and bloodshed. The story actually begins with a child committing suicide in front of his mother, establishing it as a heavy tale about loss and grief. In the end, such a dark, mature film proves once again that animation isn’t a medium limited to children.
Its animated characters feel especially real
Wildwood features a large lineup of compelling characters with Prue at the forefront. In this classic coming-of-age adventure, Prue rediscovers her sense of wonder as she explores an unfamiliar world to rescue her brother. In an exclusive interview with Digital Trends, Peyton Elizabeth Lee expressed her love for “Prue’s ability to allow herself to grow as she experienced more,” making her such a lovable protagonist.
“Everything that she encounters in Wildwood runs very contradictory to everything she’s ever believed in and sort of built her worldview around,” Lee continued. “But she allows herself to grow and to learn and to evolve throughout the process of experiencing and encountering all of those new things.”
Meanwhile, Curtis is an awkward, fantasy geek who brings several comedic, lighthearted moments to the story, something Jacob Tremblay said he enjoyed while speaking to Digital Trends.
“I really appreciated just how adorable Curtis is and really super cute,” Tremblay said. “I talk about this all the time. I had a really fun time playing him, and I think the comedy on screen that I worked with Travis on, I think it delivers really well. And that’s something I’m really happy about, and I’m really excited for audiences to see that and for Curtis to kind of bring some laughs, laughter to the screen.”
Curtis acts as comic relief, but he isn’t all fun and games. Though he gets to fulfill his dream of embarking on an epic quest in Wildwood, he learns the hard way just how dangerous and terrifying such an adventure is. He is then forced to decide what kind of person he is: one who gives in to fear or one who bravely fights in spite of their fear.
While the heroes are easy to root for, like all stories, Wildwood is nothing without its villain: Alexandra. She is a fearsome figure, but she isn’t just another evil sorceress who wants to take over the world. She’s a grieving mother desperate to be with her son again, plunging Wildwood into a brutal war to make her wish come true. This makes her a tragic, sympathetic figure, but it also makes her into a callous, calculating, and bloodthirsty warlord.
Through Alexandra and many other adults Prue encounters, the film shows how grown-ups can be flawed, even unreliable people. After realizing this truth, Prue is forced to grow up fast and take matters into her own hands in order to save her brother. While it’s an intense, realistic coming-of-age story, she and her friends inspire viewers to hold on to their sense of wonder with their extraordinary journeys into adulthood.
Wildwood revolutionizes stop-motion animation
Few movies take your breath away with the amount of care put into crafting each frame, and Laika clearly pushed the limits of stop-motion filmmaking with Wildwood. This film delivers such fluid, realistic animation throughout its whopping two-hour runtime, and it takes every opportunity to show the medium’s full potential. Featuring such massive, intricate sequences like the first crow-chase scene, the movie pulls you into its animated world with mind-blowing precision.
It culminates in an epic final battle between the heroes and Alexandra’s army. The climax rivals the massive battles seen in The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Avengers: Endgame, making it a colossal achievement in stop-motion animation. Wildwood even celebrates the hard work put into its creation with a behind-the-scenes credits sequence showing the animators do their magic.
Overall, Wildwood is an ambitious, jaw-dropping work of art that sets a new standard for stop-motion animation. The filmmakers’ care and passion are on full display throughout the entire movie, building the story and characters with incredible depth and realism. Wildwood isn’t just the best animated film of the year. It’s hands-down one of the best animated films ever made.
“I think it’s just so gorgeous and I think people are going to be so mesmerized by what’s going on on the screen,” Tremblay said about the film. “But not just that, but the fact that they also put so much effort into the story and bringing out so much heart in it and making such real, grounded, relatable characters. I think that’s really going to stand out.”