Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for another adventure, and this time, we are going to yet another new world in the newest Laika Animation Studios animated movie, Wildwood!
The newest animated movie from the American stop-motion animation specialist, seven years after Missing Link, sees Prue embarking on an adventure in a magical forest to search her missing baby brother, who was abducted by a murder of crows led by a mysterious woman in the forest.
It may shock my viewers to know that this will be my first ever Laika animated movie. Considering the level of prestige Laika has when it comes to stop-motion animated movies that go super-duper hard, I had never covered any of their previous animated movies, including their iconic masterpieces, Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings and The Missing Link. Will Wildwood convince me to cover Laika’s other animated movies?
Well, let’s get to this adventure, shall we?
Key Information
- Director: Travis Knight
- Animation Studio: Laika Animation Studios
- Country of Origin: United Studios
- Rating: PG13
- Release date: 22 October 2026 (in Singapore)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
Prior to seeing this movie, I read the Wildwood book, which is part of a trilogy, and after I finished reading this book, I knew the source material was something very special. However, even if the original source material is excellent, this will come to naught if the execution of adapting the material into the big-screen format falls short. Thankfully, Laika understood that point, and to say they turned this story into something magical is a complete understatement, as they breathe life into this already fantastic story.
I don’t know how the hell the writers at Laika balance the world-building and excitement of this movie into this emotionally driven story without bogging down the content, but seriously, this is easily the most magical story of any animated movie this year. It is definitely a movie that I cannot spoil a lot about, since everyone needs to see this movie, so I will say this: everything about the script in this movie is beyond perfection.
Despite being a nearly two-hour and 10-minute spectacle (making it the longest stop-motion animated movie in history), Wildwood did not even slow down one bit and instead ramped up the stakes and drama with every passing minute, not to mention the world-building within these Impassable Woods so memorable to explore. This resulted in a very exciting and emotionally powerful story that climaxes in perhaps the best final act in any movie this year, let alone any animated movie this year. While it is also clear that this movie is not a funny one, there are some brilliant and well-timed jokes that break up the tension when needed.
However, I cannot in good conscience talk about the writing without talking about the brutality in this movie. Two years ago, I covered Dongeng Sang Kancil in theatres, which is very brutal and violent, in fact way too brutal and violent to get only a P12 (equivalent of a PG-13 rating in Malaysia) rating with so much blood and gore. Wildwood, on the other hand, is very brutal and violent, and has many shocking moments that justify its PG13 rating here in Singapore. That opening sequence alone should be a warning shot for how violent and exciting this movie is going to get, and I am so happy to witness an animated movie that deserved to get this rating. Wildwood never skimps on the violence if that means raising the stakes of this movie higher, and honestly, the writers at Laika deserve a raise or a promotion after writing such a phenomenal script.
Unsurprisingly, with how amazing the writing is in Wildwood, the character development is equally powerful. The character development of the main duo in Prue (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) and Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) is something future writers of animated movies need to study carefully as, while their development is slightly different, their respective character development blossomed so fully during the movie’s epic climax. I honestly was in love with their growth and development as the movie progressed, and by the end, I grew so fond of them in terms of their character development. Additionally, the main villain in Alexander (Carey Mulligan) might be one of the scariest and at the same time one of the best movie villains of 2026, for sure. Her character development, and especially her motivations, are something to behold as well.
Of course, there are just too many exciting characters within this movie that I seriously cannot spoil a lot about, but the excellent character development throughout this movie further enhances this already flawless script, taking a life of its own at times. This resulted in such an amazing script that left me without words in the best way possible. The fact that this was my very first Laika animated movie made me want to see their other movies, and I might do so when I get the chance. Man…
Animation
If I was speechless by the excellent writing in Wildwood, I was even more shell-shocked when it comes to the level of craft put into this movie when it came to the animation element. Considering Laika promoted a lot about the inner workings of this movie more than the movie itself, I can definitely tell why, because the animation is just… Spectacular!
While stop-motion animation is already an amazing animation technique in itself, Laika’s stop-motion work is gravity-defying animation at its absolute best. I can tell they put in a whole lot of work into the character and background designs, and also why this movie took 16 years to create. It is a gigantic piece of art with so many background sets and puppets to get the job done, as well as the correct movement set for the characters to move around effortlessly. I already had so much respect for stop-motion animation, but man, the designs are something else altogether.
These fantastic designs, as well as the time taken to get each scene correct, resulted in many animation sequences that made my jaw drop throughout the movie’s runtime. Seriously, there are many sequences that I refuse to believe that was produced using stop-motion animation, but the trickery and expertise put into the movie make the movie’s many spellbinding sequences possible. Phenomenal final climactic battle sequence aside (which itself could be the topic of a future thesis paper), some animation sequences go far and beyond what is possible in stop-motion animation. Seriously, I cannot describe how amazing those animation sequences, because I ran out of adjectives to describe the mastery of stop-motion in this one!
Honestly, even if the writing in Wildwood may not be to your taste, it is worth seeing this movie just to be awed by the animation quality in this movie. Considering director Travis Knight and his team at Laika are very against generative A/I, especially given the unhealthy rise of generative A/I “animated” slop these days, Wildwood is the biggest rebuttal to generative A/I in some time, and shows that we still need human hands and minds in the animation industry to produce magic like what I witnessed in Wildwood.
Soundtrack, Other Elements, and Level of Enjoyment
Considering Laika is based in Portland in the American state of Oregon, it is not surprising that Laika recruited Oregon-based musicians to compose the soundtrack, and to say that they over-perform themselves in this score is also putting it mildly. Considering there are a handful of animated movies with top-tier music scores, the Wildwood score is also among the best of the year.
I also like how smart the marketing in Wildwood is. Laika focused more on the inner workings of the movie rather than the movie to avoid spoiling as many details and surprises as possible, which is very smart to dispel the fears of generative A/I taking over the animation industry. Even so, the trailers Laika put out are basically the movie’s few breathtaking sequences with music accompanying the trailers, also a smart touch. It feels refreshing to see trailers that do not spoil too much about the movie, while also convincing people to go see this movie. Seriously, I wish more movie trailers were like this.
As for my level of enjoyment, to say that this movie moved me is an understatement; in fact, that underscores how much I felt emotional over seeing Wildwood. Given I had not seen a Laika animated movie prior to this, I could not help but give a standing ovation for this movie as the end credits rolled. I am passionate about animated movies in general, but recently, the flooding of generative A/I “animated” slop irked me for so long due to how terrible looking those… things are. Laika, thankfully, understood my sentiment, which was why they put in so much time and effort to produce something as spellbinding as Wildwood. I love every single minute of this masterpiece, and hopefully I set aside some time to see some of their other movies in action. It really is damn worth it.
Conclusion
Oh. My. Absolute. Mother. Of. God. I think we might have found an animated movie beyond perfection, and a clear lock for my most favourite animated movie of 2026 so far.
To say that Laika is the perfect stop-motion animated movie undercuts how much this movie spoke to me at the most important time to do so, especially when the world has been swamped by the unhealthy rise of generative A/I technology. Wildwood takes what was essentially an amazing novel and turns it into a life of its own, with some of the best writing, story and character development of any movie this year, let alone animated movies in general. However, the animation within Wildwood had me jaw-dropped throughout its 2-hour runtime, showcasing the level of love, blood and sweat put into this majestic masterpiece of an animated movie and the lengths it will go to produce something magical. The soundtrack and minor elements are also special, and I honestly had a massive out-of-body experience with so many moments throughout Wildwood.
Honestly, Wildwood is an animated movie that shows why generative A/I will never take over the animation industry, produced with the tender love and care that only the geniuses at Laika created with their own bare hands. Not only is this an absolute must-watch for animation fans alike. Wildwood could go down as perhaps the greatest stop-motion animated movie in existence. Essential viewing for everyone!
Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. While Wildwood and stop-motion animation in general are fascinating, it is my specialisation in covering family-friendly foreign CG animated movies that need another look at, especially given the unfair stigmatisation of this sub-category for many years. Tune in next time where I cover this stigmatisation, and why I still cover a good number of them. Until then, see you on the next adventure!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
(Honestly, given how much I feel about Wildwood as an animated movie going beyond perfection, a special animated movie like Wildwood deserved a special rating)
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