This review was originally posted on SciFi.Radio’s website.

Wildwood is a modern fairy tale. It is also a masterpiece of stop-motion animation. It took six years and over 200 puppets to create Wildwood, and IMHO, it would do Ray Harryhausen proud.

It’s rated PG-13, so don’t think cartoon fairy tale, let’s grab the kids and take them to the theater. It’s too intense for she average young child, especially the current generation who have been brought up on bowdlerized fairy tales and think hungry wolves are shoved into closets rather than eating people and that pirates hunt for treasure, but never take anything that doesn’t belong to them. Parents if you have above average children, use your own judgment, but if you take a kindergartener, you’ll give them nightmares.

Like every preteen or teenage girl in the universe, Prue McKeel thinks her parents are overprotective. She’s right: they are. She doesn’t know yet there’s a good reason for their attitude, and being a teenager, she doesn’t listen to them.

Anyone who’s read enough fairy tales knows if a headstrong young hero is warned not to do something, and that hero then promises not to do that thing, before you can turn the page the hero will have gone out and done that very thing … and then suffer the consequences.

So when Mr. and Mrs. McKeel have to go out, and leave Prue home to take care of her baby brother, Mac, viewers will not be surprised when Prue disobeys their instructions to stay home and not let Mac out of the house, that the first thing she does is jump on her bicycle and pedal off as fast as she can, with Mac dragged behind her in a little red wagon. This story being set in modern Portland, Oregon, Prue goes to a coffeeshop, where she meets a classmate, Curtis, who is still interested in things Prue has outgrown, such as RPGs.

Poor little Mac is abducted by a murder of crows and carried off to a forest just outside Portland where “dark trees gave darker secrets.” Prue and Cutis follow the crows to the Impassable Wilderness, a place they’ve been warned against all their lives.

Unfortunately, as Darah found out in Labyrinth (1986) rescuing baby brothers from magical creatures is more difficult than it might seem at first glance. The forest is called the Wildwood by its inhabitants: talking beasts and humans who co-exist in relative equanamity. The Wildwood might remind you of a fiercer, crueller Narnia. Certainly Alexandra, the dread Dowager Governess, is reminiscent of Jadis, the White Witch.

Voice Cast

Mahershala Ali (Jim Johnson in Hidden Figures (2016), the voice of Aaron Davis/the Prowler in the Spider-Man – Spider-Verse movies (2018, 2023), and Vector in Alita: Battle Angel (2019)) voices Brendan, the Bandit King.

Awkwafina, known for her roles as Katy in Shang ChiL Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) , Sisu in Raya Last Dragon (2021) Ming Fleetfoot Jumanji the Next Level (2019), give voice to Septima the Rat.

The award-winning Dr. Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda of Wakanda in the MCU; Mildred Duffy in Disney’s Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Sgt. Athena Grant on 911), voices the General, the valiant golden eagle who protects the Avian Principality within the Wildwood.

Len Cariou, known as Henry Reagan on Blue Bloods , but also Kathryn Janeway’s father on Star Trek: Voyager, voices the postmaster.

Tantoo Cardinal, OC, who was Arlene in Smoke Signals(1998), Snow Bird in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Black Shawl in Dances wIth Wolves (1990) voices Iphigenia, a mystic.

Jermaine Clement as Roger Swindon. He previously voiced Bruce in the Minecraft Movie (2025) and Vic Diamond in Thelma the Unicorn (2024).

Blythe Danner, Ronnie Meisner in The Tomorrow Man (2019) and Anne Osborne in Are You in the House Alone? (1978) voices the Seer.

Maya Erskine voices Mrs. McKeel, Prue and Mac’s mother. She previously voiced Mercy Graves in DC League of Super Pets (2022), Judy Takamoto in Scoob! (2020) and Princess Blossom in Crossing Swords.

Richard E. Grant, best known for playing Frederick Sackville-Bagg in The Little Vampire (2000), Lt. General Pryde in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Simon Bricker in Downtown Abbey, and the Maharajah of Karajaan in Nautilus, voices Owl Rex, the crown prince of the Avian Principality.

Marc Evan Jackson, who played Principal Bentley in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), commander [U.S. Central Command]in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Agent Schloder in Transformers: Earthspark voices Lars.

Jaje Johnson, who played Lowery Cruthers in Jurassic World (2015) and voiced Peter Parker in Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and in Across the Spider-Verse (2023) voices Mr. McKeel, Prue and Mac’s father

Arthur Knight, son of director Travis Knight, making his debut as the voice of Mac McKeel

Elizabeth Lee, best known as Andi Mack in Disney’s Andi Mack and the voice of Ashley in Pizza Movie (2026), and Rana in Disney’s Lion Guard voices Prue McKeel, the heroine of the story.

Xarey Mulligan, CBE, as Alexandra Cassie Thomas in Promising Young Women (2020), Disy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (2013… Alexandre, the dreaded Dowager Governess

Amansla Stenberg, who played Rue in The h/unger Games (2012) an the dual role of Verosha “Osha” Aniseya / Mae-ho “Mae” Aniseya in Star Wars: The Acolyte. voices Niamh, one of the Bandits .

Jacob Tremblay, who voiced Luca Paguro in Disney’s Luca (202021), and Flounder in The Little Mermaid (2023), voices Curtis, Prue’s loyal friend.

Tom Waits is Maksim, the leader of the coyote soldiers, is best known for being a singer/songwriter. Have you heard his albums Rain Dogs or Swordfishtrombones?

Wildwood was directed by Travis Knight, He was lead animator for Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), and The BoxTrolls (2014), and director of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016).

The script was written by Chris Butler, who was writer and co-director of ParaNorman, and based on the novel Wildwood by Colin Meloy.

With a theatrical runtime of 132 minutes, Wildwood is the longest stop-motion-animated film ever made.

On a Scale of 1 to 10, my daughter and I both rated this movie 8.5.

Witches and warriors, bureaucrats, bandits, and talking beasts, grief and greed, magic and mayhem.

Is Wildwood an action-filled fantasy film that will keep your attention for over two hours? Yes!

Does Wildwood have an all-star international cast? Yes!

Is Wildwood suitable for young children? No!

Will Prue succeed in rescuing Mac? If you know fairy tale tropes, you can guess that for yourself.

Will Good defeat Evil? If you know fairy tale tropes, you can guess that for yourself.

Should we expect more good films from Laika Studio in the future? My prediction is Yes!