Travis Knight & Laika's "Wildwood"
Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald
I've been a fan of animated films since childhood but WILDWOOD is in a class by itself.
The phrase that comes to mind to describe it is "magical intensity." The art and technology that have gone into this film, in my opinion, put it into the same class as Peter Jackson's 3 Lord of the Rings films, and I don't make that statement lightly. Its music soundtrack may not be in the same class as what Howard Shore did for LOTR, but everything works together, especially the extended flying sequence and the pulse pounding battle that concludes the film.
On paper, the fantasy story elements sound familiar: a young girl’s little brother is kidnapped by a flock of crows and she goes to rescue him in a magical forest populated by sentients animals and warring tribes. On screen what Laika has done with these elements is extraordinary. What might have been fantasy story clichés in lesser hands appear fresh and original, and in some cases, scary and intense.
This is not a film for the little ones. Kids with an imagination who appreciate fantastic storytelling that crosses into real world emotion and fear will appreciate it, especially when it is compared with the unimaginative and repetitive crap portrayed in most of the holiday season kids’ films previewed before WILDWOOD. Highly recommended.
Review copyright (c) 2026 by Dennis D. McDonald. I used my printed thesaurus three times while writing this review.
Some WILDWOOD images
