Handmade Magic

Take a walk through the Wildwood. Credit: Laika

It feels reductive to spend this space writing about movies after the nightmare that children, teachers and their families went through last week at Silver Rail Elementary here in Bend. So then I thought I should make a list of comforting movies that parents can watch with their kids to help block out some of the noise. But then an early screener of Portland animation studio Laika’s astonishing new film, “Wildwood,” arrived and I knew exactly what I needed to do: write about both.

Without hyperbole, “Wildwood” is an instant classic, not only elevating the boundaries of stop-motion animation to new horizons, but also standing as a defiant line in the sand against the rising tide of AI-generated slop. Early in the film, a young girl rides her bike through a gorgeously realized Portland and she passes a sign that reads: “Enjoy handmade art before it’s gone for good.” I entreat audiences, with each drop of my film-loving soul, not to let those words become prophetic.

Based on the fantasy novel written by The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis, “Wildwood” tells the story of Prue McKeel, a teenage Portlander whose baby brother is carried off by a murder of crows into the Wildwood, an “Impassable Wilderness” populated by a coyote army, the Avian Principality, indigenous bandits and a Dowager Governess fueled by dark magic and grief. Alongside Curtis, a hapless accidental tagalong, Prue must traverse the Wildwood to rescue her brother and save the ancient woods from villains both literal and metaphorical.

That is just the plot and not actually what makes “Wildwood” a generational work.

First, as a longtime Oregonian (as are Meloy and Ellis), it’s a singular treat to see Portland so lovingly and meticulously recreated through the finest stop-motion animation ever crafted. Watching Prue ride her bike past Powell’s to Voodoo Doughnut for a treat is immediately transportive and it’s nice to see Portland treated like something other than a dystopian nightmare onscreen. Laika knows the heartbeat of the city and brings it to life.

Also, the sheer scale of this thing is incredible. Crafted over seven years using 136 sets and 231 practical puppets with a battle sequence that rivals “The Lord of the Rings’” Battle of Helm’s Deep, “Wildwood” manages to be visually jaw-dropping and emotionally devastating in equal measure.

Aside from the flawless craftsmanship, mesmerizing direction of Travis Knight and the nuanced voice work from Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Angela Bassett, Tom Waits, Tantoo Cardinal, and lovely work from Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue, what we have is a film that could offer some genuine, non-condescending catharsis for kids dealing with trauma.

“Wildwood” is Laika’s first PG-13-rated film and it very much earns that rating. While it isn’t necessarily scary, the movie doesn’t hide the ugliness of war and hatred. Characters we grow to love die abruptly, without fanfare. In a world populated with anthropomorphic wolves, rats and birds, “Wildwood” takes a deeply humanist stance against violence and othering, nearly begging audiences to find what binds us together, rather than fanning the flames already burning the house down around us.

Movies allow us to engage with kids in ways we sometimes aren’t aware were needed. Thematically, “Wildwood” tackles subjects of profound existential weight like the futility of war, finding magic in the mundane, hope in the face of overwhelming odds and the loss of childhood. It directly addresses the thought that seconds of being a hero can mean a lifetime of trauma. It questions the quiet, shadowy rise of fascism, accepts the disappointment that you might have ineffectual parents and allows that sometimes, most times, there is no happily ever after other than the ones we make for ourselves.

There will be an entire generation of kids who watch this movie and become obsessed with being visual artists, stop-motion animators or storytellers of any stripe. This will be a movie that a 12-year-old watches before falling in love with the infinite possibilities and inherent power of cinema.

Equal parts “Stand By Me” and “Labyrinth,” yet wholly belonging to the boundless imaginations of the Hillsboro geniuses at Laika, “Wildwood” heralds the future of handmade animation…but it must be supported. If this film flops, we will lose this level of ambitious, human storytelling as AI makes filmmaking faster, lazier and uglier.

Beyond the dark, honest lessons “Wildwood” has to teach, the real miracle here is the work itself and not necessarily what it’s saying. If you bring your kids, you don’t even have to discuss the thematic weight of trauma and loss; instead, marvel with them at the beauty on display.

Tell them that once upon a time, in the magical land of Oregon, hundreds of people came together to make something beautiful, one frame at a time across years and years of their lives. Children were born, lives changed, but still, all these artists made something beautiful and singular that will last forever.

And if that’s not magic, I don’t know what is.

“Wildwood”

Dir. Travis Knight

Grade: A+

Opens Friday at Regal Old Mill, McMenamins, Sisters Movie House, Madras Cinema 5

Six Comfort Movies to Watch with Kids:

“Inside Out” — An invaluable film for helping kids express emotions they previously didn’t have a vocabulary for.

“Paddington 2” — The ultimate comfort movie where a polite and clumsy bear goes on lighthearted adventures while bodying marmalade sandwiches.

“The Princess Bride” — It only takes one viewing to get your kid saying “Inconceivable” over and over for six months.

“My Neighbor Totoro” — This movie is perfect. Share perfect with everyone you can.

“Back to the Future” — “Where we’re going… we don’t need roads.”

“The Goonies” — So, beautifully, perfectly Oregon.