Wildwood
Worth the ticket?
Absolutely
See it in theaters.
Where to watch
Likely still in theaters
Released October 23. Catch it on the big screen.
Wildwood
2026 · Animation · 9.9/10
This is art at its absolute highest form.
- Watched
- October 2026
- Genre
- Animation / Fantasy / Adventure
- Runtime
- 2h 20m
Plot
This was definitely not the plot I was expecting. I figured it would be way more child-friendly, and my god, it was not. A deep, heavy take on family, war, and grief. I saw so many kids crying in the theater because it was too scary for them — and to me, kids hating it is an immediate sign that the movie slaps lol. The voice cast has some serious heavy hitters, and it shows. So much raw emotion brought out of these characters.
Cinematography
Nah, I gotta say it: this is the BEST stop-motion animated movie ever made. So many intricate pieces and layers packed into every frame. It was so visually stunning that at times I wasn't even sure if I was watching stop-motion. No wonder it took 16 years to finally get this onto the screen.
Sound
Sonically right on point, which is an absolute must for stop-motion films. Laika Studios always does their thing in the sound department — every animal cue and ambient nature sound was fantastically crafted.
My Take
Fun fact: this studio loses money on practically every single movie they make. Laika is basically a massive passion project funded by the son of Nike's co-founder, Travis Knight, who is single-handedly keeping the stop-motion craft alive. And it shows. This is art at its absolute highest form. It's probably going to lose money at the box office too, but don't let that turn you away. This was a masterpiece, and in a world overrun with AI and cheap shortcuts, it feels incredible to see genuine, handcrafted art shining the way it should.
Ficky Score
9.9
out of 10 · Classic
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