Wildwood Review: Can Laika Land Its Fifth Oscar Hit?

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Wildwood Review: Can Laika Land Its Fifth Oscar Hit.

Imagine you've made four animated films — and all four got Oscar nominations. Sounds like a dream, right? That's exactly the track record of Laika, the animation studio based in Oregon. With "Wildwood", the studio is now celebrating its fifth swing — and the first reviews following the premiere at the London Film Festival are overflowing with praise.

Both the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline are singing the new stop-motion film's praises in the highest terms. Both reviews agree: "Wildwood" is Laika's most ambitious project to date — and could continue the studio's flawless Oscar streak.

What's "Wildwood" about?

On the surface, the story sounds like a classic rescue tale: a teenage girl enters a mysterious kingdom to search for her kidnapped brother. That's how the Hollywood Reporter describes it in its review. What elevates the plot beyond a typical fantasy adventure, according to Deadline, is the visual ambition: Laika has here unquestionably delivered its most ambitious project to date.

A teenage girl enters a mysterious kingdom in search of her kidnapped brother in Travis Knight's animated fantasy film, voiced by an all-star cast including Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali.

Who's behind the film?

Directing is Travis Knight, who previously helmed "Kubo and the Two Strings" for Laika and once put the studio on Oscar course. For its voice cast, "Wildwood" brings in prominent names: according to Deadline, Carey Mulligan leads the ensemble. Also on board is Mahershala Ali, as the Hollywood Reporter notes — the trade publication speaks overall of an "all-star cast."

What are the critics saying?

The reviews could hardly be more euphoric. The Hollywood Reporter titles its review "Both a Technical and Emotional Triumph" — a triumph on both a technical and emotional level, in other words. Deadline, meanwhile, speaks of an "Ambitious and Visually Stunning Stop-Motion Fantasy Epic". Both publications agree: this is Laika's best work to date.

Laika, the Oregon animation house that specializes in stop motion, has a perfect track record of landing Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations for all four of its first films: Coraline, ParaNorman, Missing Link, and Kubo and the Two Strings.

Can "Wildwood" land the fifth Oscar?

The question every animated-film fan is asking now: will Laika continue its flawless Oscar streak? The odds look good based on these first reviews. All four previous Laika films — "Coraline," "ParaNorman," "Missing Link," and "Kubo and the Two Strings" — were nominated for Best Animated Feature, as Deadline reminds us. And with "Wildwood," the trade publication speculates, "the streak could well continue" — so the series could very well carry on.

Is "Wildwood" worth your time?

If you love elaborate stop-motion animation and have adored films like "Coraline" or "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Wildwood" is a must-see. The combination of a star-studded cast, a proven director, and Laika's inimitable stop-motion craftsmanship makes the film one of the most worthwhile animated movies of recent times. The first reviews speak for themselves.