I have been a fan of Laika since Coraline came out. I remember seeing the advertisements for it, just after I had finished reading the book, and thought it looked like someone who loved the material made it. I saw it in theaters and knew that Laika was a studio to watch. I’m glad I paid attention to them! Film after film they have shown such love and dedication to their craft. You can see it in every character’s outfit, their bite profile, every “incidental” movement that really brings these characters to life.
It’s been amazing to watch them develop their techniques to create jumping mice, giant skeletons, huge settings of towering building and trees, and all the special and practical effects that blend so seamlessly into the final film. Each character is unique in their design but fits in perfectly with the rest of the cast. I’ve been so impressed with each new film.
Wildwood has brought together everything they’ve learned in previous films and added even more stunning visuals and story development. What we end up seeing is something truly deserving of the term “epic”. The fight scenes are one you would expect from a huge Hollywood movie in scope, violence, and emotion. There are an uncountable amount of birds that darken the skies and each moves so dynamically. Characters with different textured hair, ages, and body types are represented in the most natural of ways. Once again you can feel the love Laika put into crafting this incredible movie in each frame. I know it took fifteen years to make this film, and it shows in how spectacular it turned out.
Even beyond the technical aspect of their work is a collective heart. The stories they tell are ones that resonate in different ways with their audience. They aren’t concerned with appealing to everyone, and that’s okay! They have a story they want to tell, and they will tell it how they want.
Laika has treated us to some beautiful, moving, and very human stories with each project. The characters are flawed, but understandable. The antagonists have motivations that show how very complicated people are. We have antagonists who harm others because of the tremendous love they had, and how it broke them to lose it. We have heroes rescuing those they love because of the pain losing them would bring. At the core of each story is love and the many ways humans crave it, and what they would do to get it.
I hope we see more from Laika. I have enjoyed each film, and can’t wait for what their future brings.
-Ally