‘Wendell & Wild’ (2022) Review: Henry Selick Returns to Stop-Motion Animation with a Timeless Story
Henry Selick is back! The director of Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas premiers his new animated feature on Netflix, featuring Jordan Peele, who is also the producer and co-writer. In the world of animation, Selick brings a timeless and comforting quality that only he can bring to the table. It is a little bit dire out there, with big studios churning out projects that struggle to bring meaningful stories. But Selick makes a triumphant return to animation with an all-new original tale with some critical ideas about the prison industrial complex and the foster care system in America.
After Kat Elliot’s (voiced by Lyric Ross) parents die in a tragic car accident that she blames herself for, her entire world is turned upside down. She remembers her home, Rust Belt, as a place that thrived with many businesses and a supportive community, but a fire devastates the once great town and leads to an economic crisis. Kat. becomes hardened by the obstacles in her life. After moving from one foster home to another, she is sent to a boarding school run by a mysterious Sister Helley (voiced by Angela Bassett). Kat is not happy and refuses to make any friends with the kids at the school. Father Bests (voiced by James Hong) is being pressured by an evil corporation that wishes to buy the school as real estate and build a prison for juvenile delinquents.
Meanwhile, Wendell (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (voiced by Peele) work as landscapers for a theme park, which is set on top of their Satan-wannabe father, Buffalo Belzer (voiced by Ving Rhames). Wendell and Wild plant hairs on their father’s hair with a device that drills holes and squirts hair cream. After Wendell and Wild discover that the hair cream can bring people back from the dead and they become Kat’s demon after she gets chosen to be a “Hellmaiden.” Kat and her demons figure out a plan to make everything work together for themselves, but outside forces are deemed to get in the way and take advantage of the hair cream magic.
Wendell & Wild marks the triumphant return of Selick to the world of animation. With his imaginative characters and central themes that explore Kat’s characteristics, along with the critical ideas on prison reform and the foster care system, it becomes culturally and socially relevant to discuss these issues. Kat is a survivor of the juvenile justice system and she still struggles to maintain friendships and connections with people due to the hardships that she experienced. Even though the animated movie has critical ideas that are embedded into the story, it is targeted at everyone. Young viewers and adults alike will be able to experience the creative world and central themes that are featured in Kat’s story.
Kat’s story is the central story from beginning to end. Even if the movie title features the demon brothers’ names, Kat is the actual protagonist. The audience will be more invested and connected to her story, as it revolves around the struggles of her parent’s death and the problems that she currently faces. Her entire life is filled with loss and disappointment everywhere she goes and these are the kinds of adversities that some children, just like Kat, face almost every day. Wendell & Wild shows the audience how she is able to overcome these grievances and guilt towards her parent’s death.
Wendell & Wild has an important element. The movie features Black characters at the centre of the story. It’s rare to see Black characters in stop-motion animation; we almost never see them. This animation brings a whole new opportunity for young viewers to experience this movie and see their communities brought to life by Selick’s genius mastermind.
Wendell & Wild is a new stop-motion animated movie by Selick, who makes a return to animation with diverse and colourful characters. Even when the story is bombarded with many subplots, the movie brings an edgier and darker tone. It’s a hilarious story that shows how a young girl is about to overcome her past, fears and guilt. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the character design by Pablo Lobota, who brings the artistry of Selick’s character design to a whole new level. Selick manages to leave the audience with scares and spooky demons and hopefully, Wendell & Wild will be a memorable movie to watch during Halloween.
Wendell & Wild is currently streaming on Netflix.
