What Is the Story About?
Wendell & Wild is about Kat Elliot who loses her parents in a car accident. Growing up without parents, she becomes stubborn and guilt-ridden. Two scheming demons Wendell and Wild strike a deal with punk rock-loving Kat so they can leave the Underworld and live out their dreams in the Land of the Living.
Performances?
Lyric Ross, known for her breakout role as Deja Pearson in NBC’s This is Us voices Kat Elliot, our main protagonist. Her voice oozes every ounce of conviction, fear, anger, guilt and frustration Kat carries within herself. She sounds like someone you could totally relate to and root for.
Analysis
Wendell & Wild is Henry Selick‘s directorial come-back after 13 years. He has made two of the most appreciated stop-motion dark fantasy animation films in the past two decades : ‘Coraline’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. Joining him is Jordan Peele, the modern Horror master in co-writing the screenplay and co-producing.
Wendell & Wild starts with Kat Elliot recounting her past. She sadly remembers days with her deceased parents in the town of Rust Bank. Kat blames herself for her parents accident and has now grown up to be a stubborn and reclusive punk loving juvenile delinquent teenager. Meanwhile, demon brothers Wendell and Wild spend their days in the underworld putting rejuvenating hair cream on their balding father, Buffalo Belzer. Not to mention how wildly creative is Selick’s underworld. They also dream of escaping their father to build an amusement fair for departed souls.
Kat is enrolled in Rust Bank’s all-girls Catholic school, headed by Father Best as a part of the Juvenile Justice programme. We are then introduced to a corporate giant Klaxon Korp, the evident end game villain of the film who are deemed responsible for the fire that ruined Rust Bank.
Amongst the twists and turns that follow, the most amusing ones are the absurdist ways in which fantasy takes over reality. Kat is revealed to be a gifted child with extraordinary powers (quite predictable). She summons Wendall and Wild back to the living world so as to bring her dead parents back alive. There are moments of dark humour very frequently after the entry of Wendell & Wild. Peele and Key’s chemistry is very much vocally visible. In short, they are the scene-stealers of the film.
Besides an extremely interesting and visually audacious world-building, the writers strike a gold in creating endearing characters too. There is so much goodness, love and warmth in each of the characters that it almost becomes impossible to not root for them. The writing also emphasizes on grief being a horrifying emotion and sometimes the reason that nurtures our inner demons in the most simplistic way. The best part of Wendell & Wild is its heart, whacky and weird world, politics and idiosyncratic characters. The film also makes it a point to expose the antagonistic nature of Corporates and their performative charity initiatives. Akin to most stop motion fantasy animation films, this one also ends on a happy note.
The visual manifestation of grief isn’t new in fantasy animation but Selick and Peele’s approach feels different as it strikes the right balance of emotion and healing than riding solely on pity party. The claymation is exceptionally well done and it often reminds us of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride for the right reasons. Not to forget, the casting is also pitch perfect.
The only bugging flaw in the film is that there’s so much happening at a time. There are so many characters, simultaneously introduced and the visuals go bonkers one after the other. The duration might seem a little long and scenes don’t come with a breather.
In short, Wendell &Wild’s imagery story-telling is so much fun to watch. There’s an amalgamation of everything you’d ever want from a fantasy horror comedy in this Selick creation. If a well done fantasy film would make you want to visit the world it establishes, Wendell & Wild does exactly that and more.
Other Artists?
The surprise packages in the film are Keegan-Michael Key as demon Wendell and Jordan Peele as Wild. The real life friends just click as onscreen demon brothers. Their chemistry holds the comedic elements of the film effortlessly together. Angela Bassett as Sister Helley and James Hong as Father Bests are also pitch perfect casting.
Music and Other Departments?
The protagonist of the film is a punk loving teenager. Bruno Coulais music aids and elevates Kat’s character, her trauma, her grief and her ordeal with demons. ‘Kat and the River’ , ‘The Soul Jockeys’, ‘Bring Back the Dead’ and ‘ Your Personal Demons’ are some of the exceptional tracks. Peter Sorg’s cinematography is visually dazzling. Some of the frames.. wallpaper-worthy.
Highlights?
• Core Story
• Quirky characters & Performances
• Visually Audacious World-building
• Music
Drawbacks?
• So many characters
• Quite too long
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Wendell & Wild Movie Review by Binged Bureau