STORYLINE: The adventures of Prue McKeel as she sets off to the forests outside Portland to find her kidnapped brother.  (IMDb)

Forty years ago, in 1986, Jennifer Connolly, went to save her baby brother in the fantasy film Labyrinth.  The land of Narnia was first discovered by the Pevensie siblings in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005).   Heartbreak and fantasy collide in the Studio Ghibli feature My Neighbor Totoro (1988).  Wildwood, is the latest fantasy feature about siblings, to make its debut on the silver screen.

  Through the lens of fantasy films, cinema goers have gone through the looking glass, as well as to the realm of middle earth.  The genre has even transported to Narnia.  In the claymation feature, Wildwood, filmgoers are taken to a fantasy world, in the woods of Oregon.

  Laika Studios has a history of beautifully animated features, using the claymation technique.  Their features have also told really strong stories.   Caroline (2009) and Kubo & the Two Strings (2016) are two such features. Wildwood continues that strong tradition.

  The story told, is a mixture of Labyrinth and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & the Wardrobe. It is filled with creatures of all sorts, fantasy magic, peril, and exciting battle sequences.

  What I enjoyed about the story was it went for the PG-13 rating.  This allowed for a more adult story to be told, while still being family friendly.  Wildwood took full advantage of that.

  Much like the studios previous features, the animation is above and beyond gorgeous.  It wasn’t just the characters that were fully developed, but the sets.  Each background was full of

elaborate detail.

  Wildwood was one I had been wanting to see for a while. I enjoy fantasy films, like this one.  Additionally, LAika rarely releases a film.  They take their time, to create quality. That quality was on full display with this motion picture between a strong story, and the strength of the claymation style animation.

  Until next time, I will see you at the movies!