Wildwood, rated PG-13
** ½

Wildwood is a very creative, but also extremely dark fantasy animated film from LAIKA Studios (Coraline), that has several content concerns for parents, and is definitely not a film for children (though there was one very young child in our row at the theater).
The stop-motion film (which brings physical puppets, clay models, and handmade sets to life one frame at a time) has excellent critic and viewer reviews on RottenTomatoes.com, that led us to check out the film.  It was directed by three-time Oscar nominee Travis Knight (Missing Link, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings). Two-time Oscar nominee Chris Butler (Missing Link, ParaNorman), wrote the screenplay adapted from the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis.
The film opens with a naked young “boy” leaping to his death. We find out more about his story later in the film. Continue reading →