Laika, the stop-motion animation studio, has maintained a reputation for elegant visuals and challenging storytelling, trying to give viewers of all ages a bit more to process than the competition provides. Their last endeavor, 2019’s “Missing Link,” took a tumble at the box office, but the company isn’t retreating with their new picture. Instead, they’re going deeper into fantasy and mature tastes with “Wildwood,” which is an adaptation of a 2011 novel by author Colin Meloy. Laika goes PG-13 with the offering, delivering a darker, more violent adventure into magical lands, and director Travis Knight (who recently helmed “Masters of the Universe”) isn’t compromising the tone of the material, which deals with death and madness, also providing harder hits of adventure as the characters face challenges that could take their lives. “Wildwood” retains gorgeous animation, maintaining a feast for the eyes as screenwriter Chris Butler (“ParaNorman,” “Kubo and the Two Strings”) tries to manage many elements of survival and power, out to generate Laika’s biggest movie yet. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
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