Laika’s handmade fantasy film Wildwood earned near-perfect grades from critics while making a modest start at the box office. Pushing the limits of stop-motion artistry, the film placed third on its opening weekend. Here is the story, the critical picture and what the numbers mean.
About the film
Wildwood is a fantasy adventure Laika adapted from Colin Meloy’s novel. The Portland-based studio is known for stop-motion, in which every frame is made by hand, and the film continues that tradition. Travis Knight directs, and Fathom handles US distribution.
Critical reception
The film earned 99 percent positive on the critics aggregator across 148 reviews and reached 88 on Metacritic. Opening-day audiences gave it an A CinemaScore. The shared view in reviews is that the film shows how far stop-motion can go. The one common reservation is that the fantasy plot is familiar, with echoes of Narnia and of Laika’s own Coraline.
Box-office results
Playing in 2,942 US theaters, the film made between $11.6 and $12.2 million over its opening weekend, depending on the report, and finished third behind Clayface and You Can See Everything. Pre-release tracking had been $5 to $10 million, so the result beat expectations; but with a reported budget of around $100 million, the film needs a long run in theaters. Reports also noted that many showings sold out at independent theaters in Portland.
Frequently asked questions
Which book is Wildwood based on? Colin Meloy’s novel.
Who directs? Travis Knight.
What was its opening? About $11.6–12.2 million.
What is the critics score? About 99 percent.
Note: figures vary by source.
