'Wendell and Wild' Review: Henry Selick and Jordan Peele's Spooky Animated Fable Stuns and Stumbles
Wendell and Wild
PG-13: Thematic material, violence, substance use, and brief strong language
Runtime: 1 Hour and 45 Minutes
Production Companies: Netflix Animation, Monkeypaw Productions, Gotham Group, Principato-Young Entertainment
Distributor: Netflix
Director: Henry Selick
Writers: Henry Selick, Jordan Peele
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, Lyric Ross, James Hong, Ving Rhames
Release Date: October 21, 2022 / October 28, 2022 (Netflix)
In Theaters & Netflix
Two scheming demon brothers, Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele), enlist the aid of Kat Elliot—a tough teen with a load of guilt—to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other.
If you go to Hot Topic, you’ll find that the majority of the bestselling graphic tees are merchandise from Henry Selick’s works. The stop motion writer/director has delivered some of the best stop motion films of all time, including The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. Selick hasn't graced us with a stop motion joint since Coraline in 2009. His 2013 Disney project was called The Shadow King, but John Lasseter's janky ass was calling the shots and shut the film down. Alas, once Shadow King shuttered, Selick started watching some Key & Peele and thought of the perfect project to throw the dynamic duo into.
Hearing Key and Peele together again, being as devilishly charming and charismatic as the titular leads, is delightful. The last time they worked together on a project was Toy Story 4 a little over three years ago, but I don't necessarily count that as a “Key and Peele” project. That title belongs to the underrated 2016 comedy Keanu, right before the pair went their separate ways. In Wendell & Wild, their banter is natural and doesn't feel a step out of place. It gives fans of their bygone era a nostalgic warmth. The two brothers long to disband from their overbearing devil dad, Buffalo Belzer (Ving Rhames)––who had them rubbing hair cream on his head––to create an amusement park. Although the film is named Wendell & Wild, the demonic duo aren't the main focus; they’re merely agents of chaos that kick off the plot.
The narrative is centered around Kat (newcomer Lyric Ross), a Black punk-rock orphan straight outta juvie who’s sent to an all-girls Catholic school. All she wants is to reunite with her deceased parents. Due to supernatural circumstances, and thanks to her demon-hunting nun teacher (Angela Bassett), Kat finds herself becoming a hellmaiden to Wendell and Wild. Meanwhile, Kat has to confront her personal demons to uncover the mystery of her hometown Rust Bank's demolition and stop the construction of a private prison.
Selick’s never-ending creativity when it comes to stylistic worldbuilding teetering between whimsical and macabre continues its winning streak. Wendell & Wild is a sublime visual feast from beginning to end. The timely quality of stop motion enhances the film’s look, but the detailing of every facet and movement breathes so much soul into the project. The geometric character designs of the humans and demons by Pablo Lobato are mesmerizing. They have caricature components in their physical features but every character has an angular face. Plus, with the puppets' seams being visible the entire time, there’s a wide range of expressions.
The usage of colors associated with punk-rock—like green, black, and purple—helps give Wendell & Wild a unique look that separates it from everything else in Selick’s repertoire. The production design bears a distinctively supernatural yet hyper-realistic aesthetic. You can feel the passionate craftiness that makes the world of Wendell & Wild original and every frame is a work of art. The fluid movement and expressiveness kept hooking me back in despite the story’s shortcomings.
This film features damn good representation of Black, Latinx, and Asian characters across the board. The quirky personalities of the residents within the Catholic school had me constantly chuckling throughout. I loved the silly camaraderie that Kat shared with the cool girl clique in her class that annoyed her with their toxic positivity, which felt refreshing. I also enjoyed the one-sided friendship she shared with a Hispanic trans boy named Raul (Sam Zelaya). I’ve never seen a stop motion project feature a trans kid and the film handles it perfectly.
A Selick and Peele co-writing combo is a match made in heaven. One can easily expect social commentary as a side order with the supernatural whimsy. Selick and Peele’s screenplay balances a dark tone, ghostly atmosphere, and an exploration of Kat’s angst and grief as she settles into an all-girls Catholic school… mostly. Honestly, it’s just in the first act. Wendell & Wild ambitiously integrates commentary on the prison industrial complex amidst Kat’s story arc, which is bold for a family flick. I commend the effort Peele and Selick made by establishing it as early into the story as possible, but it still feels like a very loose concept. Kat is a great lead character that’s easy to empathize with, but her arc is often overshadowed by a rather convoluted plot to hammer in its social commentary.
You can tell Selick and Peele wanted to make a constellation, but they ended up fumbling the many story elements they threw at the wall. So many characters are introduced well into the second act and it goes from being entertaining to being a total chore. Every character has a motivation that adds more layers to the story and it becomes frustratingly convoluted. You already have Wendell and Wild trying to meet their hellmaiden, Kat. On top of that, you have the Catholic school's principal, Father Bests (James Hong), trying to get money from the evil Klaxon family, who wants to open a private prison in Rust Bank. Then, you have Kat’s mentor, Sister Helley, trying to protect her from her powers. You ALSO have Raul's mom (Natalie Martinez) trying to prevent the Klaxons from getting the approval to open their prison. I end up looking like Charlie Kelly talking about Pepe Silvia trying to thread all these pieces together.
The story hops around like a coked-up rabbit, going back and forth between various parties and severely dragging the pacing. This film clocks in at an overly-long 106 minutes, which might be the longest stop motion movie I’ve ever witnessed. Whenever an opportunity for an emotionally resonant moment arrives, it’s disrupted by unfocused storytelling. It continually loses momentum without reaching its full potential. By the climax, you’re all out of steam. If anything, it’s in desperate need of a re-edit so its messaging and story can be fluently told.
Wendell & Wild marks Selick’s first full PG-13 stop motion project. It’s welcoming, for it features dark content involving onscreen deaths and murder. The movie opens with a disturbing death scene that seals the film's rating. That said, the dialogue is jarringly derivative at times. Something about Wendell & Wild’s approach to death and its depiction of it hardly correlates with the simplistic way characters talk to each other. The writing feels skewed towards a younger audience, yet it’s so dark and has bizarre moments where characters use strong language. Nothing is particularly congruent and it pains me to admit this. I’ve seen this movie three times now, trying to give it the benefit of the doubt. I keep walking away bothered by the same criticisms.
From a visual standpoint, Wendell & Wild is a masterful punk, spooky stop motion gem. It’s thoroughly funny and boasts great representation like we’ve never seen within the medium, but its story is far too convoluted. Henry Selick and Jordan Peele attempt to make a simplistic fable for young audiences while incorporating loose commentary on the prison industrial complex. At its core, Wendell & Wild is a good movie, but it’s far from great with its many underdeveloped aspects.
