Oct 28, 2022

Review Roundup: 'Wendell & Wild' Attracts Critics Despite Loose Narrative

It has been 13 years since a new Henry Selick film has delighted the eyes of the world, but today, the director's latest film, "Wendell & Wild," was released simultaneously worldwide on Netflix, and critics and audiences are singing the praises of the stop-motion master's latest work.

When the film premiered in Toronto in September, the few critics who published reviews at the time unanimously praised the film, boasting a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for several weeks. With each successive screening, the critics' ratings dropped, and now stand at 81%.

The main complaint against "Wendell & Wild" is that it tried to do too much in its 105-minute running time. Even many of the more favorable reviews have accused it of being "overstuffed" and "unfocused," but the best things about "Wendell & Wild," especially the brilliant character and set design, the sharp sense of humor, and the variety of characters that has not been seen in a large studio stop motion since Fox's "PJ" in 1999,

are all the same. Most people were willing to forgive those shortcomings because of the variety of characters not seen in motion.

While Rotten Tomatoes' scoring system, good or bad, can lead to misleading scores for those who actually read the reviews, "Wendell & Wild's" 80% critical score seems like a score that most critics can agree on. While Selick may not be able to hit the high scores of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Coraline" with his latest film, "Wendell & Wild" is certainly no monkey-bone, but a film that will become the annual Halloween viewing norm.

Taking a closer look at the critics' opinions, Indiewire's Emma Stefanski wants a more focused approach to the film's numerous key themes:

Key, Peel, and Selick have a lot to capture in this film ...... Because of this obsession, "Wendell & Wild" feels a bit overstuffed by the end, with a breathless last 20 minutes that ties up all the plot threads. The film might have been better served with one or two of the following themes: the dangers of black magic, facing one's demons, the importance of supporting local businesses, the empty promises of the juvenile rehabilitation system, and learning to accept death, but the film also never lets anything fall by the wayside.

Lena Wilson, writing for The Wrap, gave one of the more scathing reviews, mercilessly condemning the film's overly hectic storyline:

Whereas Selick's other projects focus on a fairy-tale plot with clear goals and rules whereas "Wendell & Wild" ping-pongs between indiscriminate topics, only occasionally solidifying its landing spots. While "Wendell and Wilde squash bugs and make boogie sculptures," the dull punk Kat tackles childhood trauma and prison reform.

The Guardian's Radhyan Simompilai, noting that the film struggles to balance its diverse storytelling, finds virtue in the sheer number of characters:

"The more characters Selick deals with, the more room his strange and comic visual skills more room for his strange and comical visual skills to shine. The director and his animation team are predictably delightful, working with a decaying minion-like nun, a papier-mâché-style ghost, an adorable but possessed teddy bear, and enough clown-like undead to fill a circus.

In a review for Empire magazine, Cambole Campbell (who also contributes to Cartoon Brew) acknowledged some of the film's narrative flaws, but found them easily forgivable:

The film is sometimes unfocused, with many ideas crammed into its running time, but its ambition is impressive. Sellick and Peel channeled their cinematic skills into a children's allegory with a strong political message about the failures, cruelty, and material greed of the juvenile detention system. Time has not dulled the edge found in Selick's sharp and entertaining animated adventure.

Brian Talerico of RogerEbert.com nicely summarizes the consensus of reviews published so far:

At first, one is almost overwhelmed by the moving creativity of Selick's Wendell & Wild. It's like "The Nightmare Before Christmas," it's like "Coraline," it's punk-rock-y. Add to that the fact that Jordan Peele co-wrote the script and voices the title character along with fellow comedian Keegan-Michael Key, and the film explodes with artistic fire. It's almost too much. The 105-minute running time is a bit over the top, as Selick and Peele overcomplicate the storytelling by including subplots and even comments about the prison-industrial complex. But there is no denying that this is a film that will make animation fans want to explore, live in, and savor this world. It has been too long since we have been able to peek inside Henry Selick's brain, but it is still a wonderful view, and one that is sure to be enjoyed by all who have seen it.