Sparky Reviews Wildwood
Companies are Trying to Push AI Onto Audiences Whether We Want It or Not
It seems like every day a new company is shoving AI in our faces. Whether it’s a writing program, an assistant, or a person that takes your order, AI is in our everyday lives. Some people are fine with it. Others, like myself, think that AI is not something that should be used to create media.
Unfortunately, companies use AI to create media which ultimately takes away jobs from Graphic Designers, Cinematographers, Writers, and so many more individuals. This brings even more competition to an already competitive market. However, companies don’t see it that way and will do whatever they can to save a quick buck to the detriment of those who work for that company or those looking for work.
As a result, the entertainment industry has been completely divided about AI. Some people are for it while a good portion of the industry is not. Therefore, many companies have made films or stories safe for audiences while the war rages on the use of AI. However, there are some entertainment companies that absolutely refuse to use AI. Instead of using the power of hard work, the human imagination, and by actual humans. During this world of AI use, seeing films made by actual humans is such a breath of fresh air. This is especially true with film studios like Laika Studios.
In the animation industry, there’s one animation studio that always seems to defy the ways of storytelling and animation. This company is none other than Laika Studios. With films like Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings, this animation company is no stranger nor a company who follows any formula. Laika Studios creates absolute masterpieces that transcend the module of what animation is and what a studio can do. All the films this company does is stop motion. Which means that every single frame and movement needs to be captured to create movement. As such, this company has made some truly groundbreaking films. After their film The Missing Link in 2019, not much had been heard about Laika Studios which isn’t entirely surprising given how long it takes Laika Studios to create their films. That is until little teasers started coming out on their social media accounts about their new project they were working on. Then on August 16, 2024, the announcement finally came out about their new film, Wildwood.
Just from the knowledge of this studio’s library, the fact that this film has been in the making for seven years, and how much passion this animation company puts toward their films, there is absolutely no doubt that Wildwood will be nothing short of a masterpiece. Does Wildwood meet up to the expectation? Will this film break standards that have been bringing down the entertainment industry? Let’s find out together. In this episode of Sparky Reviews, we’re going to be thoroughly analyzing the highly anticipated stop motion animated film, Wildwood.
Wildwood Uses Seven Years Worth of Stop Motion Animation and It’s Absolutely Groundbreaking
One of the most fascinating things about Wildwood is the use of masterful stop motion animation. Every single piece of movement, whether it be by the characters, the background, and everything in between must be done by hand. As Laika Studios shows in their official trailer, everything is completely done by stop motion animation.
Just from this trailer alone, the amount of passion that Wildwood has is visually apparent. This is even more apparent viewing this film. From fight scenes to the characters interacting with each other, to the characters in the story, Wildwood has some of the most jaw dropping, drop-dead breath-taking animation that has been done by an animation studio in years.
Wildwood doesn’t follow a formula. Laika Studios doesn’t follow a play it safe module that many of the other studios like Pixar, Disney, and other animation studios by creating sequels and prequels. Wildwood is made by creators who care about their project and is not afraid to bring dark and hard topics to the surface.
Wildwood is Not Afraid to Bring Dark and Hard Topics to the Surface Like Other Studios Have Done
One of the very likeable things about Wildwood is the fact that this film doesn’t stray away from bringing up dark and hard topics. Without going into too much, Wildwood goes into many topics including grief, doing whatever it takes for those you love, and death. There are several scenes in this film that are shocking and violent.
Laika Studios is another wonderful example of an animated film does not mean it’s primarily a medium for children. Even more so to the point that I saw a parent leave with their child during the show I went to.
This continuous terminology of “animation is a medium for children” is a tedious and continuously tiring practice that is still done in the year of 2026. For years, many animation studios have made it apparent that the “animation is a medium for children” is false and simply untrue. However, to get audience to watch their content, many animation companies have appeased to audiences to make money. This is what Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and several other animation studios have done within the last few years. On the opposite side, Wildwood is not afraid to bring out darker and hard topics that makes this film stand out even more and makes for perfect storytelling.
Which is why I truly think that Wildwood is such a groundbreaking film. It not only completely made by hand seven years’ worth of stop motion animation, the breaking of the stereotype that “animation is for children”, and Wildwood focuses on good storytelling. Easily, Wildwood is one of the best films of this year.
Discussion about Wildwood
Now I want to hear from all of you. What did you think about Wildwood? What were some things that you loved about this film? Let’s discuss this further.
If you can, please make sure to support Wildwood while it is in theaters. If you go to Wildwood's official website, they have a search engine for the various movie theaters that are near you.
If you would like to learn more about Laika Studios, feel free to follow their Instagram, official website, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook account.
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