Henry Selick’s Stop Motion animation creations are world renowned. The man behind The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, and James and the Giant Peach, to name a few, makes eye-popping animation that is unparalleled.
That same artistry is on display in the newly released Wendell & Wild.
Written and produced by Selick and Jordan Peele, they’re calling it a horror comedy. I’ve always felt that that’s a really hard balance to maintain. If it’s too scary it isn’t funny. If it’s too funny it isn’t scary. I understand that not all animated films have to fit in the kiddie category, and this one, while telling warm stories about family, isn’t for the whole family.
That said, the film is populated by great characters. Chief among them is Lyric Ross as Katherine “Kat” Koniqua Elliot. Literally within the first 5 or 10 minutes, the car she is riding in with her parents drives over a bridge and into the river. Kat escapes the submerged car, but the parents, presumably drowned to death.
Fast-forward five years. Kat is a bitter, rebellious punk-type who still blames herself for her parents’ death. She ends up in a good school where she meets some sort of friends.
Meanwhile, in the underworld; we meet Wendell (Keegan Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele). They’re demon brothers and ne’er-do-wells who spend their time putting hair cream on their father, Buffalo Belzer.
Now here I’m too damn lazy to give all the plot points – but, sheesh, it involves everything from commercial zoning matters to a b-story involving a Priest and (happily) raising people from the dead (hint, that hair cream will come into play).
I blame myself, I watch movies like this through my children’s eyes – even the ones who are full grown adults, I try to remember what they could digest at young ages. Using that filter, I just kept saying, “Man, there is just way too much plot.” Will the amazing characters and the artful animation be enough to carry them? I’m not sure.
That said, older kids and adults will appreciate the narrative on multiple levels and will surely be enchanted by the way it unfolds.
I am a huge fan of Key & Peele, and it’s fun to see them playing off of each other. The characters are animated but I can see them in my head, doing what they do so well. A great comedic team.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention; almost all of the characters are people of color. Being able to see yourself in a movie is such an important, positive thing. It’s great to see representation within these characters. I don’t know why we don’t see more animated films cast thusly.
Wendell & Wild is currently streaming on Netflix.
