All three of my daughters have grown up adoring Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, watching them countless times over the years. The latter is known as a Tim Burton film, but in fact both were directed by Henry Selick. Selick’s weird and wonderful stop-motion animation married perfectly with the fertile imaginations of Burton and Coraline creator Neil Gaiman.
Amazingly, Wendell & Wild is Selick’s first film since Coraline, a gap of thirteen years. Based on an original story written by him, it tells the tale of two Demon brothers, the eponymous Wendell and Wild, who manage to trick Kit, a troubled teenager, into summoning them back to the Land of the Living.
The story itself is the film’s biggest weakness. It’s ridiculously convoluted – including, among other things, a subplot about scheming property developers building a privatised prison. You just have to go with it and, in fairness, the bulk of the plot does make sense by the end.
The visuals, though, don’t disappoint. Wendell & Wild is a stunning visual treat that demands to be seen on a big screen. The craftsmanship, time and creativity that’s gone into the stop-motion animation is jaw-dropping.
One memorable scene features a group of skeletons brought back to life from their coffins and procuring suitable clothes and accoutrements to ‘blend in’ again as the living. All of the models and puppets, throughout the movie, are absolute works of art.
The film’s central protagonist, Kit, is a strong heroine with a tragic backstory. Sassy and full of attitude, without tipping into annoying teenager territory, her journey through the film is one of conquering her own personal demons as much as the challenges presented by Wendell and Wild.
The titular pair themselves are pure ‘Disney comedy sidekick’ and provide the bulk of the film’s humour. I couldn’t quite put my finger on which Disney characters they reminded me of, the gargoyles from the Hunchback of Notre Dame perhaps? Ironically for a film over-filled with plot threads, the pair lack the rounded backstory provided for Kit.
Despite its flaws, Wendell & Wild deserves to be discovered by a wide audience. While the story itself isn’t up to Selick’s more famous works, it’s just as much a thing of beauty.