Wendell & Wild

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Wendell & Wild
Wendell & Wild poster.jpg
Promotional release poster
Directed byHenry Selick
Screenplay by
  • Henry Selick
  • Jordan Peele
Based on
Wendell & Wild (unpublished)
by
  • Henry Selick
  • Clay McLeod Chapman
Produced by
Starring
  • Keegan-Michael Key
  • Jordan Peele
  • Angela Bassett
  • Lyric Ross
  • James Hong
  • Ving Rhames
CinematographyPeter Sorg
Edited by
  • Robert Anich
  • Sarah K. Reimers
Music byBruno Coulais
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • September 11, 2022 (2022-09-11) (TIFF)
  • October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) (United States)
  • October 28, 2022 (2022-10-28) (Netflix)
Running time
105 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wendell & Wild is a 2022 American stop-motion horror comedy film directed by Henry Selick from a screenplay written by Selick and Jordan Peele (who also serve as producers), based on Selick and Clay McLeod Chapman's unpublished book of the same name.[3][4] It stars Keegan-Michael Key and Peele as the titular characters with Angela Bassett, Lyric Ross, James Hong, and Ving Rhames in supporting roles. The film marks Selick's first feature film since Coraline (2009).

Wendell & Wild had its world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2022, and is scheduled to be released in select cinemas on October 21, 2022, before its streaming release on October 28, 2022, by Netflix.[5][6] The film received positive reviews from critics who welcomed Selick’s return and praised the stop-motion animation and characters.

Premise[]

Two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele), enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross) to summon them to the Land of the Living.[7][8]

Voice cast[]

Additionally, Natalie Martinez, Tantoo Cardinal, Igal Naor, Gary Gatewood, Gabrielle Dennis, David Harewood, and Maxine Peake have been cast in undisclosed roles.[7]

Production[]

Development[]

Official film logo

On November 3, 2015, it was reported that Henry Selick was developing Wendell & Wild, a new stop-motion feature with Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, based on an original story by Selick.[11] On March 14, 2018, the film was picked up by Netflix.[12] In a July 2019 interview, Key described the voice acting process, where "Jordan and I came in and did a session against static at recording booths, sitting looking across at Jordan and it's lots of ideas flowing, cutting each other off to keep that organic feeling. That usually ends up on the cutting room floor as you find the voices and you want a little refinement–some rhythm. We spent a good deal of time with an initial scene that Henry wrote discovering the characters and the framework of the scene. And then he uses that as inspiration to keep writing".[13] Pablo Lobato served as lead designer on the stop-motion puppets.[14] On June 4, 2020, Bruno Coulais was confirmed as the composer.[15][16] On March 14, 2022, the cast was revealed by Netflix on YouTube.[7]

Animation[]

As of June 15, 2020, production was being done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with lead writer and voice actor Peele explaining he, "had an absolute blast working with Henry Selick and the crew for Wendell & Wild. I cannot wait for you to discover this film".[17] In an October 8, 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the film's producer, Gotham Group CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, elaborated on the project by saying, "we're mid-production in Portland, Oregon, where the crew has suffered through fires, most recently, COVID and a lot of political and social unrest. It's been a very challenging movie."[18] Editing was done by Robert Anich, while Peter Sorg served as cinematographer.[19][20][better source needed] By February 2021, production on the film was ongoing in Portland.[21]

Release[]

The cast and crew at the Toronto Film Festival in 2022

Wendell & Wild had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2022[22] and is scheduled to be released in select theaters on October 21, 2022,[5] before its release on Netflix on October 28, 2022.[23] On November 6, 2018, Netflix announced the film was scheduled to be released in 2021.[24][25][26] On July 18, 2019, Key announced the film was planned to be released in late 2020.[14] On January 14, 2021, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that the film's release would be moved to "2022 or later", to meet Netflix's criteria of releasing six animated features per year.[27] Simon & Schuster would adapt the screenplay to novel form, to tie into the film's release.[18]

Reception[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Wendell & Wild holds an approval rating of 95% based on 19 reviews with an average of 7/10.[28] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film has a score of 71 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".[29]

Chase Hutchinson of Collider, gave a positive review, saying, "when it all comes together, Wendell & Wild ends up feeling liberating, both artistically and thematically, with top work from all involved."[30] Sarah Bea Milner, of /Film, also gave a positive review, writing, "move over The Nightmare Before Christmas — there's a new stop-motion horror flick in town."[31] Michael Rechtshaffen, of The Hollywood Reporter, further praised the film for being "a fresh, highly original concoction of playful Grand Guignol proportions."[32] Radheyan Simonpillai, of The Guardian, wrote "the more characters Selick has to work with, the more room there is for his deliciously strange and comic visual craft."[33] In a positive review, for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico wrote "there's no denying that this is a world that animation fans will just want to explore, to live in, to savor. It's been too long since we got a window into Henry Selick's brain and it's still an amazing view."[34]

Meagan Navarro, of Bloody Disgusting, gave a lukewarm review, writing, "it's an entertaining, if a bit overstuffed, romp through hell and back, with memorable characters and amusingly macabre hijinks."[35] Esther Zuckerman, writing for Vanity Fair, said the film "is slightly too convoluted with some world-building short-changed, but it twists and turns to a place of genuine emotion and a rousing call to take down the ghouls of the real world rather than the demons of the underworld."[36] The Playlist's Jason Bailey praised the characters and stop-motion animation, assigning the film a grade of "B-" but ultimately concluding: "If it were a might tighter (it runs a rather flabby 105 minutes), or more rapidly paced, they might've really had something here; the highs are high, but Selick struggles to keep its narrative momentum going".[37]

References[]

  1. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 27, 2020). "'Rafiki' Helmer Wanuri Kahiu To Direct Gotham Group's YA Adaptation 'The Black Kids'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Wendell & Wild".
  3. ^ "Wendell & Wild". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Flores, Terry (January 25, 2020). "'Klaus', 'I Lost My Body' Top 47th Annie Awards as Netflix Dominates". Variety. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Legacy, Spencer (August 30, 2022). "Netflix 2022 Movie Release Dates Set for Rest of Year". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  6. ^ Robinson, Tasha (August 30, 2022). "Coraline's director made a new movie — but Jordan Peele worried Get Out would kill it". Polygon. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k King, Jack (March 14, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Teaser Announces Ving Rhames, David Harewood, and More Joining Voice Cast". Collider. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  8. ^ Second 'Wendell & Wild' Teaser Introduces Kat
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Netflix Tunes the Dial to Demonic with 'Wendell & Wild' Teaser
  10. ^ 'Wendell & Wild' World Premiere Reps Animation in TIFF Special Presentations
  11. ^ Flores, Terry (November 3, 2015). "Henry Selick, Key & Peele Developing Animated Feature 'Wendell and Wild' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 14, 2018). "Netflix Wins Stop-Motion Animated 'Wendell And Wild': Henry Selick, Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key Aboard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (July 19, 2019). "Keegan-Michael Key: 'Wendell and Wild' Could Premiere Next Year". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Graves, Sabina (July 18, 2019). "Key and Peele's 'Wendell and Wild' Eyeing Late 2020 or 2021 Release". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (June 4, 2020). "Annecy Film Festival Presentations Include 'Frozen 2' Doc, Lord & Miller, and 'Chicken Run' Reunion". Variety. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  16. ^ Desowitz, Bill (June 4, 2020). "Annecy 2020 Online's Masterclasses and Previews, from 'Spider-Verse' Follow-Up to 'Frozen 2' Doc". IndieWire. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  17. ^ Lang, Jamie (June 15, 2020). "Annecy Hosts Netflix Masterclass for 'Wendell & Wild's' Henry Selick, Bruno Coulais". Variety. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Siegel, Tatiana (October 8, 2020). "Gotham Group CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein on Mass Agent Exodus and the Future of the 'Maze Runner' Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  19. ^ Peter Sorg Biography
  20. ^ Robert Anich Biography
  21. ^ Solem-Pfeifer, Chance (February 10, 2021). "Portland Remains a World Hub for Stop-Motion Animation". Willamette Week. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Welk, Brian (July 29, 2022). "TIFF 2022 Lineup: Films From Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes and Catherine Hardwicke to Premiere". TheWrap. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  23. ^ Shirey, Paul (August 30, 2022). "Key & Peele's Animated Wendell & Wild Reveals Release Date And Poster". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  24. ^ Trumbore, Dave (November 6, 2018). "Netflix Sets Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' and Henry Selick's 'Wendell & Wild' for 2021". Collider. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  25. ^ Wilson, Lena (January 20, 2021). "The 25 Most Anticipated Horror Movies Of 2021". The Playlist. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  26. ^ Elvy, Craig (January 6, 2021). "The Most Anticipated Movies of 2021". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  27. ^ De Wit, Alex (January 14, 2021). "Netflix Unveils 2021 Animated Film Slate, Including Sony Pictures Animation's 'Wish Dragon' And Two Aardman Specials". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  28. ^ "Wendell & Wild". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  29. ^ "Wendell & Wild". Metacritic. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  30. ^ Hutchinson, Chase (September 11, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Review: Key & Peele Reunite for Henry Selick's Spectacular Stop-Motion Vision TIFF 2022". Collider. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  31. ^ Milner, Sarah Bea (September 12, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Review: Jordan Peele + Henry Selick = A Funny, Frightful Film [TIFF]". /Film. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  32. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (September 12, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Review: A Playfully Devious Animated Romp From Jordan Peele and Henry Selick". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  33. ^ Simonpillai, Radheyan (September 12, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' review – Jordan Peele and Henry Selick craft a dark adventure". The Guardian. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  34. ^ Tallerico, Brian (September 13, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' review". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  35. ^ Navarro, Meagan (September 11, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Review – Henry Selick and Jordan Peele's Stop-Motion Collab Is an Overstuffed Halloween Treat". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  36. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (September 12, 2022). "Wendell & Wild Introduces a Goth Heroine for a New Generation". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  37. ^ Bailey, Jason (September 13, 2022). "'Wendell & Wild' Review: Henry Selick and Jordan Peele's Stop-Motion Collaboration is Uneven But Engaging [TIFF]". The Playlist. Retrieved September 13, 2022.

External links[]

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