Wendell & Wild: Weird, Sure… But Not All That Wild

By John Kirk

Rating: C

There’s a list of pros and cons for this stop-motion animation collaboration between Jordan Peele and Henry Selick that merit the attention it got at TIFF this past September. But sadly, Wendell & Wild is just not wild enough.

There is a lot of promise to the film. First of all, the animation is remarkably fun and engaging. Stop motion is a classic animation style that’s always fun to watch. The cast is also filled with amazing voice talent, including a reunion of Jordan Peele and long-time partner, Keegan-Michael Key. With Angela Bassett, Ving Rhames, and James Hong also rounding out the cast, there’s a veritable pantheon of performers in this film. (Click here to read our interview with James Hong).

Also, who doesn’t love a goth story of the supernatural? A punk-rock orphan, Kat (Lyric Ross) — who blames herself for the death of her loving parents — returns to the town she came from after a long stint in a halfway house for troubled children. Getting a second chance at a better life by being sent to an upper-scale Catholic boarding school for girls forces her to confront not only who she is now but how to reconcile her disturbed past.

Along the way, she somehow becomes imbued with demonic powers and an association with two disgruntled demons, Wendell and his brother, Wild.

That bit’s a little bit fuzzy and this brings us to the “con” side of the film.

You see, there’s not a lot of explanation as to what Wendell and Wild want out of their relationship with Kat that seems to be triggered by some sort of possessed teddy bear back on Earth. Unsatisfied by their lot in their lives, dwelling in their infernal realm of pouring hair cream onto the balding scalp of their demonic father, Buffalo Belzer (who enjoys life as a platform for a macabre amusement park built on his gargantuan belly) and living in his nostrils. Granted, anything is better than living in someone’s nose, I suppose.

While definitely weird, it’s this absence of character motivation that makes this film disappointing. For instance, when Kat returns and develops this relationship with Wendell and Wild, she gets the appellation of “Hellmaiden.”

It sounds fancy, but there’s no explanation for the title’s significance. When Wendell and Wild escape their daddy demon’s nose cavities to live to Earth, we don’t really learn what their ambition is until they get there.

Also, the comedy between the two demons doesn’t seem to measure up to the standard of comedic stylings that fans of Key and Peele have grown accustomed to. Maybe it’s a function of the limitations of animated films and simply providing voices, but their interaction in the film is disappointingly reduced to repartee that just doesn’t seem funny enough, even though their characters are drawn to resemble both Key and Peele in real life.

On the plus side of this film, there are a lot of heart-warming relationship moments among the various characters. After all, an orphan needs friends, a purpose and yeah, a better life. The fact that Kat also gets to spend time with her deceased parents is also a feel-good part of this story that doesn’t miss the audience’s attention.

Added that she gains acceptance from new friends at her school and even a new caring adult in her life with one of the teachers at the school, Sister Helly (Angela Bassett), Kat becomes a character that the audience can relate to.

Another positive feature of the film is the eclectically yet entertaining soundtrack. While the music sometimes pops in at the most unexpected of moments, it’s a lot of fun to try and place. With tracks like Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality,” it’s as if Peele’s personal playlist was tapped to serve as the film’s score.

Director Selick’s unique animation style, necromantic magic, hell-dwelling demons, and goth-style supernatural characters: rich material that promises a great deal, especially when it’s used for comedy purposes. Sadly, while the relationship side of this story succeeds in tugging at heartstrings, the comedy fails. The weird masks what is wrong with this film and well, it’s just not wild enough.

Wendell & Wild. Directed by Henry Selick. Starring Jordan Peele, Kegan-Michael Key, Lyric Ross, Ving Rhames, and Angela Bassett. Now streaming on Netflix.