Wendell & Wild, the next bleak and dreary stop-motion horror film from visionary filmmaker Henry Selick has had a new trailer and pictures published by Netflix (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline). Wendell & Wild is one of the most anticipated movies of the year since horror mastermind Jordan Peele contributed to the script.
Teenage Goth girl Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross), who must confront her inner demons, is introduced in the new teaser. All of us have our share of emotional baggage, but Kat’s demons, Wendell (played by Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild, have names (voiced by Jordan Peele).
The teaser doesn’t explain why Kat is being stalked by the movie’s namesake demons, but it seems to deal with buried pain and a formative upbringing that left its mark. This is due to the fact that the trailer depicts a little girl who, with the guidance of a nun, confronts her worst dreams and finds the source of her terror. Although the plot of Wendell & Wild remains a mystery, the recently released trailer and pictures suggest that this film might be Selick’s most visually arresting yet. There is a palpable sense of foreboding in every shot, and the stop-motion animation really brings out the terrifying elements lurking in the shadows. Wendell & Wild seem like they’ve been seen before since Selick is mining the same well of infantile fears.
The film also has a unique kind of art direction, with eerie green lighting exposing the protagonist’s innermost thoughts. The new teaser for Selick’s next film has increased our anticipation for the film immensely. Wendell & Wild is a film adapted by Selick and Peele from their own unpublished novel. Clay McLeod Chapman co-wrote the novel. Bruno Coulais (Les Choristes), nominated for an Oscar, is in charge of the score for Wendell & Wild. The film is produced by Ellen Goldsmith-Vein for The Gotham Group and by Selick, Peele, and Win Rosenfeld for Monkeypaw.
Lindsay Williams and Eddie Gamarra of The Gotham Group, and Kamil Oshundara and Ian Cooper of Monkeypaw serve as executive producers. On September 11, Wendell & Wild will have its international debut at the 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival. Subsequently, on October 28, just in time for Halloween, the animated film will be available on Netflix.
Synopsis
Henry Selick and Jordan Peele’s “Wendell & Wild” is a wonderfully nefarious animated tale about demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) who need the help of Kat Elliot (Allison Williams), a tough adolescent with a lot of guilt, to bring them to the Land of the Living. What Kat asks in exchange, however, sets in motion a stop-motion animated comedy that defies the laws of life and death.