Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay on Why Wildwood Is a Stop-Motion Marvel

A portion of this is available for free subscribers, but the full article (with the best bits) is exclusive to my Gold Star Crew members.

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Stop-motion animated films are a labor of love, requiring a painstaking attention to detail and a high level of patience. Laika's Wildwood took a whopping sixteen years to produce and film, and that dedication is evident in every single frame. An adaptation of Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy's novel the film follows Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) as she ventures into the "impassable wilderness" known as Wildwood to save her baby brother. From there the animation brings audiences all manner of creatures, and an epic battle sequence on par with some of the greatest war movies.

"Looking back at the film now and watching it, it really feels like a time capsule for me," star Jacob Tremblay tells The Film Maven. Film becomes a moment stuck in amber for its actors, freezing a moment in time. Because of this lengthy production process the actors, who recorded this lines back in 2022, went on a similar journey of transformation as the characters they're voicing. With animation, that feels even more poignant as it's just their voices that remain. "I recorded at a time in my life where my voice was completely changing," Tremblay says. Lee and Tremblay, who plays Prue's best friend Curtis, were young kids when they first entered into Wildwood, and are now young adults with a fresh new perspective on the film. "We're coming of age as we're making it," said Lee.

That coming of age meant their understanding of their respective characters evolved. "We've grown up a lot since making this film," Lee said. Because of the nature of voice work, Lee and Tremblay didn't record their lines together. It was only once the press tour started that they were able to meet and interact with each other. "We're kind of similar to our characters," said Lee, so it was easy for her and Tremblay to have a similar sense of camaraderie after they finally met in person. "We've had a lot of fun getting to know each other on this press tour and I would say there are definitely some parallels between us and our characters' dynamic," said Lee. That dynamic is evident in the interview itself, with Tremblay joking that Lee has followed him around everywhere. "It's kind of annoying," he laughs.

Lee is a rising star, and it's remarkable to think that this is her first starring role. "It's definitely a huge amount of responsibility and a great honor to get to play [Prue] and be the one to get to bring her to life," Lee said. "Voicing her in this film is so daunting because of the scale and because of this incredible legacy that [Laika] created for themselves as a stop-motion animation company." While the animators were responsible for translating her vocal performance into a physical character, she had to trust that process. Having such a rich history behind her helped Lee relax into the role. "They know exactly what they're doing. Travis [Knight, director] is so talented. All of the animators are so talented. This is their bread and butter. So to get to witness them doing what they do best, and contribute where I could, it was just such an amazing experience and something I will always treasure."

The best part of my interview with the Wildwood cast is waiting forGold Star Crew members. Hear Tremblay and Lee's thoughts on the most epic scenes in the movie. Unlock the full interview ⬇️