By: Chloe Perdue

When we think about horror films, especially when it comes to stop motion or animation, what might come to mind? Possibly Coraline or maybe ParaNorman. But, there is a new film that has everyone talking.

You might have watched Peele and Key on Comedy Central, where they use satire, sarcasm and comedic takes on all kinds of subjects. Jordan Peele is most known for his horror films, such as Get Out, Us, and as recently as NOPE, which I have previously written about. Keegan-Michael Key is an actor who has been in movies such as Just Go With It, live-action Lion King, The Predator and many more. 

So when Henry Silek, most known for his directing in Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas, who admired the pair and their comedy sketches, reached out to them about the film, they decided to go for it.

In the film, we are introduced to a young girl named Kat who loses her parents to a horrible accident in which she blames herself. This leads her down a path of anger and resentment not just towards others, but to herself; where she wishes she could bring them back to life to apologize to them. This is where Wendell and Wild come into play, two demons who need a way out of their punishment of planting their demon father’s hair. 

Wendell and Wild eventually do come into contact with Kat and bargain with her to bring her parents back to life as long as she conjures them to the surface so that they can make their own life on Earth. Did I mention there was an entire subplot of a corrupted prison being built in a burned down town?

There are a lot of themes within the film, comments on the juvenile system to the prison system, how race and gender are intersectional, coming to terms with grief and identity, friendship and most importantly, family.

I interviewed a Wesleyan student who happened to have watched the movie. One of my questions that I asked him was what his first impressions of Wendall and Wild were.

“It was very fun and heartwarming! I felt like it was a good commentary on capitalism being the true evil and also a story on grief and forgiveness that all ages can enjoy. The main character Kat, I thought she was so cool and punk rock, and you can tell she had a lot of love and care in her despite telling others the opposite. I also liked Raul, because I related to him in a lot of ways. ”

My second question was what impacted him the most about the movie. “Honestly, the scene where Kat hugs her “monster” when defeating her inner demons with Sister Helley. I thought it was a perfect scene about forgiveness and grief, about how it was Kat forgiving herself for her parents’ accident and also her still holding onto the memories that were dearest to her.”

This movie has impacted different people in different ways, whether that be the storyline, the characters, or the motives that drive the characters. So grab some popcorn and enjoy the movie!