Wildwood: Travis Knight’s prodigious animated adventure film tells the story of a teenager who, after her baby brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows, follows them into a magical forest filled with many factions, talking animals, and an evil queen of sorts. The story, a struggle against one kind of tyranny or another, has been told many times before, but the film has enough unique elements, including a real-life location adjacency, to feel fresh and exciting. A strong, charming protagonist and a rich villain help matters quite a lot. Voice acting is excellent: Peyton Elizabeth Lee plays the smart and heroic protagonist, Carey Mulligan oozes charm and venom as the villain, and Mahershala Ali plays a rebel leader. Composer Dario Marianelli contributes a fine musical score, and the original songs played are all very interesting. But the real star here is the animation itself: Laika Studios uses a mix of stop-motion and computer-generated imagery, and it’s stunning. The characters are beautifully designed and very expressive, the environment (both the recreation of Portland and the creation of a magical place) is detailed and attractive. The action sequences are fluid, impressive. A short snippet of the animation process during the end credits is eye-opening as an indication of how the film was created. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel lights the whole thing beautifully.