Laika's newest stop-motion animation masterpiece, Wildwood, has hit theaters and makes a fair few changes to its source material. The illustrated novel of the same name by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis is an ambitious dark fantasy adventure for children, set in an enchanted forest filled with magic and warring factions. Laika spent 15 years bringing Wildwood to life in its classic stop-motion style, but the adaptation process altered a few things in Prue and Curtis' journeys.
The Wildwood novel was released in 2011, and Laika (known for stop-motion classics like Coraline) began development on a movie adaptation shortly thereafter. The story follows young friends Prue and Curtis as they venture into the Impassable Wilderness to try to rescue Prue's kidnapped baby brother, abducted by crows on the streets of Portland. While Laika stays true to the core narrative and spirit of Wildwood, the film also has several differences from the novel it is based on.
Wildwood was released in theaters on October 23rd. The movie, directed by Masters of the Universe's Travis Knight, features a voice cast that includes Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, and Mahershala Ali.
Wildwood: The Biggest Changes From Book to Movie
The Opening of the Story
Laika makes changes to the Wildwood story right from the start, adding a dark prologue showing the death of robot boy, Alexie, as he jumps from the tower balcony, to the distress of his mother, dowager governess Alexandra.
The movie then enters the McKeel household, following Prue as she goes against her parents' wishes and takes her baby brother, Mac, outside for a bike ride in Portland, where he is abducted by a murder of crows, which is where the novel's story begins.
Prue's Capture
A dramatic moment in the middle of the Wildwood movie sees Prue fly on the back of the General, a giant eagle, on the way to Iphigenia, in North Wood, until they're intercepted by the governess' coyotes, who shoot down the General and capture Prue, taking her to Alexandra. Curtis, who had been captured earlier in the film, is imprisoned in Alexandra's stronghold, where he meets a group of bandits in neighboring cages, including the bandit king, Brendan.
The Wildwood novel laid out a similar series of events, but in a different order. In the book, when Prue is flying with the General, they are shot down and found by Brendan and his bandits. Brendan takes Prue back to his camp, only for the coyotes to track them with Prue's scent. Brendan flees the camp with Prue, but they are both captured by Alexandra's forces.
Alexandra's Lie
Alexandra proves herself manipulative and charismatic as a leader, but with a dark desperation that leads her to cross any moral boundary to get her son back.
These traits are consistent in both the book and the movie, but in the book, when Prue asks Alexandra for information about Mac, Alexandra convinces Prue to return home by telling her she will look for Mac in the wilderness. Meanwhile, in the movie, Alexandra ends Prue's search by lying and telling her Mac is dead, proving it by showing her his baby clothes, when in reality she's keeping him in hiding for her own plans.
Curtis' Ending
Prue's loyal friend Curtis receives a different ending in the Wildwood book versus in the movie.
Curtis embarks on his own heroic journey in Wildwood, dragged into the adventure by Prue, only to be separated from her, inducted into Alexandra's forces, imprisoned as a traitor, and taken in by the bandits, where he eventually gains the courage to become a warrior.
By the end of this journey in the book, Curtis makes the decision to stay in the Impassable Wilderness and live alongside the bandits, feeling that he's finally found a place where he fits in. However, in the movie, Curtis returns home to Portland with Prue.
Alexandra's Fate
In the final battle, Alexandra attempts to reach the sacred altar at the Ancients' Grove to complete Mac's sacrifice in order to control the Ivy. Prue and the bandits do everything in their power to stop her, which leads to a fateful confrontation.
In the movie, Prue and Alexandra battle it out atop the altar, with the magic in Prue's blood awakening the ivy, which writhes into an uncontrollable storm and impales Alexandra, killing her. Alexandra's fate differs in the book, where she is actually shot with an arrow by Brendan, and her magical blood awakens the ivy, which consumes her.
Mastery of the Ivy
Control of the ivy is something many characters vie for in Wildwood, whether it be for their own gain or to keep the wrong person from getting their hands upon it. Alexandra seeks to find the bones of her deceased son so she can use them to recreate him with dark magic, but awakening the ivy would destroy the woods, leading the other characters to unite to stop her.
In the end of the Wildwood film adaptation, Prue gains mastery of the ivy after awakening it with the blood from a cut on her palm, and while it escapes her control for a time, she manages to calm it down after Alexandra's death. This differs in the book, where Brendan instead gains command of the ivy after Alexandra's death and orders it to sleep.
The Set Up For a Wildwood Sequel
Meloy's novel was just the beginning of the journey for Wildwood. At the end of the story, Curtis decides to stay in the wilderness but promises that should he ever need Prue, he will seek her out, paving the way for their stories to continue. In reality, the novels did continue the story, with Meloy writing Under Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles in 2012, and then a third novel, Wildwood Imperium, in 2014.
However, in the movie iteration, the story closes off the possibility of a sequel, telling a self-contained story that ends with Prue and Curtis returning home and Prue ruminating on the complexities of growing up after her adventure. She is then seen playing with Mac, who is now allowed to be outside thanks to their journey. There is no post-credits sequence nor hint of a sequel in the film, although that's not all that surprising given the decades-long journey it took for Laika to bring just one Wildwood movie to the screen.
