Key and Peele reunion can't fully elevate animated fright-fest 'Wendell & Wild'

Director Henry Selick, who helmed modern classics like “A Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Coraline,”  roars back into moviemaking with “Wendell and Wild.” Premiering on Netflix Friday, the adaptation of Selick’s un-published children’s book is visually daring, and a splendid example of classic stop-motion animation pushed to its creative limits.

It is also over-stuffed, a bit convoluted, morbidly fixated on death, and sort of sinister at its core. It is great to look at while not much fun to watch.

Like most animated films, it opens with parents dying. In her guilt-stricken grief, orphaned Kat Elliot (voiced by Lyric Ross) is left to fend for herself at a decrepit boarding school on the brink of bankruptcy. She doesn’t quite fit in with the other kids — she’s pretty punk and they are pretty prep — and she keeps having dreams of demon brothers who promise they can bring her parents back to life. These brothers are the titular Wendell and Wild. As an added bonus, they are voiced by Jordan Peele (who co-wrote the film) and Keegan-Michael Key.

That’s right, “Wendell and Wild” is also a Key and Peele reunion. Fantastic, if you are a sketch comedy nerd as I am. Although there’s something disconcerting about making a pair of demons the comedic heroes of a movie. I’m not trying to be some sort of religious scold here, but they are demons for a reason and being funny or brave probably doesn't have much to do with it.

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Anyway, Kat is desperate to be reunited with her family and helps conjure the brothers to the Land of the Living. The mechanics of how she does it are a little fuzzy to me. But Wendell and Wild show up with more elaborate plans in store, including opening their own theme park and escaping their underworld overlord, Buffalo Belzer (Ving Rhames). The duo hopes to make their sojourn above-ground a permanent one.

If this sounds like a lot of character motivation, I haven't even gotten to the subplot involving a nefarious private prison company’s efforts to turn Kat’s hometown into its next construction site. The company in question is named Klax Korp in case you need help discerning their motivations.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with a film with lots of ambition. Certainly, I love a good political message weaved into a narrative. That’s something Peele has proved pretty masterful at since he left Comedy Central for a behind-the-scenes career. But “Wendell and Wild” lets its multiple strands blow in the breeze. Whole chunks of the film go by when the story completely forgets about its other components.

It’s not simply that there’s too much going on; it’s that the elements never connect in a satisfying way. My instincts suggest that if Peele were directing this (like Wes Anderson takes up stop-motion animation from time to time), these competing ideas and themes would work better together. Although Peele’s “Nope” also suffered from having too much on its mind as well.

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But Selick is our director and he focuses on aesthetic. Narrative was never his thing; can you recall any plot detail from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”? This is Selick’s first film in 13 years and, in interviews, he has bemoaned how stop-motion animation over that time has become too slick, too reliant on computer animation.

With that in mind, Selick deliberately used computer software from the aughts in designing the film. He allowed connecting seams to be visible in some of the characters. To achieve a flat, cutout look, Selick made the characters using tin and silicone.

The process is fascinating to read about and it’s illuminating to watch. There’s something about stop-motion animation that captivates me. Perhaps it’s the tangible nature of the artwork that makes it feel more real than other animation. Or the attention to detail that can go into a backdrop that makes multiple viewing essential. The skill is just too much fun to watch.

Oh, about the ghastly nature of “Wendell and Wild.” There’s lots of death in the film and, in turn, lots of reanimation. Kids' movies tackle deceased parents — most don't keep showing their demise over and over again. There’s very vivid images of nasty creatures writhing and screaming in nasty places. The film earns every bit of its PG-13 rating; something I wasn’t thinking much of when I invited my 5-year-old daughter to watch the screener with me. I would urge you to learn from my mistake.

Overall, the film is an incredible visual achievement that needed some substantial trimming of its plot. A rare case where style should have trumped substance.

In real life, James Owen is a lawyer and executive director of energy policy group Renew Missouri. He created/wrote for Filmsnobs.com from 2001-2007 before an extended stint as an on-air film critic for KY3, the NBC affiliate in Springfield. He was named a Top 20 Artist under the Age of 30 by The Kansas City Star when he was much younger than he is now. 

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Despite Key and Peele reunion, 'Wendell & Wild' falls a bit flat