Craftsmanship, artistic design, even the musical score - 10, 10 ,10! Magic is important in the world of the film's plot, but how these animators bring these inanimate objects to life with believable movement and even emotions - that's magic in our real world! These careful crafters are so good at it, that even those of us who watch to appreciate the painstaking artistry, ultimately get lost in the movie and simply forget that every click, every frame was manipulated by a team of animators. For most of the production the animators have their hands, fingers, grip tools all over every shot, save for the 1/24th of a second it takes to click the frame. And yet, from the perspective of the filmgoer, for the duration of the film those apt artisans are never seen, only the characters they positioned statically each click. And yet, sent through a projector at 24 frames per second - those "dolls" come alive, speak, adventure, aspire, cry. Stop-Motion. We absolutely live in a magical world, and those among us create other magical worlds.

That said, this is not really the kind of movie I enjoy. For me, there was far too much chasing and fighting. I feel like the emotional drive of the story stalls during those scenes and despite the artistry, I become a tad bored, certainly not moved. Alas, that's me, many many people like movies like this. In fact, this audience clapped at the end. An audience clapping where no creators are present - only to the art they created - that's a beautiful thing.

Btw, there are serious medieval fight scenes - stabbing, bludgeoning and many deaths. Keep that in mind when deciding if you want to take little kids.

I did enjoy the more tender moments - and the wonderful humor. And, the actual climax to the film is visually spectacular and powerfully engaging. I loved it. Had the chase scenes and fight scenes been minimized I would have had a better overall experience.

Also worth nothing, twas a disappointment to learn that 4DX doesn't always include 3D. 3D was exactly why I chose 4DX. Anyway, I have to say, compared to Dbox - 4DX is a more immersive experience because the seats don't just vibrate/jostle, they also pitch and roll. Sometimes the movements added to the film's momentum, but more often than not, I felt like my chair (and the sounds of the devices making wind and water etc) were interrupting my immersion into the film. Oh, and a word to the wise, use the railing when exiting the theatre - it may take a few steps to get your level ground balance back - especially mind the steps.

In summary, if you enjoy medieval bludgeon-wielding battle sagas like "Lord of the Rings" this may just be a film for you. Excellent production value and artistic design. But for my tastes, Wildwood needed to lean more into character development and emotional connections, and less into all the chasing, running and fighting.

Two other Laika films I enjoyed: ParaNorman 3D, Coraline