U.S.THE SIT-DOWN
'Wildwood' review: a magical stop-motion adventure
Laika says it hand-molded 728 trees and used more than 715 miles of brass wire for its first PG-13 film; Time Out rates it five out of five.
On air: Gloria Vance on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Thomas Wolf , www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0The Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb. More about this Short
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At a glance
- First reported by The New York Times: “‘Wildwood’ Review: A Magical, Stop-Motion Adventure”, with reporting from IndieWire, Empire, Rotten Tomatoes and DiscussingFilm.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 3:43 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Gloria Vance.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The New York Times‘Wildwood’ Review: A Magical, Stop-Motion Adventure
- IndieWireWildwood Review: Laika's Stop-Motion Epic Lacks Their Usual Magic October 11, 2026 · facts used on air
- EmpireWildwood is an 'astonishing' stop-motion fantasy to make you believe in magic facts used on air
- Rotten TomatoesWildwood facts used on air
- DiscussingFilm'Wildwood' Review - Laika's Stop-Motion Fantasy Epic October 11, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe New York Times reviews Wildwood, the new stop-motion film from Laika, as a magical adventure.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorTime Out calls it the perfect handmade antidote to AI, and gives it five out of five.
Priya VanderslootI love that. Handmade is everything to me. Everything I do is made by hand, mostly mine.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorLaika says it hand-molded seven hundred twenty-eight trees and used more than seven hundred fifteen miles of brass wire.
Priya VanderslootSeven hundred twenty-eight trees. Wow. That's more than I've touched this year, and I live in a forest-themed apartment.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAnd Laika says it 3D-printed one hundred forty-two thousand different face models. Is that handmade?
Priya VanderslootLet me just check how I feel about that. Printed with love, which is a kind of hand.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorTell us about your new project.
Priya VanderslootIt's a book called Unfiltered, Unplugged, Unassisted. It's a guide to living completely in your own voice. Eleven chapters, all mine.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorWho wrote it?
Priya VanderslootI did. With some structural input from my vibe assistant. It helped with the verbs.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe verbs.
Priya VanderslootAnd the nouns, and the feelings. It wrote the chapter on authenticity. It's the best one.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIs that the tea cozy you said you knitted yourself? It still has a price tag on it.
Priya VanderslootI knitted the tag. It's a very detailed tag. Next question.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThen a confession, please. Is there anything you posted this year that you actually felt?
Priya VanderslootOnce. It was a sunset. I asked the assistant how it made me feel, and we cried together.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorLightning round. Production on Wildwood took one thousand one hundred fifty-five days. Could you wait that long for a caption?
Priya VanderslootNo. Mine takes four seconds, and I still think that's long.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorLast question. Richard E. Grant voices a giant bird named Owl Rex. Would your assistant play him?
Priya VanderslootAbsolutely. It's already auditioned. Unassisted is out Tuesday, and the assistant wrote this plug too.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorFinal rating: five out of five on Wildwood, which matches Time Out's review. Priya, your assessment?
Priya VanderslootFive out of five. My assistant says it's flattered that you asked me.
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From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 24, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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