Into the Wonderwoods Parent Guide

Angelo (Kristen McGuire) dreams of becoming an adventurer one day – but the reality proves to be very different from what he expects.

When his family sets off to visit his grandmother, Angelo is accidentally left behind at a rest stop. Many kids might panic in such a situation, but Angelo sees an opportunity to prove himself as an explorer and sets off through the woods in search of his family. There he encounters a fantastical world full of mysterious creatures being threatened by a dangerous force.

The first fifteen minutes of this film are so promising. The switch between the animation of the real world and the stylized 2D of Angelo’s fantasy realm is well done and sets up what could be a fantastic premise. Unfortunately, the entire production falls apart quickly after that. There are far too many ideas and characters, all of them underdeveloped, resulting in a sadly unfocused mess of a story. I’m not really sure what message children are supposed to learn, nor am I sure the writers know either.

Angelo is an annoying character. He almost never makes any real choices; he is just shuffled from scene to scene randomly with no agency. To make matters worse, it feels like eighty per cent of his dialogue is screaming. And so is a lot of the dialogue from other characters. I have never heard so much constant screaming my life, which is saying a lot because I used to teach toddlers. I was so unbelievably annoyed at the yelling that if this film had been any longer than its mercifully short runtime I would have had to watch it in chunks over a matter of days so as not to lose my mind.

There is a good idea in here somewhere, and the stylistic choices are fabulous, but the finished product is a disappointment. Some scenes are too scary for very young viewers, and slightly older children are sure to be bored by the unfocused story and lazy characters. My day is worse for having watched it, but you still have the option to save yourself. If you want the equivalent of the viewing experience, just go to your nearest playground and bask in the screams for a while. At least you’ll enjoy some fresh air and sunshine in the great outdoors.