Henry Selick is no stranger to stop-motion feature films, as he's the director behind beloved projects such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. However, the filmmaker has yet to direct a movie since Coraline, which debuted in 2009, and fans have eagerly anticipated anything they could get from Selick.
Now, Selick is finally back with his latest project, Wendell & Wild. The film features an excellent cast, including Lyric Ross, Keegan-Michael Key, Angela Bassett, and James Hong. Jordan Peele also appears as the titular character, Wild, and serves as a producer and writer on the project. Peele and Selick worked collaboratively on the film, as Peele's production company, Monkeypaw, produced Wendell & Wild. During an interview with Discussing Film, the director spoke on what he learned from Peele while making the film and how he needs to "step back" and look at the bigger picture when making his movies.
"Right from the start, when he expressed interest in being a collaborator and a producer, and he talked about his new company at the time, Monkeypaw, and the types of films they wanted to make, I learned a lot right up front about stepping way back. Because it's easy to get up close and into the details too quickly on a project. You can be drawn to a subject - whether it's original, based on a book, or whatever it might be - and you dive in too quickly.
He continues, saying he appreciates Peele's mindset toward Wendell & Wild when they began working together.
"So I think one of the best things I learned from Jordan was, you know, getting key distance and then learning how to keep the distance. Now, he was able to keep that distance. He wanted to go and did make several incredible movies. But that gave him fresh eyes. So when he was between those other projects and looked then at [Wendell & Wild], he had the distance that I didn't have. So those were the main things: maintain the distance or work with other people who can do that for you."
Selick's latest outing follows two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild, who enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot to summon them to the Land of the Living. Wendell & Wild is available to stream now exclusively on Netflix.
Jordan Peele Finds Success in Every Medium
Jordan Peele has quickly become one of the most in-demand talents working in Hollywood. Whether acting or directing, Peele has found success in every medium he's been a part of. The star rose to fame with the Comedy Central sketch series Key and Peele. The show ran for five seasons, spanning 55 episodes in total.
The actor has appeared in several animated projects before Wendell & Wild, including Storks, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, and Toy Story 4. Of course, Peele is gaining worldwide recognition as he's turned to the director's chair, crafting some genuinely terrifying films in the horror genre.
He made his directorial debut in 2017 with Get Out, following that up two years later with Us. Earlier this summer, his latest film, Nope, arrived in theaters to positive reception from critics and audiences. Wendell & Wild combines the actor's talents of comedy, voice acting, and a splash of horror, playing to Peele's strengths. Henry Selick's Wendell & Wild is available to stream on Netflix today.