‘Wendell & Wild’ Review: A Playfully Devious Romp

Too many years might have passed since Henry Selick last graced the animation world with one of his unique stop-motion creations (2009’s Coraline to be exact), but he returns with a fresh, highly original concoction of playful Grand Guignol proportions in the form of Wendell & Wild.

A happy collaboration with Jordan Peele, who unmistakably adds his own personal creative stamp, the horror satire is nevertheless right up Selick’s nightmare alley, complete with demon siblings, reanimated cadavers and penguin nuns, all wrapped up in a subversive punk rock sensibility. While it would obviously never be mistaken for gentler Pixar fare, the Netflix title (it’s scheduled to land on the streamer Oct. 28, a week after a theatrical bow) packs an all-ages appeal, based on the roar of approval that greeted its TIFF world premiere screening.