personally i think that wendell and wild wouldve been better as a series, instead of a movie. the runtime didn't do it justice.

Everyone I've talked to about this movie agrees that it's INCREDIBLE in every aspect except the story department... it's trying to do too much for the runtime it has and it ultimately drags the movie down which is unfortunate. it'd be really cool as a short series rather than a movie tbh

The only reason I'm giving the side eye to Manberg's Jewishness, as a jewish person, is that there's no point to it. They never really bring it up, which is fine. But the fact that they decided to make the child abuser jewish is just suspicious, when nothing about the plot or his character would have really been changed if he wasn't

This might have been better served as a single-season series. It would have had enough runtime to work out its story, and considering netflix gives nothing worthwhile more than one season anyway, it could have been a great symbiosis.

As a Jewish person, I didn't even realize that about Manberg. I don't know, if it's just in the credits art and not the actual puppet used in the movie, I'm willing to chalk that up to the art used in the credits being an earlier draft or something like that. If the character was intended to be Jewish, I don't think this is the type of movie where they would just leave that as a detail you can catch if you're looking -- especially when Raul's trans identity is so present and something the movie doesn't let you ignore.

13:05 Mostly to add engagement: jewish viewer here. I actually picked up on manberg being jewish during the runtime, because he wears a necklace with the hebrew character for "life" on it (the character "chai" from the phrase "l'chaim") Edit: also, in the ending scenes of the movie, when hes returning belzers kids, (its been a while since i watched it, so pls forgive me on the timing) he mumbles a hebrew slur for black people. It felt really unnecessary for a kids movie and made me dislike the character even more than i originally did solely based on his actions. :/

The jewish thing is probably a reference to how king Solomon supposedly trapped 72 demons and many other djinns

I actually thought that this was a series when the trailer came out. It should've been, it would've been way cooler. I get that stop motion is hard but I will give my whole wallet just to see this as a series.

My problem is not that the movie is too short, is that nobody has anything significant to do in the movie after the half point. Once Wendell and wild get to the land of the living they don't have a purpose anymore and just bounce from plot point to plot point. Once kat brings her parents back she has nothing to do, and the parents themselves don't serve much purpose after their resurrection.

The movie is also very Native American positive with Raoul his mother and katts system worker

I guess the devil got lost in details.

So Manberg’s disconnected feet don’t make much sense from a disabled POV as you said, but from my singular Jewish POV and experience with weird old Jewish men with a strangely abrasive yet poetic sense of humor, that was a hilarious detail to me. I could totally see him grumbling intimidatingly about he made his own two feet with his own two hands. Who needs the ungepotchket of full prosthetic legs??? I’ll make myself some feet right here!!! What use are buying pretty legs if you aren’t going to use them???

If you went back in time to the nineties and told me that one day I would be saying that a movie would have been better off as a streaming miniseries, I would have called you crazy. Well, I probably would have asked you what the hell you were talking about. Okay, actually, I probably would have yelled for an adult.

I loved everything about this movie. The character designs, the characters themselves, the world building... it all just screams style. I do concur with the masses in the story department though. It feels like another hour and a half was supposed to be tacked on to the movie but it got cut.

To copy over a previous comment I left on a different video: W&W left me with similar feeling when I watched The Book of Life: Beautiful animation with an interesting story lines that just... tangled up into an unsatisfying messy end. That said, I would love a show set in this world that focused and explored Kat being trained by Sister Helley as a Hell Maiden where they have the time to really flesh out Hell Maidens and demons in general. They had good characters and deserved better. (I did completely miss the hints of Manberg being Jewish, so I'm reading through the comments about him) I think a stand alone episodes of Raúl and his art skills or the town slowly rebuilding could be fun. Or just him and Kat hanging out while they cover up the ugly Klax Korp billboards with murals of her latest adventures as a recap episodes.

So happy you made a video about this movie. Like many, I agree that the biggest flaw is the rutime, especially since there's so much potential for an even grander story. Like, the demons aren't even from Hell itself, but The Land of the Danged, which Selick described as where everyday unpleasant people go. Like the indication that there's a seperate underworld from Hell just for this. As for Manberg, I think it's more a case of anti-semitism being woven so deeply into modern storytelling that we often don't realize that a trope has it's origins in it. The film makers probs just thought it'd be cool to have a weird, slavic, demon hunter dude who just happens to be jewish. Plus with the demon siblings likely being already fully grown when they were summoned, I think it is just a case of unintentional ignorance. Does it excuse it? No. However it does go to show a much bigger problem within the world of tropes and their problematic origins.

As a witchy type, I was completely overwhelmed by what an incredible depiction this was of shadow work. Very literal, yes - but it's something I can use as an example now when I'm trying to explain what it is to someone who gets stuck on the "shadow" part of the phrase, automatically thinking that it means "working with evil" rather than "accepting that pain is part of you."

i actually didn't even notice the credits art for manberg until you brought it up, so i went to go give the character another look. hard to see if you're not paying attention but he's actually wearing a "chai" necklace throughout the movie, which is an important phrase/symbol in judaism. so he was definitely intended to be jewish. seems more like yet another idea that could've been explored a bit more (the sole jewish character as the caretaker at a catholic school).

I remember being REALLY excited for this movie, but then when I actually saw it my reaction was just a lukewarm "hey, that was pretty good :)" and being disappointed that that was all I felt about it. Definitely agree with everyone saying it should've been a series.

It should be a series. I feel like any one of these characters could only get a reasonable arc from at least a whole season of TV. Plus you have detailed fantasy-style world building.

This movie felt like me on stress or at a family meeting. Too much happening and I like half of the people there by themselves and I like the food for mostly nostalgia's sakebut everything else is just a bit too much all at once at the same time. I do like how part of the movie is about self-expression even if it means breaking the rules. We need more of that. No gods, no masters!

I also loved the movie, though it probably would have been better with either more run time or split into 2 movies/made into a mini series.

I really wished this movie have been a mini series instead, treating the burning as a little bit of mistery as the main plot and giving every character their own moment to shine and breath until we come to the final resolution.

one of my closest friends is trans (as am i, i fall under the umbrella) he’s the coolest person i know and i regularly forget he’s not a cis man. i will always be excited for good trans representation!

Personally I feel satisfied with the story but I can also see why someone can find it rushed

I would love to see someone do a reimagining of this film

Yeah, I agree, it had way too many things going on at the same time. For something called Wendell and Wild it had far too little of Wendell and Wild

it makes alot of sense when ur told the movie was supposed to be 3 hours!

The only time I thought the wheelchair was unrealistic was how they had him roll beside the carriage, keeping up with it in the end. Like…how? 😅

The best part of working California night shift is getting your videos part way into my shift

one way i think they could have simplified things is if it was that there was already a prison in the town, and that was the main threat present in the story. A lot of the brewery workers helped in the community and held it together, so when they die the local police force really starts to destabilise everything and lock a lot of people up. When sister helley begins to raise demons every now and then, they all eventually get arrested and police start using these “strange dangerous individuals” as an excuse to monitor the town’s population even more. So when kat returns, she now has the very immediate threat of being thrown right back into prison again if she doesn’t jump through hoops for all the cops around. I think the climax of the story could be a cool scene of kat, w&w, and a growing mob trying to destroy the police station by force (and some demonic powers). This doesn’t account for a bunch of the other side plots, but I still think it would be a more straightforward basis to explore the prison themes through.

Thank you for this video! I didn't watch this movie, but Manberg's necklace has a Jewish symbol. It's called a Chai (ḥay).

Manberg is still Jewish in the movie, his star was replaced with a golden chai. As a Jewish viewer, once it sank in that he’s a sheisty kidnapper, uhhhhhhhhhhh Like, I was excited to see him as a demon hunter, but considering his methods? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You're making a point that seems a bigger problem for the entire movie (at least as far as I noticed): the constant struggle between different themes and subtexts. It's little facts, like Raoul having meso-american ancestry (shown by his last name Cocoloti and his choice of an Aztec mural), then the dead Council members wearing Colonizer get-up, or Kat's, her parents and the living council members being all POC... Even the Juvenile Justice worker that brings Kat back to Rust Bank - she's Native American. Meanwhile, most white characters are painted antagonistic or corrupt or (in Manberg's case) highly dubious, with Mr. Paxton being the only black antagonist, but still with Trump-hair. So there's clearly some subtext to the Ethnic representation here... that maybe depicts true endemic problems with gentrification and land theft and sheds further light on the issues... but as a (White) Non-American, I couldn't have less of a clue. (And I have a feeling that this movie kind of depends on me getting it, since they do all this world-building with the prison system and such...). Plus, we have the whole demon-subplot with all its comedic antics, we have Father Bests' sub-plot plus makeover, they have to take time establish Raoul's background more than once... and while some of it is tied to the Rust Bank-plot, not a lot of that is relevant to the subtext. To me, this is one of the rare cases where - to the creators - representation and politics really were too important and could have been (slightly) compromised for a more comprehensible story. But on the other hand, Raoul's transgender background is a thing they would have probably cut... and I wouldn't want that either :P I mean... I'm still glad I watched it, the animation was great, the comedy and the dialogue and its delivery were all on-spot... but I feel kind of intellectually blocked by it and therefor couldn't reach the emotional depths it depended on.

I didn’t think the issue was runtime. After all, it’s almost a 2 hour movie. I think the issue was more to do with pacing and an untidy script, like if it was cleaned up, it would have fit in the runtime

if u know basic jewish symbology and protective symbols his necklace says "khai" translates to life. his treatment and understanding of deamons might make sence if theres a discrepancy with jewish demonology wich he should be studied on and practiced in. i am not learned in jewish demonology or kabbala especially eastern european mystic tradition (considering his last name.) he is jewish in film and personally that excited me since it was something you have to be in the know on to know he is wich is how a lot of jewish people in america choose to live. and him being abusive without having the spotlight be on his jewish identity as even an implied reason to his behavior and treatment of sister helley kat and the demon children it felt refreshing and honest to me.

Like many had said this would be great as a mini-series and I think this can get a big longevity if they make a comic or book series out of this.

This movie would have been better as a series Though unfortunately it probably wouldn't have been claymation if it was

The janitor looks like jojo character and i can't unsee it

hearing just the general synopisis of each side plot is basically just telling me it should've been a series

Just finished your videos on Harry Potter and From software. As a cis/het trans ally I love your very straight forward analysis of various works. I have various trans family/friends and I just wish your thoughtful content was what our opponents chose to debate. Instead of them always going for the most outlandish charactatuers to appeal to the lowest common majority. You put serious thought into your criticisms, as do many other lesser known youtubers. I just wish all the conservative asses where willing to seriously consider listening to or considering the viewpoints of real thoughtful trans-people. Sometimes admitting you were wrong is the most important part of learning. The conservative/Republican/TERF spokespeople obviously never learned that important life lesson.

Completely agree, gosh I'm so upset the runtime wasn't longer... :[

Wish it was a show. That would be so cool. Although this movie is actually in my favorite movie list.

Yeaaah this movie really had way way way too much going on for its own good. They really needed to find a way to cut at least a couple plot lines.

Damn, I loved the movie, it was very fun and I’ve watched it a dozen times since it came out (I’m also a huge Coraline and stop motion fan)…would have loved a series of it for sure.

Man, same. I didn't realised he was trans either, I thought he was like the son of a staff member or something like that

How quickly you have became my favorite youtuber. I love your videos, they bring to me a lot of possibilties I never think in before. Amazing job, Victor.

Thank you for adding captions to your videos! I’m not Deaf, but I have some trouble with processing information in general, and I really rely on subtitles. This is a lovely help.

Always delightful to see a new oakwyrm video!😀

If the movie had a simpler story with the main focus on Kat and w&w it would’ve been better imo

I need to go back and check this out

The story definitely was the weakest part of the film imo, but that isn't much of a insult when everything else is fantastic. Jordan Peele's style is reliant on show-don't-tell instead of dwelling on explanation, and that's how he condenses big stories into single films. I felt that method was adequate with Wendell and Wild, but I can see how it may leave some feeling unsatisfied.

The movie still has been better as a movie. Is wasn’t wasted potential. It wouldn’t be better as a series as they didn’t have plans to make it one. People need to understand that it was made to be a movie rather than to be fleshed out into a series. They can elaborate more on the characters and the story at a later time. Also Manberg being Jewish? That would make sense given his last name, but the trope that they used with him kidnapping Buffalo Belzer’s children is very interesting 🤔 as to use a Jewish stereotype as part of the movie to make this character more part of the plot, I can understand how it would work especially given the fact that majority of the characters were Christian/Catholic and he was probably the only Jewish person in the town. For once I’m not upset that the directors of this film used a Jewish stereotype/trope to describe their Jewish character, but it would have been nice had they stayed away from these stereotypes and tropes to begin with. It would make the film better and have more of a positive taste to it.

Ok i know the market is so over saturated with live action remakes BUT a TV series of this show would be awesome

I wish I could watch this video, but the audio quality is just 😭😭

oh I remember seeing fan art for this movie, but having no idea where it was from. cool now I know

i feel like it would have been better as a limited series with how many stories it wants to tell.

The credit music 💀(HER AHH IS ROUND)

Hi! I’ve been watching your videos a lot recently and I have a question. How do you feel about non human characters using wheelchairs to blend into society? For example: Chiron the Centaur from Percy Jackson and Lori Lemaris from the DC Universe both use wheelchairs to disguise their lower bodies.

i am once again asking you to watch sacred lies. its a series about a double amputee cult survivor who ends up in a juvenile detention center. I wouldn't call it "good" representation, but I think the overlap between disability/chronic illness and the justice system isn't discusses enough.

I didn't even notice Manburg had fake feet 💀

i keep wanting to watch this movie and forgetting about it!!!! i got about half way through before forgetting because it was a bit too slow imo?? i loved the animation, but i guess it just wasnt really my style of movie, so it didnt hook me. (dark stop motion films always creep me out, lol -- i watched coraline a total of one time, and while it was good, it just wasnt my favorite)

Loved the movie!

I loved every character in this move EXCEPT for Kat 😭 she needed more development cuz she was an a-hole the entire movie

I think the whole political prison idea could've been scrapped in order to focus on the demonic hell maiden side.

I don’t know if you review books but I just got way too into the Vorkosigan saga. It’s very 90s at times but it also aged really well. The main character for most of the series is disabled and gender politics play a huge role in the series

Can u PLEASE do a disability review of Hawkeye? (if there's not much ground to cover maybe you could do it in a short?)

Wendell and Wild is just the movie equivalent of Death Jr.

I genuinely thought that u were gonna be upset that the apparent only disabled character is a horrible villain (if u were I didn't catch that)

My brain seeing im one day late: sorry I'm late!!!

Oakwyrm Sorry, but you used a "trans-term" I'm not familliar with. Was it "dead-named" sby? Is it when you call a person on a name they no longer use? (If anybody other can explain, please, feel free to educate me in this topyc. Thanks🙂❤️)

When you're greatest achievement is a pedophile monster in a childrens movie this is an undeniable letdown.

6:36 I knew he was trans either cuz people talked about it or I picked up on it from relationships stuff but it wasn’t until you said something did I even realize it was an ALL GIRLS school

See unlike everyone else I don't think the runtime was too short for the story they were telling, I think people are getting too caught up in everyone's individual characters instead of seeing the bigger picture. The story isn't about a bunch of individual people, it's about the importance of community and solidarity when facing against oppressive forces and I think the story works to convey that message perfectly within the time it was given. This is especially ore obvious when you take great notice in rustbank being a community of color and Kat being black. Like yes having more run tie I' sure could let us get to see more of every individual character's arc but to me the movie simply isn't about that like at all. Kat is more or less of a catalyst to get everyone to work together :V

I enjoyed the movie but to each its own.

the animation & etc carried the film, they didn't really think abt the story

What happened to ur Camelot video?

Raul would've made a better protagonist than Kat tbh

Great ✨✨ 🍒😃

this movie was enjoyable but in all honestly the pacing was. Not Good

Do you know the concept of unschooling? If not, I think you might like it.

Belzer is also a Jewish name👀

Why do u pitch your mic. It comes off scratchy . Nice video tho

6:28 I guess you just don't see gender ❤✨💖

It's really disappointing that mostly white men are reviewing this movie instead of the actual people it's made for

I think I'm the only one with this opinion but personally i thought the animation was horrific. There was no sense of impact in any of the movement, it felt like the whole movie took place on the moon

Cmon how can you defend demons?

movie is garbage. even the animation: they simply allowed the seem in the nose where the jaw changes out rather than perfecting that. one of the worse movies I have ever seen. Terrible music, social pandering, on-the-nose dialog, exposition, bizarre leaps of logic, characters stating the obvious. It's basically propaganda... at it's worst.