Wendell & Wild
Available on Netflix.
I was going to write about the craft of Wendell & Wild, the imaginative way real-world issues like survivor’s guilt, growing up trans and the prison industrial complex are blended with afterlife amusement parks, resurrection hair cream, zombies, hell maidens and demons in jars, the talented voice cast featuring the return of Key and Peele as comedy duo, etc.
But instead, let’s talk about the character design in Wendell & Wild, arguably the high point of the film. If I gave you the name Pablo Lobato, would you know his style and talent are the basis for this distinctive look? Would you be able to find his name buried waaaaaay down in the credits?
Behind every visual masterpiece of cinema stand an innumerable number of artists begging to be discovered by the public at large. You may have seen Tim Burton’s sketches for The Nightmare Before Christmas, but do you know the names of Shiyoon Kim? Peter de Sève? Geof Darrow? Ralph McQuarrie??!?
My plea to fellow moviegoers: take the time to peruse the resumes of the creators behind your favorite films. Borrow an art book from the library, follow an artist on Instagram, go to TCAF to get a comic book signed. I’m not asking you to memorize the names of a hundred CGI artists or the second unit caterer, but go beyond the director and cast.