After over a decade of industry silence, director and animatorHenry Selickis making waves again with hislatest movieWendell & Wild, which has been hitting Netflix’s “Most-Watched” charts across the globe. A stop-motion animation horror-comedy in collaboration with Jordan Peele,Wendell & Wildeffectively marks Slick’s sixth movie as director.
Specializing in stop-motion animation, after falling in love with the art after seeingThe Adventures of Prince AchmedandThe 7th Voyage of Sinbadas a young boy, Selick is responsible for some of the world’s most beloved and critically acclaimed animated classics, includingJames and the Giant Peach,The Nightmare Before Christmas, andCoraline.
It could be argued that Selick doesn’t always receive the attention he deserves, which could be down to having his name somewhat overshadowed by his more established frequent collaborator Tim Burton (a point that Selick himselfsays is unfair). Nevertheless, we’ve decided to take a look back at his impressive repertoire and rank all the movies he has directed, fromThe Nightmare Before Christmas to Wendell & Wild.
5Monkeybone
At the time of its release,Monkeybonewas considered a huge disappointment for Selick and the movie’s star Brendan Fraser. It bombed at the box office and was panned by critics.Monkeybonesees a carefree cartoonist, played by Fraser, getting sucked into his own comic strip, resulting in a bizarre mish mash oflive action and stop-motion animationshenanigans. The animation was impressive and engrossing, and both the live action and voice casts were solid, featuring the talents of Whoopi Goldberg, Rose McGowan, Bridget Fonda, Bob Odenkirk, and John Turturro. Unfortunately, the storyline lacked focus and relied more on crude one-off gags than any solid form of storytelling or character development. Additionally, the tone was uneven, making it difficult to establish a target audience.Monkeybone, while not terrible, is definitely a rare misfire for the usual fantastic Selick.
Related:The Nightmare Before Christmas & Coraline Director Comments on Potential Sequels
4James and the Giant Peach
For millions of children around the world,James and the Giant Peachwill hold a special place in their hearts. For many, it will be because of the beloved Roald Dahl novel that was released in 1961 and is still enjoyed by children to this day. But for others, it will be because of Selick’s 1996 stop-motion / live action musical adaptation. Co-produced by Burton, their trademark animation style and macabre wit is all over it. While arguably slightly lighter in tone than a lot of their other work, it certainly doesn’t shy away from the darker elements so common in their and Dahl’s finest projects, and is a pleasure to watch for both adults and children alike. Having said this, the animated segments are by far the movie’s strongest points, with the opening live action segment coming across as mostly forgettable and unnecessary.James and the Giant Peachfeatures a strong lead voice performance from Paul Terry as James, as well as standout supporting performances from the likes of Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon. The movie is now getting a new lease of life on Disney+ .
3Wendell & Wild
By far the most recent entry on the list, having only been released just in time for Halloween 2022, this Netflix collaboration sees Selick directing a screenplay he co-wrote with Jordan Peele.Wendell & Wildis a macabre tale of two devilish demon brothers, who enlist an angst-ridden teenage girl, dealing with demons of her own, to summon them to the land of the living. Without giving too much away about the plot, one can expect plenty of love, loss, and betrayal in this laugh out loud yet effectively poignant film. After 10 years of industry silence, perThe Hollywood Reporter, it was a fantastic return to form for Selick, and critics heaped praised on the beautiful stop-motion animation and the array of multi-dimensional characters we meet along the way.
Related:Best Stop-Motion Animated Movies, Ranked
Easily Selick’s darkest movie,Coralinewas a 2009 stop-motion animated horror movie. For all intents and purposes,Coralinewas marketed as a kids film. While the promotional artwork was a tad darker than, say, Frozen, it doesn’t even begin to suggest the terrors that are in store for any young viewer about to watchCoraline. IfThe Lion Kingtaught kids to fear their uncles or even their siblings,Coralinetaught children to fear their own parents. Beautifully yet creepily animated using stop-motion, Coraline encounters another version of her parents in another realm. Displeased with her old parents, these new ones seem to treat her well, that is, until she refuses to be mutilated by them. After that, all bets are off as they spy on, threaten, and try to kill her, all while still resembling the parents that, as a child, she should be able to trust. The film was a huge hit with critics and won Annie Awards for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production, Best Character Design in an Animated Feature Production, and Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production, and received nominations for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
1The Nightmare Before Christmas
It had to be, didn’t it? Selick’s feature length directorial debut still remains his most beloved to this day. This collaboration with Burton, who wrote the story, while Selick directed, has amassed a huge cult following since its initial release in 1993. Fantastic stop-motion animation combined with a dark yet catchy soundtrack from Danny Elman bring to life this story of Jack Skellington (the King of Halloween) and his newfound obsession with Christmas and his plot to abduct Santa Claus, in a way that was able to bring the biggest of grins to viewers of all ages. With a tremendous score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes,The Nightmare Before Christmasis often regarded as one of the greatest animated movies of all time, with renowned film critic Roger Ebert calling the visual effects as “revolutionary asStar Wars” andRolling Stone Magazinedescribing it as “74 minutes of timeless movie magic.”
