In ‘Wendell & Wild,’ stop motion moves to an Afro-punk beat

By JAKE COYLE
AP Film Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The spooky, sublime stop-motion animation worlds of Henry Selick are feasts for the eye that can burrow into the imaginations of young minds. In films like “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach” and “Coraline,” the dark, handmade curiosities of Selick have tended to leave a mark. Jordan Peele, the writer-director of “Get Out,” “Us” and “Nope,” was one of those shaken children. Seven years ago, he signed on to co-write and produce Selick’s lastest film, Netflix’s “Wendell & Wild.” There are elements of death, grief and whimsy that will remind moviegoers of Selick’s earlier films. But there is also a vivid Afro-punk spirit to match the movie’s young Black protagonist. It opens Friday in theaters.