Movies - TV
Details Kids Won’t Catch In Wendell & Wild
By CHAD COLLINS
Key & Peele
It’s hard not to notice that Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele — from the famous “Key & Peele” sketch comedy show — are the voices behind Wendell and Wild; the demons even look like miniature, stop-motion versions of their respective actors. While the comedians’ cameos probably fly over kids’ heads, it’s a fun wink for those in the know.
The Scream Fair
Adults won’t miss that the Scream Fair and Dream Fair are the film’s iterations of Hell and Heaven, but this might be lost on younger audiences. However, this is a noteworthy decision considering that children’s films are reticent to explore the darker aspects of life, and the Dante-esque torture of the Scream Fair certainly evokes terror no matter the audience.
Hair Cream High
Children’s programs may be reluctant to explore death and damnation, but they sure love getting their characters high — just think of Scooby and Shaggy. In “Wendell & Wild” the titular characters get high when discovering that hair cream makes them feel tickly, trippy, and totally chill, but kids will probably think they’re just having an innocently silly time.
Raúl is trans
"Wendell & Wild" does a lot right by Raúl Cocolotl, and he gets a few pretty remarkable character beats. Even better, little to no fuss is made about Raúl being trans, but what's most impressive is how the film never sermonizes. Quietly and profoundly, Raúl exists and it's remarkable to see matter-of-fact trans representation for a younger audience.
Nigerian Prince Jokes
Every audience member who lived through the beginning of the internet knows the "Nigerian Prince email scam," and the movie makes a pretty good joke of it especially given the implication that those behind the scam face damnation in the Scare Fair. Adults will crack a smile at the joke, but young audience members will probably be confused.