Willy’s Wonderland

Summary

“Congratulations. You are officially on staff.”

A few years back, Nicolas Cage once again helmed a low budget independent midnight movie out of an admiration for the wild aspects of the script. The film was Willy’s Wonderland, and it found Nicolas Cage fighting a gang of possessed animatronics to the death in order to pay off a car bill. The film was made with the goal of being released in 2020 theatrically, but those plans were disturbed by the global pandemic. In 2021, the film was distributed in a limited theatrical release and on demand. Screen Media gave the film a Blu-ray release in April of that year. Shout! Factory has now given the film a 4K upgrade in Dolby Vision that retains the same special features as the prior release. For fans of the picture this will be the preferred way to view the film, although the upgrade visually is not leagues better than the prior release because the master digital file was mastered in 2K. I was happy to revisit the film in 4K.

As the film begins, a man and a woman try their best to escape from whatever is occurring at the restaurant and children’s animatronic showcase Willy’s Wonderland. The man is snatched by some thing as the woman runs into the next room. She notices a child looking on with tears in their eyes just before the woman is killed. The movie flashes forward. An unnamed drifter (Nicolas Cage) in a speeding car runs over a tire strip. All his tires are blown. He chugs a drink, is picked up by a tow truck, and is taken into the town of Hayesville to get repairs. In Hayesville, outside of Willy’s Wonderland, a girl named Liv (Emily Tosta) pours gasoline all over the outside of the building. She is just about to light the gasoline when the police show up and detain her. The drifter sees the girl for a moment as she is being taken by her legal guardian Sheriff Eloise Lund (Beth Grant.) The mechanic lets the drifter know that it’s going to cost $250 for the tow, and another $1000 for the tires. The drifter pulls out a credit card, but the mechanic lets him know that he only takes cash. There is no internet in Hayesville, so unfortunately there is no way to get money out of the town’s ATM. The mechanic asks if the drifter would like to work it off. Tex McAdoo (Ric Reitz) meets the drifter in front of Willy’s Wonderland. The cowboy hat wearing proprietor offers to pay for the repairs to the car if the drifter will spend the entire night inside cleaning up the place. The drifter agrees and Tex walks him into the place where he is shown a promotional video that introduces the animatronic creatures – Willy Weasel, Tito Turtle, Ozzie Ostrich, Gus Gorilla, Cammy Chameleon, Siren Sara, Knighty Knight, and Arty Alligator. Tex explains that the place was shut down when some kids crawled all over the machines and got injured causing the place to declare bankruptcy. Tex gives him an official shirt shirt and adds him to the staff. He lets him know that he can eat what’s there and tells him to take frequent breaks throughout the evening. Liv’s friends – Chis Muley, Kathy Barnes, Aaron Powers, Bob McDaniel, and Dan Lorraine – arrive at Liv’s house where she is handcuffed and release her. They all want to burn down the cursed Willy’s. Meanwhile, the drifter begins his shift. The animatronic characters seemingly have a mind of their own, and he is in physical danger. When the teenagers arrive and realize that there is a man inside, they halt their plan to burn down the building until they can get the drifter out. They are all in for a wild night.

Willy’s Wonderland for the most part lives up to the promise of a plot that pits Nicolas Cage against possessed animatronics. It is a fun film overall. That said, this film is definitely a step down from Nicolas Cage’s exceptional midnight movie Mandy, which had been released in 2018 to acclaim. Adjusting your expectations will help you enjoy the film for the zaniness it offers instead of the over-the-top madness that it never quite can match from Mandy. I consider Mandy to be one of the greatest midnight movies ever made, so it definitely took away from my opinion of Willy’s Wonderland on my first viewing. Luckily, on my second viewing I had a lot more fun from my adjusted expectations. Nic Cage was attracted to script for its more absurd qualities, and the fight sequences between Cage and the animatronics are all very fun to watch. Nic Cage also embraced the challenge of playing a character that not only is never given a name, but also is never given a line of dialogue. It’s an unusual choice and Cage manages to pull it off with gusto through his expressive body motions and facial contortions.

The overall premise for the picture is imaginative and fun. The script by G.O. Parsons is a mixed bag. It has an excellent flashback sequence which explains how the animatronics came to be possessed and murderous that I really enjoyed. That said, the script, while playing many of the right notes, doesnt quite swing for the fences as hard as it could have. Whatever violence that occurs in the film could have been given just a little bit more edge. The conversations between the young adults in the film could have used a draft or two more to feel a little more lively or clever. The film suffers from these small issues that distract from some of the good ideas it presents. I had difficulty determining if the dialogue itself or the performances by the younger actors felt stilted. Regardless – this is a picture where taking the good with the bad is a prerequisite.

Director Kevin Lewis worked with cinematographer David Newbert on digital film to make the most of their budget. Visually, the film is fairly attractive and has some well thought out shots. The fight scenes work pretty well thanks to their mixture of puppeteering, practical effects, and green screen work. The director drew solid performances from the more experienced cast members – Nic Cage, Beth Grant, and Ric Reitz – but most of the younger actors failed to make much of an impression on me.

Overall – Willy’s Wonderland offers the chance to watch Nicolas Cage battle animatronics. That’s what you are paying for, and that’s what you get. The film has some minor stumbles and some missed opportunities, but it still has enough fun moments to warrant a viewing.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, Willy’s Wonderland is reference quality in Shout! Factory’s UHD presentation with Dolby Vision. The film was made on a budget, and those budgetary constraints are apparent regardless of whether the film is viewed on Blu-ray or in 4K. The film was shot on digital film using Arri Alexa Mini cameras in 2.8K ARRIRAW format. The 4K transfer comes from the 2K digital intermediate made of the film, so it is a great representation of the filmmakers original intentions. Given that the film’s master format was in 2K, it is safe to say that the compression shown on Shout!’s disc is flawless. Since it is basically an upscale from 2K, it does not have the added detail of some recent 4K digital cinematography. Cinematographer David Newbert did a solid job on the framing of shots and lighting, so the film has a good appearance overall. The 4K allows as much detail to come through as possible, and I feel safe in saying it will remain the definitive way to experience the film. The leap from the prior Blu-ray release to the 4K is not a huge jump, so budget conscious fans will need to adjust expectations accordingly.

Audio

Willy’s Wonderland has a solid DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that stays active for the duration of the picture. The fight scenes jump into gear and atmospherics are solid. The sound design is pretty solid given the budgetary constraints of the picture. I was pleased with the track overall.

Supplements:

These supplements have all been ported from the Screen Media Blu-ray release.

• “Inside the Fun” – a quick EPK behind-the-scenes.
• “Set Tour” – actor Christian Del Grosso gives a tour of the set.
• “Fresh Meat” – a very brief look at the young cast.
• “Colorful Darkness and the Demon-Atrons” – a brief look at how the creatures came to the screen.
• Image Galleries
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video: 4

Audio: 4

Special Features: 2

Overall – 3.75/5

Willy’s Wonderland can’t quite live up to the inspired type of madness that its great premise promises, but it is still a fun entertainment. Nicolas Cage brings his A-game to the role of the nameless and voiceless protagonist. The supporting cast features enjoyable performances by Beth Grant and Ric Reitz. Fans of the film will be happy that Shout! has brought Willy’s Wonderland to 4K UHD, but they should also temper expectations to the fact that the digital master itself was only in 2K. This means that the visual improvements over the Screen Media Blu-ray are apparent, but not by leaps and bounds. The film benefits from a reference quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 track which stays fairly active for the duration of the picture. The special features are ported over from the Blu-ray release and are enjoyable but relatively short. Fans of the film will find this release to be the definitive release although the improvements over the prior Blu-ray are not as drastic as in some of Shout!’s recent releases.