Film

The Willoughbys

Name: The Willoughbys
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Released: 2020
Cast: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short

Comedy

A stop-motion comedy about four orphaned siblings navigating independence after their parents abandon them for adventure. Funny, weirdly touching, and visually inventive, it mixes slapstick absurdism with genuine heart. Perfect for families who like their animation smart and their jokes multi-layered.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy animated family films that play with storybook conventions, delivering sly, deadpan jokes aimed at grown-ups as much as at children, with a tone that is cheeky without ever turning cruel.

Skip it if you find wry, self-aware narration wearing thin, or you want a gentle, sincere kids' adventure, since this one keeps undercutting its own sentiment with sarcasm.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk ninety-two minutes and rarely lets up, so you need to keep up with rapid-fire gags, parodic asides and a plot that moves quickly from one clever setup to the next.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Coraline2009

Stop-motion dark fantasy with a resourceful heroine, a sinister alternate family, and a visual imagination that makes every frame worth pausing on. Genuinely unsettling and genuinely warm.

But The tone is creepier than The Willoughbys, and it takes its menace seriously. Some younger kids find it legitimately scary.

Klaus2019

A gorgeously animated film about kindness and found family that refuses sentimentality. Sharp writing, unexpected heart, and the animation has a painterly quality that's absolutely ravishing.

But It's a Christmas film, so if you're not in the mood for seasonal themes or warm fuzzies, the earnestness might feel heavy-handed.

The Addams Family1991

Perfectly cast, darkly funny, and deeply fond of its weird characters. The whole movie is a celebration of people who don't fit into normal society—chosen family as its own kind of magic.

But The humour is broadly American '90s comedy. If dated references and broad physical comedy aren't your thing, it'll feel thin on rewatch.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Willoughbys

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Orpheus1950

Both are orphan stories that use fantasy logic to ask what we owe each other. Both find myth and meaning in everyday abandonment. Cocteau's is the art-film ancestor of this kind of thinking.

Jean Cocteau's surreal retelling of the Orpheus myth set in modern Paris: a poet, his wife, and death as a leather-coated woman on a motorcycle. Strange, thrilling, visually baroque, and obsessed with love and loss.

But It's 1950s French experimental cinema. The pacing is dreamy, the logic is symbolic, the English subtitles are often cryptic. It's not designed to be comfortable.

Paddington 22017

A miracle: a children's film that's genuinely funny, touching, gorgeously made, and never talks down to its audience. It's about kindness and community with real stakes and real warmth.

But It's relentlessly optimistic. If you need cynicism or moral ambiguity, this will feel saccharine, no matter how well-crafted it is.

A Series of Unfortunate Events2017

Four orphaned children surviving the world with ingenuity and dark humour. Visually inventive, genuinely funny for adults, with Lemony Snicket's narration adding constant wit. It understands orphan-as-archetype.

But The Netflix run was cancelled after three seasons. Also, relentless gloom punctuated by comedy—it's exhausting if you're not in the right headspace.

Over the Garden Wall2014

A miniseries that's creepy, beautiful, and surprisingly tragic. Two brothers lost in a mysterious wood; folk-horror atmosphere laced with genuine tenderness and unexpected depth. Barely ninety minutes of television perfection.

But It's short, which means it ends just as you're settling in. The tone is mournful and atmospheric in a way that won't appeal to everyone.

Hilda2018

A girl against the world, learning to find her people and trust herself. Gorgeous Scandinavian-inspired design, genuinely inventive monster design, and humour that respects its audience's intelligence.

But Seasons two and three dial back some of the creature-of-the-week charm for serialized mythology. The animation style is detailed but deliberately flat in places.

My Neighbor Totoro1988

Two sisters displaced from their old life encounter magic in the countryside. Quietly perfect: patient, playful, full of wonder. Studio Ghibli at its most generous, asking us to see joy in small things.

But It's deliberately paced and doesn't have a plot in any conventional sense. If you need dramatic momentum, you'll be frustrated by its gentle meander.

The Owl House2020

A girl enters a magical realm and finds found family, purpose, and real consequences. Funny, visually lively, with genuine emotional growth and characters who earn their arcs.

But The pacing falters in Season Two. Some story arcs feel rushed or abandoned. It's still good, but not consistently excellent.

Craig of the Creek2018

Both celebrate children building their own world after adults fail them. Both find safety and joy in chosen community rather than biological family. The Willoughbys is scrappier; Craig of the Creek is a sanctuary.

Kids in a suburban creek canyon form their own republic. Warmly animated, genuinely funny, rich with adventure and community. It captures the specific magic of childhood independence without condescension or menace.

But It's episodic and deliberately low-stakes. Nothing apocalyptic happens. If you need narrative propulsion or real danger, it'll feel like hanging around with nice kids.