Laika’s Wildwood Faces Backlash Over Latin American Spanish Dubbing
The Latin American Spanish dub of Laika Studios’ Wildwood has triggered a significant public backlash, resulting in a Change.org petition demanding a complete re-recording of the film’s voice track. Audiences have criticized the casting of television actors and social media influencers over specialized voice-over professionals, citing a perceived lack of technical quality.
Mexican Actresses Face Criticism over Lack of Dubbing Experience
The production, which spent 16 years in development and utilized 233 marionettes, relies on voice performances to anchor its stop-motion narrative. According to El Financiero, the selection of Mexican actress Macarena García to voice the protagonist, Prue McKeel, became a central point of contention. García, who debuted in the 2010 telenovela Amor Bravío, lacks prior professional experience in the dubbing industry. Similarly, Natalia Téllez, cast as the antagonist Alexandra Svik, has an extensive background in television but limited dubbing history, with one previous credit in the 2022 film Escuela de miedo.
The inclusion of content creator Javier Ibarreche as the voice of Brendan further intensified the criticism. While Ibarreche holds a degree in Theater and Acting from UNAM and has performed in minor dubbing roles, such as in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, viewers expressed dissatisfaction with his performance in Wildwood.
The Response from the Talent
Javier Ibarreche addressed the criticism through a public statement on his social media channels. He acknowledged that the audience reception did not meet his expectations and admitted that his work failed to satisfy the public, noting that it is not his place to judge his own performance. Ibarreche clarified that his intent was not to displace professional voice actors but to pursue a career in the field, stating, I did not accept a job to take it away from a dubbing actor, I accepted it to become one.
He further defended the production process, explaining that he and the team believed they had achieved an appropriate interpretation during the recording sessions. He characterized the outcome as a result of a lack of experience rather than malicious intent, emphasizing that the work was done with the best intentions. Ibarreche concluded by stating, The work was done with the best intention. There was no malice. If anything, ignorance, but not malice.
The Technical Demands of Laika Studios
Directed by Travis Knight and based on the 2011 book by Colin Meloy, the film required the creation of 132 physical sets and hundreds of thousands of interchangeable faces. Knight has defended the studio’s commitment to this labor-intensive process, telling The Hollywood Reporter that the technique allows audiences to literally see the human effort behind the animation.
Despite the vocal opposition to the Spanish-language dub, neither Laika Studios nor the local distributor, Imagem Films México, have publicly committed to a re-recording of the film. The question of whether the studio will respond to the petition by adjusting the dubbing or maintaining the current version remains open.
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