With Halloween just around the corner, what could be more exciting than a new spooky film? Wendell & Wild, a stop-motion horror comedy, released in limited theaters on September 21, hit Netflix only seven days later, on September 28.
Henry Selick, director of the film, is the same person behind the beloved Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline movies. If Selick alone is not a selling point for the film, the two leads may be. Jordan Peele, the voice of Wild, also produced the film. And Wendell is voiced by comedian-actor Keegan-Michael Key.
One can only imagine with such huge names involved with this film, word got out about Wendell & Wild. Knowing what I know about the cast and crew, I wanted to research and analyze some of the promotional moves behind the film and leave you with some key takeaways.
Looking at Social Media
The first place I looked was the popular social media platform – Instagram. It came to my surprise that Selick did not have an Instagram account, which was a bit of a PR disappointment. However, Peele posted the trailer for his 1.4 million followers on September 6 and a joint post with Netflix announcing the date the film would reach the streaming platform. The joint post was also visible to the 31.5 million followers of Netlfix’s page. Key shared posts to his 1 million followers on September 8 and October 10. With these follower demographics, millions are aware of what Wendell & Wild is, who was involved in the making, where to watch it, and when.
The Wendell & Wild Trailer
In regards to the trailer for Wendell & Wild, Netflix took a two-step approach – a 1 minute and 54-second teaser was posted to Youtube on September 26, further building anticipation. An official trailer did not get released until October 10. This slow build was a great move to get the audience excited, bringing viewers closer and closer to the official release.
Inside Scoop Interviews
Interviews serve as a great way to get the press posting about a film while also being in control of exactly what gets said to the public. I was happy to see no shortage of interviews on Wendell & Wild. Selick took part in numerous interviews with different media outlets such as Animation Scoop, Collider, Behind the Lens Online, Ashley & Company, and more. Selick gave away different information in each interview, making all of them feel equally as personable and important. In doing this, the Wendell & Wild “insider scoop” reached a vast audience.
While a lot more happened to promote Wendell & Wild, even these few small actions spread the message to millions. Notice the things that are striking to you and remember them for future reference. All in all, the important information made it to the public before the release date, and now we wait to see how it does at the box office.
With that, I predict Wendell & Wild to be a hit this Halloween season. I also can confirm that I will be watching it as soon as possible. Will you?