When his car breaks down, a quiet loner agrees to clean an abandoned family fun center in exchange for repairs. He soon finds himself waging war against possessed animatronic mascots while trapped inside Willy’s Wonderland.
Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
- The Janitor: Nicolas Cage
- Liv Hawthorne: Emily Tosta
- Sheriff Eloise Lund: Beth Grant
- Tex Macadoo: Ric Reitz
- Jed Love: Chris Warner
- Chris Muley: Kai Kadlec
- Kathy Barnes: Caylee Cowan
- Dan Lorraine: Jonathan Mercedes
- Bob McDaniel: Terayle Hill
- Aaron Powers: Christian Delgrosso
- Evan Olson: David Sheftell
- Jerry Wallace: Grant Cramer
- Jim Hawthorne: Chris Padilla
- Judy Hawthorne: Olga Cramer
- Willy Weasel: Jiri Stanek
- Cammy Chameleon: Taylor Towery
- Tito Turtle: Chris Schmidt Jr.
- Gus Gorilla: Austin Perez
- Ozzie Ostrich: BJ Guyer
- Arty Alligator: Christopher Bradley
- Siren Sara: Jessica Graves Davis
- Knighty Knight: Duke Jackson
- Willy Weasel (voice): Émoi
- Cammy Chameleon (voice): Madisun Leigh
- Tito Turtle / Ozzie Ostrich (voice): Abel Arias
- Gus Gorilla (voice): Mark Gagliardi
- Arty Alligator (voice): Luke James Donnelly
- Siren Sara (voice): Waverly Dooley
- Knighty Knight (voice): Jenner Michaels
Film Crew:
- Producer: Nicolas Cage
- Executive Producer: Mark Damon
- Executive Producer: Adam Rifkin
- Casting: Shannon Makhanian
- Producer: Grant Cramer
- Creature Design: Kenneth J. Hall
- Director: Kevin Lewis
- Script Supervisor: Janine Gosselin
- Producer: Danny Roth
- Producer: Jeremy Davis
- Line Producer: Lawreen E. Kayl
- VFX Artist: Damian Drago
- Special Effects Key Makeup Artist: Cat Bernier
- Director of Photography: David Newbert
- Executive Producer: Jake Seal
- Casting: Gabrielle Almagor
- Executive Producer: Tamara Birkemoe
- Boom Operator: Charles German
- Dialogue Editor: Robert Troy
- Digital Imaging Technician: Justin Paul Warren
- Foley Artist: Michael J. Broomberg
- Sound Effects Editor: Mike Pipgras
- Colorist: Jason Rayment
- Grip: Aidan Hayes
- Makeup Artist: Pamela Warden
- Key Grip: Aaron Toups
- “A” Camera Operator: J.R. Campbell
- Costume Design: Jennifer Schreck
- Production Sound Mixer: Michael Schmidt
- Editor: Ryan Liebert
- Construction Coordinator: Chris Baker
- Dolly Grip: Jeremy Wren
- Production Design: Molly Coffee
- Producer: David Ozer
- Sound Effects Editor: Matt Yocum
- First Assistant “A” Camera: Ezra Riley
- Screenplay: G.O. Parsons
- Art Direction: Lauren Coghlan
- Makeup Department Head: Erin Chaney
- Second Assistant Camera: Jeremy Peele
- Compositing Supervisor: Vincent Chang
- Executive Producer: Seth Needle
- Set Decoration: Jennifer Chandler
- Hair Department Head: Michelle Alderman
- Additional Editor: Roger Cooper
- Electrician: Tim Chang
- Special Effects Makeup Artist: Jordan Sanders
- Producer: Mike Nilon
- Producer: Bryan Lord
- Stunt Coordinator: Charlie Parrish
- Second Assistant “B” Camera: Brittney Rosella
- Gaffer: Travis Stewart
- Extras Casting: Heather Hylton Bivens
- VFX Editor: Colin Shen Min Lim
- Visual Effects Coordinator: Jester Yao Hui Chai
- Visual Effects Coordinator: Daniel Salwam
- Special Effects Makeup Artist: Robby Knyrim
- Executive Producer: Scottland Olds Harbert
- Special Effects: Robert A. Howell
- Property Master: Elliott Boswell
- Set Costumer: Ashley Skelly
- Best Boy Electric: Nick Seoane
- Original Music Composer: Émoi
- Associate Producer: Kevin V. Duncan
- Leadman: Adam Brantz
- Grip: Seth Patterson
- Set Costumer: Christine Rigby
- Assistant Hairstylist: Sunny Dubica
- Assistant Makeup Artist: Genie Bolet
- Key Makeup Artist: Ashley Langston
- Makeup Effects Designer: Roy Knyrim
- Art Department Coordinator: Ren Tanner
- Set Dresser: Parker W. Woods
- “B” Camera Operator: Tim Banks
- Electrician: Matt Setzer
- First Assistant “B” Camera: Pedro Escobar
- Rigging Gaffer: Ronald H. Hynson
- Casting Assistant: Mitchell Loo
- Assistant Costume Designer: Terese Davis
- Compositor: Dominic Tan
- Visual Effects Compositor: Jasmine Choong
- Digital Compositor: Mohamad Sharil Harees
- Visual Effects Production Assistant: Meo Yap
- Special Effects: J.J. Madaris
- Payroll Accountant: Rayne Marcus
- Production Accountant: Blakely Clark
- Travel Coordinator: Amy Shelton
- Sound: Hector Guerra
Movie Reviews:
- Louisa Moore – Screen Zealots: As it goes in the film world, there will be plenty of critics who will think they are “too good” for a ridiculous movie like “Willy’s Wonderland,” an outrageous, audience-pleasing popcorn flick with an 80s slasher vibe. This film is one that feels like it’s made expressly for fans of the horror-comedy genre, and its terrific premise, badass hero, and throwback grindhouse sentiment check all the boxes for a successful journey to becoming a midnight cult classic.
A quiet loner (Nicolas Cage) becomes stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the needed repairs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning up the local abandoned family fun center known as Willy’s Wonderland. Little does he know that he has just signed up to be the janitor for a place believed to be haunted. Things haven’t been the same since the rumors about missing children (and evil animatronics) took over the town. As the night progresses, the man discovers that the life-sized fuzzy mascots have minds of their own, and he must fight to the death in order to survive to see the sun rise.
The story is solid all around and if you suspend disbelief, the plot is actually plausible. There are supernatural elements and lots of humor, and the Janitor is the horror hero we didn’t know we needed. Kevin Lewis has a terrific eye for direction, a natural at knowing exactly what the audience wants to see and how they want to see it (and delivering just that). The pacing is excellent, too. The film ends with a set-up for an eventual sequel that I really, really hope happens.
The most appropriate word I can find to describe this movie, and one that fits in almost any discussion of the film, is “rad.” The awesome, primitive puppet costumes for Willy the Weasel and his tribe of murderous pals (Tito the Turtle, Siren Sara, Ozzie the Ostrich, and Knighty Knight, to name a few) are absolutely hysterical, the perfect pair for the equally amusing low budget horror effects. Even better is Cage, who brings that certain je ne sais quoi to his character, a soda-guzzling, pinball-loving man of few words (the actor doesn’t speak any dialogue in the movie).
This isn’t a movie that you’re supposed to take seriously, and that’s what adds to its charm. “Willy’s Wonderland” is tons of bloody fun, especially if you want to watch Nic Cage beat the shit out of possessed serial killer animatronics. And quite frankly, isn’t that all of us?