Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild is full of colorful characters, including a demon-hunting nun, an undead priest and the two mischievous maniacs of the title. But perhaps the most quietly memorable character is Raul — the sweet sidekick of Kat, the film’s main character. He’s voiced by newcomer Sam Zelaya, and his simple friendliness is a grounding force amidst the film’s chaos of demonic resurrections. 

Raul is a unique presence in Kat’s all-girls school — a trans boy who’s withdrawn a bit from his previous clique. For Zelaya, the teen’s perspective provided a way in to playing the character. “We’re both artists and both navigating a lot of stuff to do with identity and how we see ourselves and how we want the world to see us,” Zelaya tells Tudum. “So it was a lot of stuff that I was picking up on in the script and going, ‘Oh, I know this guy.’ Like, ‘This is me, and this is people I know.’ ”

In the film, Raul’s story is especially refreshing because he’s clearly been on his own journey before the film even begins. We get small hints at the character’s past transition, but he emerges on-screen as a complete masculine-presenting character. “He’s still learning how to be confident in himself and trust himself,” Zelaya says. But there are no questions about his identity: He simply is who he is. “When something isn’t right, it’s not right,” Zelaya continues. “And you don’t always know why until maybe a few years down the line.”

Zelaya grew up watching director Selick’s films. “James and the Giant Peach [was] the one I watched to death,” he says. So to find himself recording lines with the director over Zoom mid-pandemic was a surreal experience. “He was reading all the other lines,” Zelaya laughs. The England-based actor didn’t have the opportunity to visit the film’s set and meet his corresponding puppet in the flesh, but the resemblance struck him as uncanny. “That was weird as well because I had the same haircut,” he recalls. “It’s like, ‘How have you done this?’ ”

For Zelaya, Wendell & Wild is a story with a lot to offer besides just entertainment. “The way that it handles grief and trauma, I think especially, is really beautiful,” he says. “And the way that solidarity and community help Kat... I think that’s really important for kids to see and to take away from the movie.”

Zelaya also appreciates the film’s frank and honest representation. “When I was growing up, trans people on TV were either nonexistent or the butt of a joke,” he says. “I’m really excited for the next generation of kids to be able to see themselves on screen and feel seen and heard and respected.” 

Wendell & Wild Main TrailerEveryone's got demons. Hers have names.