White Bird, the follow-up to the wildly successful 2017 Julia Roberts movie Wonder, has been relatively well-received by critics since its October 2024 release. However, for all the positives associated with the movie, White Bird has failed to match the original in two key ways. Given Wonder's near-universal popularity, it was likely any follow-up would struggle to match its impact. Even so, the contrast between the two movies' releases seems particularly stark.

As of writing, Wonder is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Whereas Wonder centered on the coming-of-age story of Auggie Pullman (played by Jacob Tremblay) and the complex family dynamics affecting his parents (Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson), White Bird focuses on other characters in the story. Instead of revisiting Auggie's journey, the sequel revolves around Julian Albans an antagonistic presence in the first film exploring two different time periods as Julian's grandmother relays a story from the 1940s. This represents a major narrative shift,...