Review: Wolfwalkers is a masterful hand-drawn fantasy
By: Simon Cocks
Tags: Film, Movie Review, Film Reviews, Movies, Cinema

Review: Wolfwalkers is a masterful hand-drawn fantasy

★★★★★

A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night. (IMDb)

There’s a chance you signed up for a year of free Apple TV+ within the last 12 months, but you may not have used it that much since joining. While 2020 has derailed Apple’s plans for its platform, though, there have still been worthwhile movies and shows to watch on the service. And, now it has its first great animated film in Wolfwalkers. This Celtic-inspired adventure is a magical story that is ideal for kids. But it has more than enough depth and complexity to appeal to all audiences too. The movie, from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, also provides a welcome break from the photo-real animation that has been so ubiquitous in mainstream movies for so many years. Wolfwalkers blends traditional drawing techniques with digital methods, and the result is beautiful. It’s possibly the most distinctive and personality-filled animated release since The Tale of the Princess Kaguya from Japan’s Studio Ghibli.

Set in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1650, the story makes several allusions to the politics of the time through the villanous Lord Protector (a clear stand-in for Oliver Cromwell, voiced by Simon McBurney). Our main protagonist, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), is a young girl from England. She aspires to be like her father, expert wolf hunter Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean). The Lord Protector has hired Bill to clear the forest of the wolves completely. Things get interesting when Robyn meets and befriends Mebh Og MacTire (Eva Whittaker), a girl who lives in the forest and can transform into a wolf avatar when she sleeps. She’s a “wolfwalker”, and it’s through her that Robyn comes to see the world through another’s eyes. And she realises how cruel the Lord Protector’s campaign against the wolves is.

It’s a return to traditional hand-drawn animation

Co-director Tomm Moore has cited Ghibli’s Kaguya as an influence, perhaps unsurprisingly. While the 2013 Japanese film emulates watercolour paintings for its art style, Wolfwalkers embraces the look of medieval European artwork throughout. It’s a movie where you can see the craft onscreen, whether that’s freeform pencil sketches, the clear difference between angular and soft shapes in the juxtaposition between the town and the forest, or the kinetic and expressive style shown when the wolves run. The two-dimensional movie has a limited and controlled colour palette or earthy browns and greens. And that makes it all the more shocking and eye-catching when an incongruent colour, like red, splashes across the screen in the third act. In this interview with IndieWire, co-director Ross Stewart talks about how his team planned out the action and built environments in virtual reality. They then animated it on paper with charcoal and pencil. It makes for a incredible and unique look that’s unlike any other animated film for a long time.

It’s a rich story with a lot of thematic depth

This is a film that embraces metaphor throughout. When the character of the Lord Protector screams about how “what cannot be tamed must be destroyed” or how people need to stop believing in pagan myths, we can see that he’s trying to tear down people and their culture, and succeeding. This kind of political commentary is rooted in history but still relevant to this day, as we see how leaders continue to use fear and harsh rhetoric to motivate their supporters. In one scene, we see the Lord Protector bring a wolf up on a stage to both scare the people and prove his own strength to them. Beyond that political allegory, Wolfwalkers is also concerned with nature and the importance of humankind existing in equilibrium with the animals of the world. This is yet another way that it feels like the work of Studio Ghibli and, throughout, it emphasises the significance of environmental preservation.

It’s a captivating, character-driven folk tale

Some may point out that Wolfwalkers can be predictable, but that misses the point of the folk tales, myths and legends that inspired the film. An effective folk tale is often instructive and the predictability is what helps the audience to anticipate the flow of the narrative and, in turn, to learn the lesson of story. Here, it’s easy for us to recognise the Lord Protector as an evil and brutal man who uses the power of fear to rule. And, we can also identify Robyn’s naiveté and her father’s feelings of both dread, over-protectiveness and world-weariness. Being able to see these character archetypes is important for how the film tells its tale. On the surface, it’s about a ruler trying to use his power to destroy the forest and kill the wolves, but it’s also about colonisation and the way he subjugates the people he rules. The audience can see the comparison between the wolves and the Irish people, and that’s one way the film is powerful and gripping. The developments are also driven forward by the actions of Robyn as she fights back against the role that she’s forced to fill in this world. Through both Robyn and Mebh, we see girls in this film taking power and thinking for themselves, embracing rebellion in the face of tyranny.

Verdict

This Irish folk tale is an absolute delight that showcases gorgeous traditional animation techniques, a magical sense of atmosphere and outstanding vocal performances. It tells an engaging story full of history, myth, adventure, excitement and emotion.

Cast and crew

Directors: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Writers: Jericca Cleland, Will Collins, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart

Stars: Sean Bean, Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon McBurney

The trailer for Wolfwalkers on Apple TV+

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