Starring Sean Bean, Honor Kneafsey, Nora Twomey, Maria Doyle, Simon McBurney. Directed by Tomm Moor and Ross Stewart.
It’s excellent that in this modern age of animation all styles get to live together. CGI animation can be just an enchanting as hand-drawn, though there it still a lot to be said of traditional animation.
Wolfwalkers is an Irish folk tale told in hand-drawn animation form. It follows English girl Robyn Goodfellowe and her father Bill, who hunts wolves from the city limits under the watch of Oliver Cromwell. When Robyn befriends free-spirit Mebh, things unlock to reveal secrets in the forest.
From the off, the style of animation feels like a Saturday morning cartoon — in a good way. It also helps that the style evokes Samurai Jack and The Powerpuff Girls, both of which loom over the film. In following apprentice hunter Robyn, excellently voiced by Honor Keafsey, we have a girl-power message and the friendship between her and Eva Whittaker’s Mebh both bring home that message in the film.
The story’s setting of Ireland also give it strength; Irish folklore is such a rich ground for fairytales and lends itself perfectly to animation. Here, even with the inclusion of a sprightly redhead and an abundance of wolves, we never feel like this is a half baked Brave rip off, instead this film feels original of itself. The art style gives it a storybook sensibility that is hard to fault, and it’s gorgeous to look at.
The film also talks about wildlife, and about being better to our fellow animals — the wolves are both scary and majestic to look at, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with them as you watch. The fact that the film has a message of acceptance of our animal friends makes it an even better watch.
That’s not to say that the film doesn’t have distressing elements; as the film ramps up to it’s final showdown between animals and Cromwell (a truly bad baddie), the film does get a little intense, and might prove a little too much for the youngest viewers, but all of this is done with an eye to telling a story that transcends medium and age.
The music also plays into the Irish folk scene and is truly beautiful to hear. Had the film been done as silent, you’d know everything you need to from the music alone — it’s evocative and emotional without ever being intrusive.
As with most animated films, a child’s own sensitivity comes into play, but the film doesn’t have a cynical streak, or a mean spirit, and even its villain is told as a way to explore religion and control. It’s not so much that Cromwell is evil — though he’s definitely a bad guy — he’s lead by a faith that is at odds with the magic of the forests.
Wolfwalkers is a beautiful film. In its voicing, music, message and animation, it’s a film that might find a life on Apple+ but more than deserves to be seen on the big screen, too. It’s not just for kids, this one is a special kind of animation.
