'Wolfwalkers' Review: A profound, gorgeous animated adventure rooted in ancient folklore and traditions
The wolves gather around a man. He seems afraid and is certain that his end is near. The wolves snarl, gnash their teeth and proceed to devour him. Except...they don't. After making a few scratches on his chest, their eyes grow yellow and they seem possessed. They vanish and return with a horde of people and a woman heals the injured man.
It's a powerful opening sequence and sets the tone for the rest of the film, 'Wolfwalkers'. It's an exquisite and breathtaking animation from Ireland's Cartoon Salon. It might be a world where Pixar and Ghibli reign supreme, but this studio solidifies its place in the bigwigs league. It is steeped in magical folklore with strong historical themes and philosophical undertones that could rival 'Princess Mononoke'. The premise is this: Two girls become friends in the strangest of circumstances.
Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) has traveled to Kilkenny in 1650 with her father Bill (Sean Bean). The town is being crushed under wolf-hating Lord Protector (Simon McBurney). She doesn't wish to reconcile herself to a life of domesticity; she wants to feel the thrill of adventure pulsing through her veins. Why can't she join her father, who has been given the duty to hunt wolves? Without him, she feels like an outsider in this new and alien world and she is often the target of amusement for the local kids.
Robyn desires magic and adventure and cannot understand the numerous restrictions that are imposed on her in this peculiar town. The town is like a prison, she yearns to go into the forest and see the wolves that terrify the town. She is almost killed the first time she encounters the wolves but is saved by her father in a very Lion King-esque way. Nevertheless, the adventure takes a different spin when she is bitten by a young Wolfwalker, Mebh (Eva Whittaker). Mebh possesses healing powers and control over the wolves. She has a simple story: She just wants her mother to return from her wolf form so that she can take the pack to a safer place.
Soon, Robyn finds herself caught between two worlds, as she is in the strange position of mediating between the pack of wolves and the Kilkenny townsfolk who are intent on burning the woods down, as that is the will of Lord Protector.
The wolves might seem predatory, but what's that, compared to the man-made terrors of religious bigotry that is seeping through the town like poison.
The theme of nature preservation might seem staid, because god knows, we've seen the magic of Ghibli, but Cartoon Salon steps politely out of the comparison game with its unusual art style. While many of the current animation studios focus on CGI and polished films, Cartoon Salon decides to focus on the hand-drawn animation and brings watercolor to life. The colors are resplendent and there is much emphasis on the sketches that constitute the characters. It wants you to know that someone drew this and it makes you feel a peculiar love for art.
'Wolfwalkers' expounds empowerment, colonialism and the complicated relationship man shares with nature. It's a film that needs to be rewatched and treasured.
The film is streaming on Apple TV.