Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart’s "WOLFWALKERS"
Review by Dennis D. McDonald
FATHER: Work is prayer, Robyn. ROBYN: Then I prayed the whole Bible!
Produced by the team also responsible for Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers takes place in 17th century Ireland and incorporates mythology, colonialism, female empowerment, environmentalism, and out-of-body travel.
The story set up is familiar: a young motherless girl wants to be like her father (voiced by Sean Bean). He is a crossbow-wielding hunter responsible for hunting the wolves that lurk and prowl in the deep forest outside the city gates. Her father – and the powers that be – decree this is no role for a girl.
One day while disobediently exploring outside the city walls she encounters another girl who lives wild and free — and who can take the form of a wolf.
They become close friends. Their relationship then forms the basis for the movie’s many intertwining themes.
How these themes are tied together while the movie continues its focus on the two is impressive. I was fascinated by the sophistication of themes being explored and by the occasionally subtle humor. My four-year-old granddaughter was captivated by the story and the relationship between the two girls.
Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) and Mebh (Eva Whittaker)
What sets this movie apart are the artwork, music, and animation. Character design is stylized. Some characters are angular and some are fluid and rounded. They are definitely cartoons but are still very effective, expressive, and mobile.
What also amazed me were the background, nature scenes, color palettes, shading, and color shifts. Sometimes the view is totally populated by flowing nature patterns consisting of glowing waves and curlicues and sometimes by angular and almost brutal dark toned cityscapes. Occasionally a split screen effect that combines multiple perspectives is used for great dramatic affect.
Music and surround sound are used dramatically throughout with a high point being Aurora‘s swooping “running with the wolves” song sequence. A link to a YouTube video containing that sequence is shown below.
Summary: Wolfwalkers is as good as animation gets. Highly recommended.
Review copyright (c) 2022 by Dennis D. McDonald