"Be fierce. Be wild. Be free" in Wolfwalkers. This animated fantasy adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart and written by Will Collins. It is the third and final installment in Moore's Irish Folklore Trilogy, following his previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). A young apprentice hunter and her father journey to Ireland to help hide 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.
In 2017, the film was first announced and was only shown as a conceptual trailer and the background was used in the previous films in the making of animation. In early September 2018, Apple acquired the film with Moore and Stewart attached as co-directors and penned by Collins. The film is an original concept that was created by Moore and Stewart, and its animation uses a unique 2D style alternating between a woodblock aesthetic and loose expressive line work.
The film features the voice talents of Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Tommy Tiernan, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon McBurney, Jon Kenny, Paul Young and Nora Twomey. Moore's gorgeous sophomore feature is steeped in a transformative sense of sadness and longing thanks to the stellar voice work from the inimitable cast.
Prettily animated family adventure infused with Irish folklore and traditional Celtic design makes for a change of pace from slick Hollywood cartoons. The film is a stunning, magical piece of animation and an entertaining return for Moore, Stewart and Cartoon Saloon. But even when he still needs to continue honing his storytelling chops, Moore and Stewart has made a fully felt valentine to his Celtic roots. Call it an exquisite sophomore slump. A memorable and endearing animated entry, the film sets itself above countless other children's films by ably appealing to both kids and much older cinema-goers on so many wonderful levels at once. A wonderful film for families, and for lovers of animation, the film is a breath of fresh air in a market that is continually being crammed with commercial-driven, sub-par content. Every hand-drawn frame of this film is ravishing. You keep finding yourself reaching for the remote in the darkened theater, trying to pause the image so you can study every gorgeous detail. Moore and Stewart keep it (un)real with painterly imagery, a Point-like narrative (whereby that which seems strange turns out to be pretty special), and two appealing kids at the center of it all. It's an awfully handsome picture, and its central tale of loss and reconciliation would resonate even without the magical elements. The film is a magical feast of visual delights, narrative intrigue and nostalgic revisionism that will appeal to the inner child of all ages. This is a bold and unusual film, which takes material that will be unfamiliar to most viewers and interprets it with more inventiveness than they will be used to.
Simon says
Wolfwalkers receives:
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