Review: Wolfwalkers
With an artistic style that feels like it’s from a bygone era, Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animation studio has gifted us with another beautifully crafted animated feature in Wolfwalkers. The studio has continued to grow in notoriety since making a splash in 2009 with the Secret of Kells and their follow up in 2014 with Song of the Sea.
Like its predecessors, Wolfwalkers, is a film rich with whimsical storytelling. This story, however, is rooted in an Irish folktale set in 1650. The film follows Robyn, a young English girl who has moved to Kilkenny, Ireland with her father, a wolf hunter who has been commissioned by the town’s authoritarian leader, The Great Protector. Robyn is determined to explore the world outside of the small home she shares with her father despite his efforts to protect her (her mother is out of the picture making him extra protective).
There is a striking contrast between the way Robyn’s father, Bill, lovingly protects his daughter versus The Lord Protector who only feigns to care about the people of the town. His “protection” is rooted in manipulation. When Robyn escapes into the woods and meets another young girl, Mebh, she gets more than she bargained for when she discovers the world of the Wolfwalkers - half human, half wolves. One of the film's central virtues, bravery in the face of fear, is most beautifully displayed in the two young girls at the center.
This film is an invitation into a magical world and with the stunning imagery and poignant story, you’ll be happily swept up into the fairytale.