Wolfwalkers

Wolfwalkers

In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

  • Released: 2020-10-26
  • Runtime: 103 minutes
  • Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family
  • Stars: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny, John Morton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Oliver McGrath, Niamh Moyles, Nora Twomey, Paul Young, Lana Ropion
  • Director: Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
 Comments
  • bulgerpaul - 26 February 2024
    The anxieties of raising a child under theocratic fascism
    When I first reviewed this film, I only talked about the similarity of its themes to Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, in that Wolfwalkers is another movie about a child stuck between two worlds that only they can see from both ends, one full of magic hidden amongst us, unseen, Harry Potter style, that is only visible after one has "crossed the threshold," while in the human world there is mounting conflict that threatens to destroy all life in both the human and magic worlds, all the while a child must singlehandedly navigate between both worlds for a solution, while their single father attempts to prevent them from doing so in their inability to understand, while also being wrapped up in their only perceived solution, a solution that is inevitably doomed to fail and will lead to their destruction. This is more or less Cartoon Saloon's formula. However, on my first viewing, I didn't see how this movie is also similar to Cartoon Saloon's other major feature, The Breadwinner, and how Wolfwalkers naturally bridges the gap between the two.

    On top of centering around a child coming of age between two worlds that can neither see nor understand one another in the same way that Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea do, Wolfwalkers is also very much about what it's like to both be and raise a child under theocratic fascism, same as The Breadwinner. Where the father figure in The Secret of Kells simply does not listen to its main character, Brendan, because he's too wrapped up within what he thinks is the correct path forward and for no other reason, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers add an extra layer of depth to their father figures by placing the characters at the mercy of an oppressive, militaristic theocratic authoritarian regime. Abbot Celach's pigheaded stubbornness is the true villain in the Secret of Kells, as he is unable to imagine other solutions to the encroaching threat outside of his wall. Robyn's father, Bill Goodfellowe, won't listen to his child because he has been acquainted with the society they live in a lot longer than Robyn has. His fear has paralyzed him. He has no real solution. His only means to keep Robyn safe is by keeping his head down and following the orders given to him as dutifully as possible. And that moment when he finally reveals to Robyn why he won't listen to her brought me to tears,

    "Because I'm afraid Robyn. I'm afraid."

    This made abundantly clear to me the anxiety any father raising a daughter under fascism must experience. How do you raise a daughter in a place like this? This is no life for a child, especially a young woman. So his solution is little more than to carry out his orders day in and day out, while ensuring she does the same.

    "Work is prayer."

    Bill repeats this mantra to his daughter. Hoping she'll put on her uniform, and quietly scrub the halls and wash dishes the way women are expected, the way he unquestioningly follows his own orders. But Robyn rejects this life,

    "I've prayed the whole Bible."

    She refuses to be constrained to this life. She knows there's no future here, and she knows full well how quickly this world will turn on its most faithful members who are no longer useful to it, as she's heard the stories about the callous cruelty of their Lord Protector. And I was brought to tears once again when Robyn finally makes her father realize how foolish he was to think he could keep her safe in a place like this,

    "I'm one of them. I'm a wolfwalker."

    I cannot describe how powerful it was to realize what Robyn was actually saying in this moment. "You can't keep me safe here. You can't even keep yourself safe here. Nothing can keep us safe here." There is nothing to guarantee your safety under theocratic fascism. And watching Bill finally come to grips with that reality broke me, as I begun thinking about myself, wondering how I would keep my own daughters safe should we fall to the very real, encroaching threat of fascism. I can't. I myself would probably become Bill under similar circumstances. I too would put my head down and quietly follow orders. Hoping dutiful submission would be enough to keep my daughters safe.
  • kagu - 16 July 2023
    Another stunning accomplishment from this studio
    Like every other movie from this studio, Wolfwalkers is an aesthetic treasure. The art, perspective, and storytelling are all breathtaking and rooted in Irish history, fables, and faerytales.

    In this story we meet Robyn, a young English girl who has moved to Kilkenny with her father, a hunter hired by the local Protectorate to eradicate the wolf pack that is preventing the village from expanding. Everything changes when Robyn meets Mebh, a wild girl who lives with and can speak to the wolves. Together Robyn and Mebh must find Mebh's missing mother, the matriarch of the wolf pack, before the Protectorate's soldiers destroy them all.

    While this movie is animated it's not necessarily a cartoon for small children. The content is firmly pg (some injured animals and battle violence), but the pace is going to be too slow for a lot of little ones. This movie will be more appreciated by precocious tweens and above. If you enjoyed 'Song of the Sea' from this production company, you'll probably enjoy Wolfwalkers.