"Wolfwalkers" is the latest feature from Cartoon Saloon, and it's their best by a significant margin. While I've enjoyed their previous features, especially their commitment to using traditional animation and Irish folklore in many of their projects, their films always felt a bit limited by budget and resources. "Wolfwalkers" is their biggest and most ambitious film to date, with an epic story and scope to match. Directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, this is the first Cartoon Saloon film that feels on par with the output of the bigger animation studios like Ghibli and PIXAR.
The story takes place in 17th century Ireland, when an English hunter, Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean) and his daughter Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) come to the city of Kilkenny. Bill is there under the command of the Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) to rid the surrounding forest of a troublesome pack of wolves. Robyn is expected to stay home and mind house, which she chafes against immediately, as she views herself as an "apprentice hunter." She follows her father into the woods and meets Mebh, a wild little "wolfwalker" girl who can change into the form of a wolf at night and command the other wolves. She's the daughter of the pack leader, Moll (Maria Doyle Kennedy), who has gone missing.
"Wolfwalkers" is absolutely gorgeous. It takes its main visual inspiration from woodblock prints and celtic symbols, often weaving them into the film's visual language. The scenes with Robyn in Kilkenny, working in a scullery, are designed to look like medieval illumination panels, rigidly segmented, with repetitive, angular images. Scenes from the POVs of the wolves, dubbed "wolfvision" in the credits, feature beautifully raw, free-form animation that lean into its messy, hand-drawn nature. You can actually see the pencil lines on the wolves as they move, emphasizing their fluidity and roughness. Mebh is the standout character here, a marvelous little ball of energy and sharp teeth, who sports a big mane of red hair in her human form. As she zooms around the screen, she's often little more than a round or ovoid shape, bouncing around in constant motion.
I will caution that "Wolfwalkers" is easily the most violent of Cartoon Saloon's films, with much of the plot centered on the deep enmity between the human and wolf characters. The leads are a little older than the kids in the previous Cartoon Saloon features, and facing problems that are bigger and thornier. The finale is a big battle sequence full of action and mayhem. As a result, there are bites, stabbings, getting shot with arrows, and the traditional plunging off of tall cliffs with sharp rocks at the bottom. The story also gets very dark, often due to the involvement of the oppressive villain, the Lord Protector, who is based off of Oliver Cromwell. Though not addressed directly, there are definitely allusions to Britain's historical repression of Ireland in the mix here, as well a big emphasis on the sexism of the time period. Of course, it all ends happily after ever, but getting there might be rough on younger kids.
However, "Wolfwalkers" is far from glum. The filmmakers use humor very well here, especially in the scenes where Robyn and Mebh learn about each other and become friends. The young actresses supplying the voices for the girls are a lot of fun, and bring a lot of energy and verve. The sequences featuring wolves and wolfvision are mostly joyous and exuberant, full of jaw-dropping visuals that serve as a good reminder of what 2D animation is so good at. Bruno Coulais and the folk group Kíla are back for the score, their third for Cartoon Saloon, with some lovely vocal contributions by Aurora and Maria Doyle Kennedy.
It's been a very good year for animation, and currently "Wolfwalkers" is at the top of my list. It's a big step up for Cartoon Saloon, and I look forward to whatever they've got coming next.
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