Wolfwalkers is a charming, animated movie that has a little magic and wonder! It is the last film of the Irish Folklore Trilogy that started with The Secret of Kells (2009) which had young Brendan at the Abbey of Kells aided by the girl Aisling who could shift into a wolf. In a sense the movie is about growing up and tradition. They have to face an invasion by Vikings and a supernatural threat to complete The Book of Kells. This is an illuminated manuscript that is currently at Trinity College, in Dublin. One page of it is displayed for the public everyday which I have seen on a visit to Dublin. The style of the book informs on the Irish Folklore Trilogy style. The first film appears to be opening the book and entering this magical world. The second movie, Song of the Sea (2014), features Ben and his young sister, Saoirse, who doesn’t speak after their mother mysteriously disappears. Ben finds out that Saoirse is a selkie, she shifts into seal form, the subject matter reminds me of the The Secret of Roan Inish (1995). The film’s subject is the importance of family and finding magic in unexpected places.
Wolfwalkers is co-directed and co-written by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. Moore is the director of The Secret of Kells and also a segment of Kahlil Faibran’s The Prophet (2014). Stewart worked on the art for ParaNorman (2012) and also the other Irish Folklore Trilogy films. The screenplay is by Will Collins who also wrote the script for Song of the Sea. The film opens with some beautiful water colors and the swirling design in trees of the forest with animals living free. Then, we get an axe in closeup, as it hacks down a tree. The setting comes up; “Kilkenny, Ireland - 1650.” Kilkenny is a medieval, now modern, town in the southeast part of Ireland, in the Leinster province of the Republic of Ireland. Kilkenny Castle is along the banks of River Nore. It is the home base for the studio, Cartoon Saloon, and acts as a love letter to the town. The year is important, but we will get to that later. A woodcutter, Seán Óg (Tommy Tiernan), is working to cut apart a tree.
A bearded, portly man, he notices something in the dark forest. Wolves appear. Seán holding his axe is surrounded by the pack. His axe is bitten and two gashes are made on his chest. The wolves suddenly pause and are called away. He sees a mother with long, red hair carrying her daughter with the rest of the pack. Seán realizes that mother and daughter are placing their golden hands over his wounds. They heal him. He realizes they are Wolfwalkers, thanks them, and then runs to the walled town. The grey wolf has been extinct in Ireland in 1786 so they are legendary creatures. Torches carried by soldiers pour from the gate hunting the wolves in the misty forest. The look of the animation is beautiful, worth ten CGI animated movies, there just seems to be love and hard work in every image. Then, we get the hooded girl in shadows, Robin Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey). Kneafsey has a number of roles including Princess Emily in the Netflix Christmas Prince films. She has a crossbow and practices hunting wolves.
She has a falcon companion, Merlyn, of course her animal connection to the wild. Her father, Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean), enters to check on her. Of course Bean is well known as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. Here his voice is more gentle, a father who is on his own to protect his daughter, he is really over protective. Robin hasn’t kept the house tidy and she would rather be out with her father. He moved them from England and works as a wolf hunter for the Lord Protector. Her father wants her to stay inside, but of course she follows him using Merlyn to track him through the crowded town. Robin races across the rooftops behind her father, but of course he finds her and they playfully dance in the square. They are interrupted by soldiers. Robin’s attention is on some town kids playing capture the wolf with a kid in a cage. They are about bully Robin, but her father chases them away. Bill puts a flower in her hair and he walks out of the town gate.
WOLFWALKERS - - (voiced by HONOR KNEAFSEY) - - photo: Cartoon Saloon.
Later, she looses the crossbow to bring the red and white English flag down on the bully kids. The city guards run after them and Robin slips out of the gate. She follows her father into the forest, there is a tunnel made of the bending tree trunks and leaves, it reminds me a bit of My Neighbor Totoro (1988). Bill sets a trap which Merlyn warns Robin not to step in. Her father moves on as Robin checks wolf prints next to a stream. Then, she hears a bell ringing for a wolf alarm. Robin rushes over as flocks of sheep are running wild. A farmer is trying to hold off a wolf with a pitchfork. Robin has her crossbow out, but is struck by a sheep so her crossbow bolt instead strikes Merlyn!, shades of Ladyhawke (1985). The wolves are called away and Robin sees the red-haired girl take away Merlyn. Wolves prowl after Robin, but a crossbow bolt injures one wolf. Bill is worried about his daughter and reminds her he vowed to her mother that she would be safe. He takes her back to the town and Seán warns them about the wolves.
Seán mocks the Lord Protector as he and his soldiers march up behind him! “The Lord Protector” is Oliver Cromwell (Simon McBurney). McBurney was in The Conjuring 2 (2016). Cromwell is known for the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The character here is worse than an invader or a supernatural threat, he is a brutal colonizer. Seán is taken to the stocks with the Lord Protector wondering if this will lead to a rebellion. He sends Robin to work at the scullery and wants Bill to eliminate all of the wolves in two days. Seán tells Robin about the Wolfwalkers. Robin opens the cage for Seán and in the confusion heads to the forest to save Merlyn. She finds Merlyn and also a wolf with green eyes. Merlyn stops her from loosing the crossbow and Robin is caught in a rope trap. She tries fighting off the wolf as she snaps at the rope. In the struggle, the wolf has bitten her wrist, once free Robin sees her arm tingle with golden symbols. Robin sees the wolf in the form of the girl. She starts to see the wolf vision, scent trails that are colorful, and then uses her touch to enter the forest. Robin finds the waterfall cave den of the wolf pack.
WOLFWALKERS - - (voiced by HONOR KNEAFSEY, voiced by EVA WHITTAKER) - - photo: Cartoon Saloon.
She follows the wolf, shift into gold, and then back into wild girl, Mebh Óg MacTíre (Eva Whittaker). This is Whittaker’s first movie role. She likes to snack on town tasties, baked bread. There are rules for Wolfwalkers, girl by day and wolf at night, it works like the Ladyhawke curse. It features a few songs including “Running With The Wolves” by Aurora who was featured on “Into the Unknown” in Frozen II (2019). Of course, Robin has to realize her place in this world. Mebh has to find the wolf form of her mother, Moll MacTire (Maria Doyle Kennedy), who has gone missing for some time. Kennedy is on the show Outlander. There is some incredible animation a dissolve from color to sketch. It is a story of friendship, the natural order, and the rule of a colonizer. The story also touches of the Greek myth of Actaeon the hunter. The film has started getting award notice as best animated film which will keep the hand drawn animation tradition going with Cartoon Saloon. The other film the studio worked on is the Academy Award nominated The Breadwinner (2017). It is based on the novel by Deborah Ellis and is streaming on Netflix until February 19th. They also have the children’s series, Puffin Rock, on Netflix. Wolfwalkers started streaming Apple TV+ on December 11th and is currently available with the free seven day trial.
Five Town Tasties out of Five!
#Wolfwalkers, #Tomm Moore, #RossStewart, #HonorKneafsey, #SeanBean, #EvaWhittaker
No comments:
Post a Comment