TIFF Review: ‘Wolfwalkers’ Brings Folklore to Life Through Traditional Animation
Rounding out its trilogy of Irish folklore adaptations, animation studio Cartoon Saloon follows up The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014) with Wolfwalkers, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. As another gorgeous story of naturalism and magic from the studio, this outing exceeds its two predecessors with an artistically rich world that tackles themes of colonial violence while remaining accessible for all ages.
The town of Kilkenny, Ireland in the 1600s sets the backdrop for the introduction of the main protagonist, Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Keafsy). Curious and ambitious, Robyn has come from England with her father (Sean Bean) on his mission to hunt the pack of wolves stalking the surrounding woods. With her companion hawk Merlin, she imagines herself as a formidable hunter who will clear the forest with her tracking skills and crossbow. But within those woods she stumbles onto Mebh (Eva Whittaker), a feral and energetic child ‘Wolfwalker’ — an otherworldly humanoid that can take the shape of a wolf in their sleep. Mebh’s excitement to have a friend draws Robyn deeper into her wild world, unintentionally initiating her to the Wolfwalker pack.
Naturally, this discovery calls into question Robyn’s familial relationship as she becomes the one thing her father tries to hunt down. Their relationship is further strained by her father’s obligation to the villainous Lord Protector Cromwell, the contractee who wants the wolf pack exterminated. Wolfwalkers understands this tension as a form of generational divide and that for an individual to grow, they must question the values they inherit. Robyn begins shortsighted to her own immaturity, desperate to prove her worth to her father, but eventually she grows to confront authority as her own moral compass develops. In parallel, Robyn also learns of Mebh’s parental situation. After her mother’s wolf consciousness goes missing from the forest, Mebh is left to lead the pack and protect their land on her own, and in the uncertainty of this absence, she learns how to make mature decisions that impact others while taking on responsibility beyond her years. Addressing these complexities beyond simple “good and bad” adds depth to the film, a depth that younger audiences can actually incorporate into their own development.
Wolfwalkers also wants its audiences to think about their relationships to Earth. The tale’s main conflict centers around the human desire for expansion and industry at the expense of the environment. By describing the wolves as evil and fearsome, the town can justify its actions, but when Robyn experiences the natural world for herself, her perspective widens. She realizes that wolfwalkers are the stewards of the woods, not the vicious killers they are rumored to be. The film suggests that anyone is capable of this stewardship, even a ‘townie,’ while encouraging the idea that mankind is part of the ecosystem, not above it. It runs in a less explicitly violent vein than Princess Mononoke, but with similar notions of a spiritualism being connected to nature.
Staying true to to its Irish heritage, the film doesn’t shy away from subversive anti-colonialist themes. The villain character is explicitly Lord Protector Cromwell, a historical leader in the English colonization of Ireland. Cromwell not only cleared the forests to claim wealth for England, but he also attempted to conquer the native paganism with Christianity. By trying to eliminate the wolfwalkers’ home, he threatens their traditions, practices, and freedoms; for a children’s film, it could have turned rather grim to use a real world perpetrator of colonial violence, but Moore and Stewart tread the line carefully in their portrayal, comparable to that of Hernan Cortés in Road to El Dorado. As English occupiers, Robyn and her father are aware that they’re at odds with the local people of Kilkenny, and ultimately, they must decide where their loyalties lie, but to weave the country’s colonial history with its old magic feels like a proud act of resistance to this day.
Wolfwalkers also subverts the current idea that 3D animation is the only way forward for the medium. The value of hand drawn animation is clearly demonstrated here, illustrating for the effect of gesture and emotion instead of technical showmanship by way of individually rendered leaves on a tree or hairs on a wolf. Cartoon Saloon’s stylized art expresses aspects of the narrative for us to infer without wasting time on exposition. The film uses sharp lines and verticality to delineate the human world from the organic shapes of the wolfwalker’s realm. The lush and ancient forest teems with energy and vibrance. The wolves move like a singular organism, a flow of thick fur and long snouts that meld with shadows. Visual language is well equipped for representing sensory concepts like smell and sound as well as magic. And Robyn and Mebh aren’t Disney-fied or doll shaped, but rather familiarly fiendish little girls who loved to play wild creatures and who do not do as they’re told. Every frame is so fluid and richly colored that watching the final product is a magnificent exhibition of animation talent. In tandem with its dedication to intricate and meaningful storytelling, viewers of any maturity are sure to find plenty to appreciate.
