"Wolfwalkers" Review - Ballets with Wolves

If there was any doubt that another studio could give another massive animated company a run for their money, that doubt is gone now. It’s clear that if you look beyond the forests, there are forces that are ready to pounce and show the world what magic they have.

Tonight, I saw Wolfwalkers, a film by an Irish animation studio called Cartoon Saloon. Make no mistake, while they’ve had other terrific works released in the past decade like Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner, this film was their official pounce. It’s a piece of art that will send chills to your spine as well as hopefully the spines of any animation group that is watching. While we still have a month left of Oscar streaming to come, this might very well end up being one of my favorite films of the year.

If you’ve seen the trailers, there’s already a lot to love. The smooth and unique hand drawn animation, the Irish folklore tale, the voices, the characters, etc. You won’t be surprised by that. What you will be surprised by is the unexpected that will hit you. At first glance, the tone and flow of the movie fits with something reminiscent of Fox and the Hound or Beauty and the Beast. You may think at first, it’s a classic kids movie, especially if you’ve seen Song of the Sea. But through exploring the dark themes of death, being independent, and the supernatural vs. Christianity, Wolfwalkers goes into territory toward the 2nd act that makes you feel like you’re watching Princess Mononoke or Les Miz. In fact, the buildup to the climax felt so gripping and powerful because of the story, animation, and score that I was expecting the ending to feel like the end of Les Miz with “Do You Hear the People Sing?” or if anything like the “Climb Every Mountain” finale from Sound of Music or the last scene in “The Lion King”. You do get a great ending, but it feels a bit underwhelming after everything you’ve sat through. But that’s going into a bit of spoiler territory that I will refrain from getting into.

It’s films like these that make me love the magic of cinema and especially animation. For whatever small mistakes I may find later and question, there’s no doubt Wolfwalkers will entertain audiences for years and even decades. There are cartoons clearly for kids, and some clearly for adults, but the ones that hit right in the middle tend to not be seen unless it’s a Disney fairy tale. It’s obvious that Disney hasn’t been alone for a while, but Wolfwalkers truly does prove it. I implore you all to go watch it when it’s released on Apple+ December 11th. I spent $10 to see it early so I could have something to do during this pandemic, and it was worth every single penny. It will be worth every bit of that $5 you spend on Apple’s streaming service.

The spirits of the Oscar season have clearly awoken, even if it’s not necessarily how we all usually see it. There’s no way you’re going to go hungry this Winter. But make sure you spend 2 hours being hungry like the wolf. Because I promise you, there will me more times to come when you’re hungry for something at the saloon.

Two Nebs Up!