EAT • SLEEP • REVIEW • REPEAT
WOLFWALKERS
An enchanting Irish masterpiece.
We really are in a magical era of animation right now. Whether or not it’s a full-blown renaissance is up for debate, but there’s little doubt that the animation world has been going through one hell of a purple patch lately.
This wasn’t always the case however, as many traditional animation studios initially struggled to reckon with a rapidly evolving medium, yet the likes of Pixar, Aardman, and Studio Ghibli stood tall to blaze a trail that many followed. With a perfect handle on their respective niches, these studios sought to put story and character front and centre, while continuously perfecting their unique styles.
Whether mastering in CGI, stop-motion, or traditional hand-drawn styles, these luminaries would ride animation’s choppy waters of swiftly advancing technologies and ever-shifting audience dynamics to inspire a generation. From indies such as Laika to huge studios like Disney, the upswing in quality animation that has followed is as exciting as it is unprecedented.
Nestled neatly in amongst all this is Cartoon Saloon, a little Irish gem of a studio whose body of work may not have set the box office ablaze, yet has earnt them bundles of praise and awards attention along the way. Their rise to prominence via a unique, overtly traditional hand-drawn approach has been an impressive one and, almost inevitably, has drawn comparisons with Japanese animation titans Studio Ghibli.
With a penchant for young protagonists, folktales, and gorgeous hand-drawn animation, such comparisons certainly aren’t far off the mark, yet for Cartoon Saloon to take things to the next level, they’ll have to step out from Ghibli’s substantial shadow eventually.
As superstition and magic fill the air, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn (Honor Kneafsey) travels to Ireland with her father (Sean Bean) to exterminate the last remaining wolf pack threatening their town. But when Robyn rescues a wild native girl, Mebh (Eva Whittaker), it sparks a friendship that leads her into the mysterious world of the Wolfwalkers, a mystical tribe with the ability to transform into wolves while asleep. However, as she’s drawn further and further in, Robyn risks being turned into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Try as one might, there really is no getting away from Wolfwalkers’ striking similarities to much of the Studio Ghibli canon. That’s not a jab at all. It’s absolutely a compliment, but one that suggests that Cartoon Saloon remain at least partially beholden to their Japanese idols, even as their latest effort shows a clear desire to forge their own path.
From its enthralling blend of fantasy and folklore to its feisty young female protagonist, Wolfwalkers contains many of the key elements that have won Ghibli hearts the world over, perfectly capturing the legendary Japanese studio’s unique brand of storytelling. From the moment we step outside the town walls and into the surrounding forest, teeming as it is with enchantment, magical wolves, and feral children, the world will be instantly recognisable to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, and Princess Mononoke.
Drawing on the spirit of Ghibli is one thing, taking that spirit and using it to power your own vision is something else entirely. Animation, as with any genre, is full of cynical copycats, so to stand out you must offer more than mere homage, and this is precisely what Cartoon Saloon have been doing since their inception, something Wolfwalkers takes to the next level.
Blending folklore, fantasy, and real history, Wolfwalkers evokes the output from some of the finest animation studios out there, yet it’s never afraid to be its own thing. Digging deep into the rich well of their country’s history, Cartoon Saloon use Ireland’s troubled past to tell a fantastical, spellbinding story firmly rooted in the present.
Riffing on a classic man vs nature narrative and folding it into the very real history of Oliver Cromwell’s invasion of Ireland, Wolfwalkers’ story is a timeless one that knows exactly what it wants to say and how to say it. It’s a brave choice, for sure, as a combo of Cromwell and a strong environmental message aren’t an easy sell for your average family-friendly animation, yet it works well, thanks hugely to the craft, imagination, and dedication of the creative minds behind it.
Finely balancing action and adventure with a serious tone and a thought-provoking message, what the film does with its raw elements is remarkable, crafting a story that will tick a lot of boxes for audience members both young and old. There’s certainly darkness to the story, as Cromwell’s sinister forces attempt to tame and destroy the wildlife that surrounds them, yet it’s balanced beautifully by an enchanting aura and some truly awe-inspiring visuals.
This clash between humans and nature has occupied Studio Ghibli since day dot, likewise, becoming a constant in Cartoon Saloon’s work, and a factor that Wolfwalkers beautifully builds upon. It’s certainly a timely theme and one that could easily become too unwieldy for a film that is, at its core, a light-hearted fantasy adventure, yet it’s thanks to the quality of its animation that Wolfwalkers overcomes such potential hurdles.
Utilising several different techniques, the film’s animation pops off the screen while drawing a distinct line between its duelling worlds. While the greys, browns, and geometric angles of the town and its inhabitants paint the human world in cold, bleak tones, they are wonderfully contrasted by the gorgeous greens and wild, swirling lines of the Wolfwalkers’ forest dwelling.
Combining watercolour backdrops with sweeping, sketchy character animation, directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart (together with their animation team, of course) have crafted a spectacular, ever-evolving piece of hand-drawn art that pulls influence from grandmasters like Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli, yet makes it utterly their own. Truly breath-taking in places, the colour and energy is an inspirational showcase for what can still be done through traditional animation.
Leaning heavily into its folk-fantasy roots, the visuals are as inventive and as imaginative as you’re ever likely to see, as the creativity and ingenuity on display surely edges Cartoon Saloon ever closer to the animation elite. And with a feature film output as consistently faultless as theirs (seriously people, The Secret of Kells, The Breadwinner, and Song of the Sea are all easily accessible, there’s no excuse not to watch them), it only feels like a matter of time before the studio joins Ghibli at animation’s top table.
Blending stunning animation, an infectious sense of adventure, pertinent themes, and even a history lesson, Wolfwalkers is yet another high-water mark for its creators. Finally showing signs of breaking out of their ‘Irish Studio Ghibli’ bubble, Cartoon Saloon have conjured up a dazzling, transformative Celtic-infused adventure of wild geometric spectacle, infinite charm, and ethereal beauty.
