Film Brain absolutely adores this astonishing animation from Cartoon Saloon, filled with heart and emotion, that is his personal favourite out of all of the films he saw at the London Film Festival - and maybe all year.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Hello and welcome back to Projector
00:18 at the London Film Festival.
00:20 If you missed the previous installments,
00:21 be sure to catch up with them on the playlist.
00:24 But on this episode, we'll be talking about
00:26 the animated adventure, "Wolfwalkers."
00:29 Set in Kilkenny in 1650, Robin, voiced by Anna Neafcy,
00:33 wants to be a wolf hunter like her father, Bill,
00:35 voiced by Sean Bean, who works for the Lord Protector,
00:38 voiced by Simon McBurnley.
00:40 Following her father into the woods,
00:41 Robin encounters Maeve, voiced by Ava Whittaker,
00:44 who, like her mother, Moll, voiced by Maria Doyle-Kerdy,
00:47 is a wolfwalker, able to command other wolves,
00:50 and becomes a wolf while she sleeps.
00:52 When Robin is accidentally bitten by Maeve,
00:54 she gains a new connection to the world of wolves,
00:56 one that will put her into conflict with her father
00:59 and the tyrannical Lord Protector.
01:01 "Wolfwalkers" is the fourth film
01:03 from the highly acclaimed animation studio, Cartoon Saloon,
01:06 previously known for "Song of the Sea,"
01:07 "The Secret of Kells," and "The Breadwinner."
01:09 And like "Seeing Kells,"
01:11 this is once again directed by Tom Moore,
01:13 who works alongside Ross Stewart on this outing,
01:16 who previously worked on those films in the art department,
01:18 and makes his feature direct-to-all debut here.
01:21 Like those previous films,
01:23 "Wolfwalkers" draws heavily from Irish folklore
01:26 for its storytelling, and it's also set in Kilkenny,
01:30 which is where Cartoon Saloon's studio
01:32 is based in real life.
01:34 And I'm not gonna bat around the bush here.
01:36 I think that "Wolfwalkers" is an absolute masterpiece,
01:40 and one of the best films of the year.
01:42 "Wolfwalkers" also draws quite a bit of inspiration
01:45 from history as well, as it's set during
01:47 Oliver Cromwell's occupation of Kilkenny,
01:49 where he tries to exert his order and principles
01:51 over the city and its people,
01:53 especially his superstitions and fear of paganism,
01:57 which just sowed hatred and division,
02:00 that feels especially relevant
02:02 to our current political climate.
02:04 It's in this deeply repressive time
02:07 do we meet father and daughter, Robin and Bill,
02:09 who themselves have come over from England.
02:11 Robin's mother has recently died,
02:13 and has tasked Bill with taking care of their daughter.
02:17 But while Bill tries to keep her safe,
02:20 it also means keeping her in a life
02:22 that is dull and oppressive.
02:24 Robin, like many other women of this time,
02:26 has very few opportunities in life,
02:29 and all she can really look forward to
02:31 is becoming a scullery maid,
02:33 and leading a life that is menial and unfulfilling.
02:36 Robin is not that kind of girl.
02:39 She is curious and adventurous,
02:41 and she wants to be like her father.
02:43 She wants to hunt wolves alongside him,
02:46 right down to the fact that she's carrying around
02:49 a crossbow alongside her pet hawk,
02:51 Merlin.
02:52 And the fact that she does come from England
02:55 immediately signals her as an outsider.
02:57 She's bullied by the local children because of that,
03:01 but it also means that she thinks differently from them.
03:04 And certainly, she seems drawn elsewhere,
03:07 and to a different path.
03:09 In those early scenes where Robin goes down to the woods,
03:13 there is definitely something of a sinister vibe
03:16 to them at first.
03:18 She looks, especially with the hood that she wears over it,
03:21 like Little Red Riding Hood,
03:23 like she's walking into unknown danger.
03:27 Not least of which, because many of the shots are framed
03:29 in a way that suggests that she's being watched.
03:32 However, the tone very quickly changes
03:34 with the arrival of Maeve,
03:36 who is extremely free-spirited,
03:39 very playful, and mischievous.
03:41 Robin is afraid of her at first
03:44 because she's heard about the superstitions
03:46 surrounding the wolf walkers,
03:48 and Maeve makes fun of her because of that.
03:51 She gladly mocks and taunts her to try and scare her away.
03:55 But despite this, Robin actually finds herself
03:58 drawn towards Maeve.
04:00 And the more that she follows her into Maeve's world,
04:04 the more that she comes to understand it.
04:06 And that friendship that grows between them
04:09 is really wonderful to watch
04:11 and becomes the anchor of the movie.
04:13 Robin's friendship with Maeve is a gift,
04:16 both figuratively and literally, that empowers her
04:20 and also frees her mind from the oppressive ideals
04:24 that have been instilled upon her by society.
04:27 She realizes that what she's been taught to fear
04:31 actually needs defending,
04:33 actually is the one that's most afraid of her.
04:38 And in that way,
04:39 the view of the forest changes dramatically.
04:42 Suddenly it becomes this playground, almost,
04:45 that is incredibly welcome and inviting.
04:48 And as Robin discovers her new wolf walker powers,
04:51 that only liberates her further.
04:53 The way the film executes its own take
04:55 on werewolf mythology,
04:56 it feels both fresh but also quite feminist,
05:00 especially in the way that Robin is freed
05:02 from the constraints of her conscious body
05:05 in a way that is fitting for a movie that's very dreamlike,
05:08 but also extremely compassionate,
05:11 especially in the way that she literally gets to see
05:13 through another's eyes and experiences.
05:17 And in that way, I think you can understand
05:19 how the story has so many layers and nuances,
05:23 and that's only enhanced by the quality of the voice acting,
05:26 which is first rate throughout,
05:28 especially the two child performances
05:32 that are at the center of this film.
05:34 Olanisi, who voices Robin, is already quite experienced.
05:39 She recently appeared, for example,
05:41 in an adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Crooked House."
05:44 And here, she really is fantastic,
05:47 managing to sell Robin in both her excitement,
05:51 but also her fear of the situation
05:54 and all the complexities therein.
05:57 Robin is quite a complicated character
05:59 that goes through a sizable dramatic arc,
06:02 and Nisi manages to be convincing all the way through.
06:06 But the real discovery is Ava Whitaker as Maeve,
06:09 who is making her debut here,
06:11 but you'd never be able to tell
06:13 because she's so perfectly cast.
06:15 She's just so natural and uninhibited
06:18 and endearingly childlike.
06:20 She bounces off of Nisi in their scenes together.
06:23 I absolutely adore the moment
06:25 where Maeve first sees Robin as a wolf for the first time,
06:29 and just says that it's flipping great.
06:31 That's the energy that she brings to it.
06:34 But it's also a part that asks quite a lot of a newcomer,
06:37 especially later on when that character
06:40 is asked to be scared and anguished.
06:43 And Whitaker is still great in those moments,
06:46 and that's a testament to the quality
06:48 of the voice direction throughout.
06:50 Also brilliant in this movie is Sean Bean.
06:53 That father-daughter relationship
06:55 is so pivotal to the storyline,
06:57 and it's so well-acted.
07:00 The way that he wants to protect her,
07:03 but doesn't really understand what she's going through,
07:06 even when she's trying to let him in on the secret.
07:09 Bill initially appears as the embodiment of strength,
07:13 and then over the course of the film,
07:16 you can see that he becomes much more uncertain
07:18 in his convictions.
07:20 And the way that Bean allows that fear and vulnerability
07:24 to creep into his performance,
07:26 it's just so exceptionally done.
07:29 Also well-cast is Simon Burnley as the law protector,
07:32 not least of which because he doesn't voice
07:34 that character as a villain.
07:36 Instead, he comes across as someone
07:38 who is very steadfast in his convictions and his beliefs,
07:41 even as he uses them and his religion
07:44 as an excuse for cruelty and colonialism.
07:48 But he absolutely believes that he is the righteous one,
07:52 that he is on the side of the Lord.
07:55 And in that way, he becomes a very human kind of monster,
08:00 even at his most despicable.
08:03 But the most exceptional thing about this movie
08:05 is the stunningly beautiful animation.
08:08 It looks absolutely gorgeous,
08:10 and had me enthralled from moment one.
08:13 "Wolfwalkers" looks like a storybook come to life.
08:17 And the way the filmmakers incorporate different art styles
08:20 is truly inspired,
08:22 especially in the way that they sell the divide
08:24 between the two worlds in which the film is set.
08:27 The people of Kilkenny, for example,
08:30 are often seen quite crowded, claustrophobic,
08:33 very visually busy environments.
08:36 And that's to sell the idea
08:37 that these are an oppressed people.
08:39 They're surrounded by these walls
08:42 and the gate around the city.
08:44 And you often see this in the pattern of bars
08:47 being often incorporated in their scenes as well.
08:51 You've got this very kind of muted visual palette.
08:54 And also, the character designs are quite angular,
08:58 and they're meant to evoke the spirits
09:00 of very primitive wood printing,
09:02 especially of the early propaganda from this period.
09:06 And it's meant to have this kind of rough look about it,
09:09 where sometimes the colors come out
09:11 from underneath the lines.
09:13 That's such an exceptional little bit of nuance.
09:17 But "Wolfwalkers" rewards you for paying attention
09:20 to all those small details,
09:22 because every frame of this movie is a painting.
09:25 There's always something interesting going on.
09:28 By contrast, the scenes in the forest are much looser,
09:31 especially as they're painted in these bright,
09:33 warm autumnal walls colors,
09:35 your reds, your yellows, and your oranges,
09:38 that's supremely inviting.
09:40 But also in the character designs,
09:41 which are much more rounded and incredibly expressive.
09:45 You definitely see this with Maeve in particular,
09:48 particularly when she talks,
09:50 because her mouth and her teeth get quite sharp
09:54 and anger that resemble that of the wolves.
09:57 It really gives her that kind of wild and feral quality.
10:00 And it's just an absolute joy seeing the filmmakers
10:04 and the animators experiment with 2D as a medium
10:07 and all that it can bring.
10:09 There's so many possibilities here,
10:12 and it feels like it comes to its culmination
10:14 in the wolf vision when Maeve and Robin are wolves.
10:19 And there is this kind of sensory experience
10:22 that is so beautifully represented by the animation,
10:27 the smells and the steps on the ground.
10:31 Everything feels sharp and heightened.
10:34 It's just so absolutely perfectly realized on screen.
10:39 The animation here is absolutely beguiling.
10:44 And then it's taken to another level
10:47 by the soundtrack on top of it.
10:49 The contributions by Bruno Koulle and the Irish band Kila,
10:54 who have regularly worked with Cartoon Saloon
10:56 on their previous features,
10:58 is what takes this to an even greater level.
11:02 And I think that the music in combination with the animation
11:06 is what makes it so emotionally engaging throughout.
11:11 But the use of music really is inspired
11:14 throughout the entire movie,
11:16 particularly in the choice of the Aurora song,
11:19 "I'm Running With The Wolves Tonight,"
11:21 which is used for a standout sequence
11:24 when Robin becomes a wolf for the first time.
11:27 And that montage is just exceptional.
11:32 That really is an outstanding sequence
11:36 that shows the Cartoon Saloon team
11:39 at the absolute peak of their powers.
11:42 It is a sequence that is as exciting and as exhilarating
11:46 as anything I've seen in 2020.
11:49 Have you ever seen a piece of art so awesome
11:51 that you can't help but weep at its beauty?
11:54 "Wolfwalkers" was like that for me.
11:56 I thought this was sublime.
11:58 I think this is going to be cherished
12:00 by kids and adults of all ages.
12:03 And it deserves to be mentioned in the same breadth
12:06 as recent animated classics like "Your Name"
12:08 and "Into The Spider-Verse."
12:11 Everything about this movie is first-rate.
12:14 The voice acting, the animation, the storytelling,
12:18 it's just so entertaining and so moving at the same time.
12:23 I cried all the way through this movie.
12:26 It was a deeply emotional experience.
12:29 And even thinking about it
12:31 makes me kind of well up a little bit.
12:34 It's the kind of movie that makes your heart howl in delight.
12:39 Of all the films I saw at the BFI London Film Festival,
12:43 this was my favorite.
12:44 In fact, it might be my favorite film of 2020, period.
12:49 I loved it.
12:50 I loved it.
12:51 I loved it.
12:52 I cannot recommend this highly enough.
12:55 Just go see it, please.
12:58 "Wolfwalkers" is out now in UK cinemas
13:00 and will arrive in US cinemas on November 13th
13:03 before arriving on Apple TV+ on December 11th.
13:07 If you like this review and you want to support my work,
13:09 then you can do so over at my Patreon,
13:11 where you can see my reviews early,
13:13 among other perks, including access to my Discord server.
13:16 But until next time, I'm Matthew Burke, fading out.
13:20 (ethereal music)
13:23 (dramatic music)