A beautifully hand drawn animation that was reminiscent of Miyazaki's early works with his folklore-based, fantasy storytelling centered on strong female protagonist(s). Coupled with great music and excellent voice work, this mesmerising Irish tale was an utter delight. Definitely suitable for all ages with the young ones surely delighting in the colourful and unique animations and cute creatures, and the adults finding joy in the simplicity of the storytelling that underlaid a deeper theme of family, love, country and duty. If it was not for Soul, this would have easily been the front runner for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
Directed by Tom Moore and Ross Stewart, and based on a screenplay by Will Collins, Wolfwalkers told a simple tale of friendship, familial-bond, tyranny and environmentalism all wrapped up in a stunningly beautiful, now seldom seen, hand drawn environment. The flatness of the background and the roughness of the outlines made for a unique visual feast as the story weaved in and out of nature. And when things got mystical, the animation style changed again to reflect the awe-inspiring quality of it. But, that was not all, as we reached the climatic showdown, the animation style got even rougher to heighten the messiness and the tension. What an unique way of storytelling to add another dimension to the humble animation!
The biggest named voice cast was Sean Bean and Maria Doyle Kennedy (Hi, Ned Stark and Mrs S!) but the real gems were the girls who voiced the two wee lassies in the lead - Honor Kneafsey and Eva Whittaker. They had great vocal chemistry together and Kneafsey, especially, was able to expressed a myriad of emotions through her voice work allowing her character to believably evolve from a naïve English girl to a proud fighter.
Music was by Bruno Coulais and folk group Kila with Norwegian singer Aurora re-recording her aptly-titled - and suitably written - track, "Running with the Wolves".
Wolfwalkers was a beautiful rendered, family-friendly animation with a simple yet great story that was told with sincerity and heart.
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