OVP: Wolfwalkers (2020)

Film: Wolfwalkers (2020)
Stars: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon McBurney 
Director: Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Animated Feature Film)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

First off, I want to say blessings on the Middleburg Film Festival, which if you haven't had a chance to take advantage of some of their offerings, you should do so now.  They are including a number of major films from this year (virtually) for only $12, which is deeply generous, and I cannot thank them enough.  In an era where we're both scared of going to the movies because of Covid (but also afraid that Covid will kill the movie industry if we don't go), there was a perverse pride in buying a ticket to support a film like Wolfwalkers just as if I was seeing the movie in theaters, and while it can't quite compare, I love watching & discovering new movies, and getting to pay for the privilege felt lovely today.  But enough about that-this is a new movie, something we don't discuss very often on the blog in 2020, and I want to dive into the picture!

(Spoilers Ahead) The movie takes place about 500 years ago, in Ireland where the Lord Protector (McBurney) holds an iron grip over a small Irish city that is worried about the large packs of wolves in the woods.  One man, Bill Goodfellowe (Bean) and his daughter Robyn (Kneafsey) are there from England, and Bill is tasked with trying to kill & capture the wolves to protect the townspeople, and his daughter follows him, wanting to be just like her father rather than work in the scullery as is typical for a girl her age.  While out, she discovers a young girl named Mebh (Whittaker) who is a "wolfwalker," someone who can transition from being a human & wolf.  The girl bites Robyn, and soon she's also a wolfwalker, turning into a wolf as they sleep.  As a wolf, Robyn understands that the pack doesn't want to hurt the humans, but are looking for Mebh's mother (Kennedy), who is trapped by the Lord Protector.  In the end, Mebh & Robyn become friends, free Mebh's mother, and the four of them become their own family, in a pack with the wolves.

Tomm Moore's films have become something akin to hollowed ground when it comes to cinephiles, particularly those who gravitate toward animation, but if you look hard enough on this blog, you'll find I've had a mixed reaction to them.  Pictures like The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea are beautiful, but I haven't found a lot below-the-surface for these movies, and I was curious if the (just as raved about) Wolfwalkers would fall into a similar pattern.

The movie is gorgeous, perhaps never as perfect as the rich tan-and-green ensemble of The Secret of Kells, but the lushness of autumn comes through in every frame of the movie, but this is my favorite of his films not because it's scrumptious, but because the story is much stronger than in his previous movies.  Here we have a solid plotting, with character archs and high stakes that make the audience vested.  Sure we know where this is headed (the plot would be right at home with Disney), but this is the first of of Moore's movies where I feel like the gorgeous palette he's gifted upon the audience is matched by a strong, challenging script.  It's slightly overlong if you want to nitpick, but overall this is the best of his films, and possibly the best original piece-of-work I've seen from GKids.  Do yourself a favor & buy a ticket at one of the festivals it's playing at while you can!