{"id":31066,"date":"2021-01-25T16:10:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T21:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=31066"},"modified":"2021-01-30T22:24:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T03:24:24","slug":"wolfwalkers-the-best-animated-film-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2021\/01\/25\/wolfwalkers-the-best-animated-film-of-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Wolfwalkers: The Best Animated Film of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s a triumphant return home to the Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon.  Not only does the studio behind \u201cSecret of the Kells\u201d and \u201cSong of the Sea\u201d new film take place within Kilkenny itself, but they\u2019ve once again dug into the deep well of Irish history and folklore to deliver a heartwarming tale about family and loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWolfwalkers\u201d follows Robin, a young English girl living in 17th<\/sup> century Ireland. Her father is a wolf hunter working under the watchful eye of The Lord Protector who wants to bring \u201corder\u201d to the Irish people. Robin wants nothing more than to help her father but finds her loyalties divided when she meets Mebh, a wild girl living in the forest who can transform into a wolf when she sleeps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Youtube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWolfwalkers\u201d doesn\u2019t just dive back into the mythology that surrounds Cartoon Saloon\u2019s previous films. It builds on and refines the themes present in them, in what is hands down their best-animated movie to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason the studio is occasionally cited as the Irish Studio Ghibli. The use of stylized 2D animation, along with underlying themes of Man Vs. nature helps set them apart from their Western contemporaries\u2019 ala Pixar or DreamWorks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Youtube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s by focusing all of this through the lens of Irish history that Cartoon Saloon really creates something special. The advancement of man isn\u2019t just a villain who doesn\u2019t understand the importance of the local fauna. It represents an actual change in Irish ideals, pivotal moments that pushed the cultural thinking from one thing to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In \u201cWolfwalkers\u201d that pivotal moment is the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland by England. The Lord Protector acting as a thinly veiled replacement for the real-life Oliver Cromwell, a staunch Puritan, who felt it was his mission to convert Ireland. That one inclusion turns a man vs. nature story and also makes it a man vs. authority story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the characters in the movie are afraid of losing control or feel stifled under the control of others (The comedy relief ends up in the stocks in the first five minutes). That makes them painfully relatable, and their attempts to break free feel all the more loveable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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