Another stunning film from Tomm Moore’s Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which previously produced two beautiful, offbeat animated pictures with Celtic overtones, The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. The fantastical story, written by Will Collins, draws on both history and folklore. It is set in the mid-seventeenth century, when the English Lord Protector, not explicitly named but clearly representing fanatical Oliver Cromwell (voiced by Simon McBurney), is subjugating Ireland to his dogmatic will.
Determined to wipe out both popery and paganism, he finds himself stymied in Kilkenny by a mystical power in the nearby forest—a pack of wolves led by Mebh Óg MacTíre (Eva Whittaker), a feral girl who is a wolfwalker, a human who transforms into a wolf while her body sleeps, and is possessed of extraordinary healing powers. Mebh is awaiting the return of her mother Moll (Maria Doyle Kennedy), who left in her wolf form to seek a new home but whose human body remains asleep in the cave.
Cromwell decides that the wolf pack must be exterminated, and hands the assignment to his master hunter Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean), whose daughter Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), a puckish tomboy, wants to follow in her father’s footsteps rather than perform the scullery duties assigned her. So she goes off to the forest accompanied by her faithful pet, a bird called Merlin, and encounters Mebh, with whom she ultimately bonds in sisterly comradeship—and in nature since before long she has become a wolfwalker too.
Eventually, the Lord Protector, furious over Bill’s failure, undertakes to destroy the wolves himself and marches with his army out of Kilkenny, intent on burning down the forest and all the animals with it. Meanwhile, Robyn has discovered that he has been holding Moll’s spirit captive in his dungeon, and not only frees her but returns to the forest to stand with the wolves against the Protector’s assault. Collins has obviously toyed with the historical record in crafting his narrative, but the result is so satisfying that it would be churlish to complain: in terms of plot, the film is as engrossing as its predecessors.
What sets it apart, however, are the wondrous visuals, which, as in Cartoon Saloon’s previous films, demonstrate the enduring potential of the hand-drawn 2D animation technique the rest of the industry has largely abandoned. Moore may use digital technology to enhance the result, but the imagination and inventiveness on display are truly remarkable. Of particular note is the differentiation between the human and wolf worlds, with the former given an angular look reminiscent of darkly colored woodblocks, while the latter is all swirling vibrancy and shimmering luster.
Even the character drawing is affected, with the Protector and his soldiers bearing squarish frames while the wolves, especially the wolfwalkers, have the supple appearance of splashes of watercolor. This is yet another masterful achievement from Cartoon Saloon, an enchanting story beautifully told. Highly recommended.