Movie · 2020 · Animation, Family, Adventure, Fantasy · 1h 42m · PG · English
Curator score: 9.3/10 (224.4K ratings)
Be fierce. Be wild. Be free.
Overview
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Ratings
Curator score: 9.3/10
IMDb: 8.0/10
Letterboxd: 4.23/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Metacritic: 87
TMDB: 8.2/10
Director
Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Production
Cartoon Saloon, Melusine Productions, Haut et Court, Canal+, RTÉ, OCS
Cast
Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tiernan, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jon Kenny, John Morton, Nora Twomey, Oliver McGrath, Paul Young, Niamh Moyles, Ben Andrews, Jerome Burelbach, Vince Drews, Seamus Greene, Gilbert Johnston, Luke Mandie, Ian Sanderson, Jack Caldwell
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A gorgeously hand-drawn fantasy adventure with real emotional warmth, ecological urgency, and a strong mythic identity. It’s especially rewarding if you value animation as an art form, folklore-driven storytelling, and family films that treat nature and rebellion with sincerity.
Best for
fans of hand-drawn animation
viewers who like Celtic folklore and myth
families with older kids
people who enjoy lyrical, nature-centered fantasy
audiences looking for an alternative to CGI-heavy animation
Skip if
you want fast, joke-driven family comedy
you prefer hyper-realistic or 3D animation
you dislike earnest moral storytelling
you need a very simple, low-conflict kids movie
Overview
Wolfwalkers is a rare animated film that feels both classic and freshly alive. Its hand-drawn style, layered backgrounds, and expressive movement create a world that seems to breathe on its own, turning the forest into something magical, political, and deeply human at once.
Worth noting
The story is simple on the surface, but it carries real weight: colonial control, fear of the wild, and the cost of obedience are all woven into a coming-of-age tale that never feels preachy. The friendship at its center gives the movie warmth, while the wolf mythology gives it a sense of wonder and danger.
Bottom line
It’s an especially strong choice for viewers who want animation with artistic ambition and emotional sincerity. Even when the plotting is familiar, the visual invention and atmosphere make it feel distinctive from start to finish.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Karsten (4★) · 3196 likes
Undeniably and unsurprisingly one of the most gorgeously animated films of the year.
On a semi-unrelated note: It is weird that THIS was the film that really made me think about how horrific a film industry dominated by streaming services looks like. Like you can really only experience this beautiful movie if you own an Apple device of some kind. Or an Apple Id or whatever you get what I mean. Very awesome how films got so accessible and so inaccessible so fast! Not a mind-blowing thought by any means. But pretty odd the more you think about it, no? Idk
Great movie, though!
Patrick Willems (4★) · 2239 likes
Every time I can see those hand-drawn pencil lines I do the Antonio Banderas lean back gif
CinemaVoid 🏴☠️ (4.5★) · 1669 likes
In a time when shitty live action remakes of Disney classics rule the box office, doing hand-drawn animation is an act of rebellion.
davidehrlich (4★) · 1417 likes
Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon may not be able to match the impact or consistency of Japan’s Studio Ghibli (who can?), but the Kilkenny-based outfit has gradually emerged as one of the world’s last and most valuable bulwarks against the crude and craven soullessness that has defined the post-“Shrek” era of mainstream animated movies. Rooted in Celtic mythology and drawn to look like a moving stained glass window, 2009’s Oscar-nominated “The Secret of Kells” stood apart from its computer-generated 3D… more Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon may not be able to match the impact or consistency of Japan’s Studio Ghibli (who can?), but the Kilkenny-based outfit has gradually emerged as one of the world’s last and most valuable bulwarks against the crude and craven soullessness that has defined the post-“Shrek” era of mainstream animated movies. Rooted in Celtic mythology and drawn to look like a moving stained glass window, 2009’s Oscar-nominated “The Secret of Kells” stood apart from its computer-generated 3D… more
Lucy (4★) · 1156 likes
AFI 2020: film #10
“there’s two of us now”
absolutely delightful. some of the plot points can easily be guessed just like most family films, but the animation is gorgeous and the loving warmth radiates off every frame like the sun