Wolfwalkers

Despite a "lacking" storyline noted by The New York Times , the film was overwhelmingly praised as an "enchanting fable" by The Davis Enterprise and "the best animated movie of the year" by Screen Daily and Pay or Wait .

Robyn is a fiery, pragmatic girl who dreams of being a hunter like her father. But when she ventures into the forbidden forest, she meets Mebh, a wild, barefoot girl with fiery red hair. Mebh is a —a being who, when asleep, exists as a human, but when awake, transforms into a wolf. Wolfwalkers

The score is a blend of traditional Irish folk and orchestral sweeps. The song "Running with the Wolves" (by AURORA) serves as the thematic anthem, but the instrumental tracks are the real stars. Listen to how the fiddles and uilleann pipes stutter and race during the chase sequences, mimicking the panting breath of a wolf. Contrast that with the deep, resonant brass and church organs that accompany the Lord Protector. Despite a "lacking" storyline noted by The New

: Industry articles detail the "administrative burden" of the film's production, which involved scanning thousands of hand-drawn paper layers to create the signature look. Stationery and Merchandise Hardcover Journals Paperblanks Mebh is a —a being who, when asleep,

: The conflict between the untamed forest and the strict, Puritanical town.

Set in 1650, the film takes place in the Irish town of Kilkenny during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. This historical context is vital. The town is under the iron grip of the "Lord Protector," a figure representing the oppressive, puritanical forces of the English colonization. The town is a place of order, fear, and enclosure.

The heart of the film is the relationship between Robyn and the young Wolfwalker girl, Mebh Óg MacTíre. They are foils to one another. Robyn represents the conflict of the colonized mind—she wants to please her father and fit into the authoritarian structure of the town, yet she feels stifled by it. Mebh, on the other hand, is pure, uninhibited wildness. She is loud, messy, and free.