Wolfwalkers

Rural Ireland in 1650 is the setting for this beautiful animated adventure, in which the daughter of an officer in Cromwell's invading New Model Army rebels against her father's orders to exterminate the local wolf population. After developing a surprising friendship with a forest-dwelling girl from a tribe of shape-shifting "wolfwalkers", English heroine Robyn has her way of thinking irrevocably changed, much in the tradition of Pocahontas and Avatar. Following his acclaimed films The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, director Tomm Moore caps his informal Irish folklore trilogy with this lush outing, which boasts his strongest storytelling yet. Delivering a blend of insight and muscular action ideally pitched towards older children, Wolfwalkers features digitally rendered imagery that feels vividly hand-drawn, and which integrates modern animation techniques with traditional Irish graphics. A film that speaks of national pride, this is a timeless fable about the troubled path to understanding, and a genuine artistic accomplishment.