Movie review
October 26, 2020 · 102 min · PG · Kids · Fantasy · Animation · Adventure · Family
Wolfwalkers is an animated movie set in Ireland in the year 1650. It is about a young English girl named Robyn who wants to hunt wolves with her father. Instead, she makes friends with a wild Irish girl named Mebh who can turn into a wolf. The movie shows strong girl power, environmental messages, and anti-colonial themes. The main characters fight against strict rules and the destruction of the forest. It also has a clear coming-out message that has been talked about by the creators and fans.
Community feedback
Was our 80% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Wolfwalkers.
Woke representation / casting
The movie puts female characters in all the active, main roles. It makes them look very strong and smart. At the same time, the main men in the story are shown as weak, scared, or bad. The voice actors fit the historical setting, but the casting clearly chooses to focus on a female-led story.
35%
Woke political dialogue
The movie does not use modern activist words. Still, the characters often speak against organized religion, strict parenting, and rulers. The dialogue shows the town's rules as bad and driven by fear. It also calls the cutting of the forest a senseless act of violence.
35%
Identity-driven story themes
The main story is about a girl finding her true self. She rejects the traditional chores expected of women to live freely in the woods. Also, the directors confirmed that the movie acts as a coming-out story and a first-crush romance between the two young girls, which is widely celebrated by queer viewers.
80%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The movie strongly criticizes Western institutions. It shows the organized Christian town and its male leader as rigid and bad. It shows traditional family structures as flawed because the father is too scared to stand up to the ruler. It portrays the wild, pagan wolfpack as morally superior to Christian town life.
75%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The movie is an original story based on Irish folklore rather than an established intellectual property or franchise.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some conservative viewers complained about the movie online. They said it has preachy messages. They did not like how it portrays fathers, Christianity, and authority as bad. They felt the plot relies too much on modern political critiques of colonization and patriarchy.
35%
Creator track record context
The creative team has a mild to moderate history of progressive work. Directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart support environmental causes and diverse casting. Producer Nora Twomey works to help women in the animation industry.
31%
Production
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