From the minds of Ireland's famed animation studio Cartoon Saloon (many fans and critics affectionately dub them the Irish Studio Ghibli), Wolfwalkers is a beautiful, visually stunning, and empowering tale that tells the story of two young girls fighting to keep the legacy of the magical beings called the Wolfwalkers alive in the midst of persecution.
"In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack," the film's official description reads. "While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh's missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy."
PRIDE got the chance to speak to the film's two lead stars, Honor Kneafsey and Eva Whittaker, as well as the two directors, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, about creating a movie that empowers young girls, their inspirations, creating a hand-drawn animated project in an era of computer graphics, and more!
"I think the whole nice concept of this animation is that it's two strong, independent girls that they don't really need, they're not the damsel in distress in like Disney films or anything like in the fairy tales," Honor Kneafsey, the voice actress who plays Robyn in the film, told PRIDE about what it was like starring in a project that celebrates two heroines. "I think that's so lovely that they come together and help each other without needing anyone else."
"The two girls, Mebh and Robyn, they really show the power of friendship," Eva Whittaker, who plays magical wolfwalker Mebh added. "How two people from two completely different backgrounds can become friends."
"Our original idea was a little boy and a little girl, and we realized fairly early on in the writing process that wasn't gonna work," co-director Tomm Moore said. "When we took into consideration the time period in which it was being set and the story we wanted to tell, it made much more sense to have it as the first friendship between two girls and the fact that their friendship kind of reflects that they're coming from two different worlds and that they can see something that they're missing in their lives in each other, that dynamic, I think was much more interesting than if we'd just done another boy and a girl story."
"It gave Robyn a really direct comparison to see Mebh's life of freedom and of instinct and for her life of being caged and being told what to do," fellow Wolfwalkers director Ross Stewart added. "There's a direct comparison there and you wouldn't get that with mixed-gender."
Wolfwalkers is now streaming on Apple TV+!
