After 6 years, Tom Moore finally returned with his new work.
There is no centuries-old history of Disney, no Pixar's arrogant budget, and no Ghibli's reputation.
However, the cartoon salon he founded has established a firm foothold in the industry with three works ("The Secret of Kell", "Song of the Sea" and "Family Supporter" in the past 10 years.
The new work came out and received rave reviews.
IMDb 8.2, 98% freshness of rotten tomatoes, metacritic 87.
Even professional film critics can't restrain their praises.
Today I will tell you about this one--
As the finale of the director's Celtic trilogy , the film is still inspired by ancient Irish folklore .
The story takes place in the city of Kilkenny in Ireland in 1650 .
The English girl Robin and her father Bill Miles came here to try their best to break into this pre-colonial Irish town.
As this colonial city developed and grew, Bill was hired by the ruler of the town, the "Guo-Guo Gong" , to clean up the wolves in the nearby forest, in preparation for felling trees and reclaiming wasteland.
However, the local aboriginals are not friendly to outsiders like Robin and his daughter.
Bill once swore to Robin's late mother that he would protect his daughter's safety.
In order to prevent Robin from being harmed by hostile elements and forest beasts, Bill will leave Robin alone at home every time he goes out.
As a girl, her father left her the work of tidying up the room and washing the dishes.
However, in accordance with the tradition of Cartoon Salon, our protagonist Robin cannot be locked in the house forever.
She is adventurous, curious, and does not like red outfits and arms.
I hate being a female housekeeper, I just want to hunt with my father.
So she took her partner Merlin the Falcon and sneaked out of the city and into the woods.
As a result, she never expected that a young huntress who rose up would be brutally defeated by Waterloo just after her debut.
Father Bill didn't lie to her, the outside world was really dangerous.
Robin had just stepped on the edge of the forest with his front foot, and in the next second he saw the wolves raiding the sheep.
In an instant, the flustered Robin quickly recovered her calm. She decided to use the consciousness of a hunter.
Use crossbow arrows to shoot the evil wolf, rescue the trapped villagers, and hold the audience.
However, the ideal is full, but the reality is extremely tragic.
The wolf missed the shot and shot down the pet Merlin .
Robin, desperately desperate, hurried to check.
Merlin, who didn't want to be dying, was taken away by a ferocious, aggressive, grumpy, red-haired, and surprisingly savage wild boy.
Robin desperately pursued into the forest, but happiness came too suddenly .
Merlin, who was half-dead just now, was resurrected with full blood and was alive and kicking.
The ups and downs of emotions are like a roller coaster.
Before Robin could relax, he stepped on the noose arranged by the hunter (his dad Bill), and a fuchsia came.
Child, it seems that you are not really a hunter, so hurry up and think about other ways.
At this moment a little wolf appeared suddenly.
The lively little wolf is not only cute, but also a thief . He tried every means to bite the rope and put the heroine down.
But the heroine is not only poor in professional skills, but also anxious, punching and kicking the little wolf.
In the chaos, he didn't bite his mouth right, and gnawed on the hostess's arm .
However, Robin stopped a lot after nibbling, and the little wolf smoothly put her down.
After being bitten, the heroine actually opened the "eyes of the sky" , and the little wolf in front of him was the wild child who had taken Merlin away.
And this wild child, in fact, is a man named Maeve 's "Wolf Walker" .
Maeve lives in this forest with her mother, and is the last descendant of the last wolfwalker in the world.
Not only can they communicate with animals, but they can also order wolves and dance with them.
When awake, it is no different from ordinary people. When you fall asleep, the soul will leave the body and transform into a wolf shape, wandering through the world.
In addition, Wolfwalkers have superb healing powers and can heal humans injured in the forest. They are kind by nature but have been misunderstood by humans.
Maeve not only saved Merlin, but also healed Robin's injury. As they learned about it, the two girls gradually became good friends .
Maeve's mother has been asleep in the cave for a long time, which means that the wolf-shaped mother may have been captured.
Robin, who promised to help Maeve find her mother, gradually changed. Her sense of hearing and smell became more sensitive, and she ran fast.
In his sleep, Robin turned into a wolf shape.
She had to look at the world from a new perspective. For the first time, she experienced the feeling of being hunted instead of being a hunter, and her father Bill was included among those who hunted her.
Can Robin eventually become human? Where is Maeve's mother?
Old rules, let's go and see for yourself.
Just as most of Miyazaki's works echo the theme of "environmental protection", Tom Moore is fascinated by the relationship between nature, nature and humans, and how ancient folklore helps people understand this relationship .
"The Secret of Kell" is like a luminous medieval manuscript, allowing viewers to wander through the pages of an ancient and eternal book, and the mystery of the book found in the virgin forest.
The "Song of the Sea" portrays the secret kingdom of the Elves of the Serkis and Celtics through Irish folk songs.
The same goes for "Wolfwalker". The ever-changing image texture expresses thoughts and emotions that cannot be expressed in dialogue and events. It can not only tap the attention of contemporary people, but also be faithful to its distant origins.
Kilkenny , where the story of the film takes place , is where the headquarters of the cartoon salon studio is located .
The director was inspired by historical events. Although the "Guoguo Gong" in the film has no name, its image and deeds closely match those of the great dictator Oliver Cromwell .
As a Puritan in 1650, Cromwell captured Kilkenny and immediately purged the Catholic Irish .
The demise of the ancient culture of the Irish people represented by the "Wolfwalker" directly mirrors this process. The target audience of this film is not just children.
The patrilineal authority represented by the "Guoguo Gong" and his father Bill in the film are mostly angular geometric figures (including Robin with a hat in the early days);
The shapes of Maeve, mother, and wolves are mostly plump and streamlined , and the colors are mostly bright red and green, and the look is warm and complete.
The artistic style of this film is the same as that of the previous works, and the drawing almost does not require perspective.
When overlooking Kilkenny Town from the air, only rows of roofs can be seen. This flattening of space seems to directly unfold a map drawn on parchment;
When it comes to the forest scene, it is full of a dreamy and natural sense of abundance. The vivid autumn colors are dazzling, the shimmering waterfalls are crystal clear, and the animals move quickly and smoothly.
The screen is still in the traditional hand-painted style, beautiful, and each frame can be used as a wallpaper separately.
And in front of the stunning vast and luxuriant hand-painted images, 3D, CGI animation is like a non-expressive assembly line product .
What’s even more amazing is that the director has always tried technological innovation in the field of hand-painting . The characters’ movements are elegant and smooth, and they are coordinated with the unusually rich illustration background. There are a large number of marching shots from the first perspective of the wolf in this film, and the creators choose to use it. The charcoal outlines, the effect is amazing.
When a wolf gallops through the woods, the muscles on its sides roll under its fur;
But careful observation will reveal that these muscles are outlined by the rough lines of the original draft, and the line draft and the finished draft are finally left on the film together, with a unique style.
And the footage of the entire pack of wolves running is like a stream of hairy water flowing on the ground .
There are many similar ingenuities, all of which can be called magical .
From a visual point of view, "Wolfwalker" is also worthy of a masterpiece .
The first two works of the Cartoon Salon Studio, "Song of the Sea" and "Family Supporter" have been seen on the big screen with mainland audiences, and "Wolfwalker" is currently being introduced non-stop.
I believe that in the near future, I will be able to enjoy this gluttonous feast on the screen .
Poke a [useful], we look forward to it together.
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