Wolfwalkers is a 2020 independent[9] animated fantasy adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart,[1][10][3] and is the third instalment in Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy", following his previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014).[11] An international co-production[5][2][6][3] led by Cartoon Saloon and Mélusine Productions,[1][3] the film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September.[12] It was released theatrically in Ireland on 2 December 2020 and in France on 16 December 2020.

Wolfwalkers follows the story of Robyn Goodfellowe, a young apprentice hunter who arrives in Ireland with her father during a time of superstition and magic to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumoured to have the ability to turn 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.

The film stars the voices of Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Tommy Tiernan, Jon Kenny and John Morton. It won several awards including the Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature and five Annie Awards including Best Director for Moore and Stewart and Best Independent Animated Feature. It also received the nominations for Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards.[13][14]

Plot

In Ireland in 1650, the residents of Kilkenny work to clear the nearby woods under orders from the authoritarian Lord Protector, putting them at odds with a local wolf pack. English hunter Bill Goodfellowe—with his rebellious daughter Robyn—is summoned to Kilkenny by the Lord Protector to exterminate the wolves. Wanting to help Bill, Robyn secretly follows him into the woods with her pet falcon, Merlyn. After accidentally shooting Merlyn with her crossbow while trying to kill a wolf, Robyn watches a mysterious girl take him into the woods and follows them. Upon finding Merlyn miraculously healed, she is startled by a young wolf into one of Bill's wolf traps. As the wolf tries to free Robyn, it accidentally bites her. Once out of the trap, Merlyn and the wolf lead Robyn to the wolves' den, where she discovers the wolf is the same girl from earlier. The girl, Mebh, explains she is a "Wolfwalker", whose spirit leaves her body and becomes a wolf when she sleeps. Robyn befriends Mebh, and also learns that her dormant mother Moll's spirit has not yet returned in her search for a new home for their pack. Returning home, Robyn tries to convince Bill of the existence of Wolfwalkers, but he instead scolds her for going into the forest.

The next morning, while working at the scullery, Robyn is drawn into the Lord Protector's chambers by a mysterious voice coming from a concealed cage, but is soon ushered out by the head maid. That night, as she sleeps, Robyn discovers her soul has left her body and has become a wolf. Confused, Robyn returns to the woods, where Mebh reveals her bite turned Robyn into a Wolfwalker, and helps her get accustomed to her new form. Upon returning to Kilkenny, Robyn infiltrates the Lord Protector's manor, where she finds Moll's wolf form inside the cage. Moll tells Robyn that Mebh and the pack must leave the forest, as the Lord Protector plans to burn it to wipe them out. The Lord Protector, seeking to restore control of the town, assures the townspeople that he can tame the wolves, and by extension, nature itself. He ignores Robyn's pleas to let Moll go and demotes Bill for failing to eliminate the wolves.

Fearing separation from each other, Robyn and Bill tend to their duties. Mebh, having waited for Robyn to return on a promise from the previous night, enters Kilkenny and finds Robyn, who attempts to relay her mother's warning. Hurt by Robyn's refusal to help rescue her mother out of concern for her safety, Mebh resolves to do it alone. The Lord Protector presents the captured Moll before the townspeople. An enraged Mebh attempts to free her, but when Bill restrains her, Moll bites him. Before fleeing, Mebh vows to return with her pack to rescue her mother.

The Lord Protector orders Bill to kill Moll and leads his army to burn the forest down. However, Robyn protects Moll from Bill, then frees and reunites her with Mebh before she and her pack can attack Kilkenny, earning Mebh's forgiveness. Bill follows them and shoots Moll, causing Moll's wolf form to become a spirit and return to her human form in the den, with Robyn's wolf form, Mebh, and the wolves following it. The Lord Protector and his army arrive and begin burning the forest. As Mebh works to heal a grievously wounded Moll using the same magic used on Merlyn, Robyn and the pack stall the soldiers. Mebh summons Robyn and her pack back, realizing she needs them present to heal Moll, but Robyn is knocked unconscious after disabling the army's cannon. Before the Lord Protector can kill her, Bill, due to Moll's bite, becomes a Wolfwalker and protects her. After being bitten by Bill and horrified by now being a Wolfwalker, the Lord Protector lets himself plummet to his death.

Robyn and Bill return to the den and help Mebh revive Moll, and accept her invitation to stay with the pack and embrace their new identities as Wolfwalkers. They set off with their pack to find a new home.