Wolfwalkers
GKIDS | Release Date: November 13, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
87
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriDec 16, 2020
Kids will be enchanted, adults will be enraptured. It’s somehow light as air yet overwhelming, both ineffable and unforgettable. Read full review
100
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 7, 2020
The heart, action and sophistication of the artwork make this folk tale the best animated film of the year. Read full review
100
SlateSam AdamsNov 17, 2020
This isn’t just a hand-drawn animated feature. It’s a movie that wants you to know it was made by hand. Read full review
100
The PlaylistCarlos AguilarSep 19, 2020
Not only is Wolfwalkers easily the best animated film of the year, but a stirring masterwork, as stunningly gorgeous as it’s philosophically profound. Read full review
100
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 15, 2020
In the decade since “Kells,” it’s not just the technological advances that make Moore’s latest so impressive, but the rapidly changing cultural conversations as well. He brings everything together by borrowing from timeless visual influences, leaving audiences with another stunning artwork for the ages. Read full review
100
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenSep 15, 2020
The beautifully rendered result proves to be even more than one had hoped for: a visually dazzling, richly imaginative, emotionally resonant production that taps into contemporary concerns while being true to its distant origins. Read full review
97
PolygonKaren HanSep 19, 2020
Every aspect of Wolfwalkers is thoughtfully, beautifully rendered, and the story is full of twists that keep things unpredictable until the finale. It’s one of the most impressive films of the year, and the best animated film of 2020 thus far. Read full review
93
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpDec 10, 2020
Every detail here, every flourish, has a purpose, whether splashes of red on flower petals, soft edges around dusk-lit trees, or three-panel split screen sequences that read like the pages of illuminated manuscripts brought to life. Read full review
91
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 19, 2020
Far and away the best animated film of the year so far (one worthy of such hosannas no matter how limited the competition has been), this heartfelt tale of love and loss is the most visually enchanting feature its studio has made thus far, as well as the most poignant. Read full review
90
VoxAlissa WilkinsonDec 23, 2020
The only thing that can conquer fear is love, and Wolfwalkers loves its characters, their world, and the stunning beauty of human life. But most of all, it loves the truth that is buried within the myth. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonDec 9, 2020
The film is terrific fare for kids. But the underpinnings of its fantastical story lie in tortured Irish history, English imperialism, and the use of religion to rationalize oppression; there’s a hum of yearning for a pre-Christian Hibernia of pagans, Druids and nature worship. Adults will be eager to see where it’s all going to go. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustNov 15, 2020
It is the type of stirring entertainment that delivers both the thrill of the moment and the kind of sophisticated ideas that can lead to discussion and even debate long after viewing. Read full review
90
Screen RantDebopriyaa DuttaNov 12, 2020
Thematically rich and visually arresting, Wolfwalkers is an enchanting adventure into the very heart of nature, helmed by a classic, robust narrative that tugs at the heartstrings. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerNov 12, 2020
So many strands, and when the full tapestry is unfurled, its captivating, beautiful, thrilling, and entrancing patterns are revealed. Wolfwalkers stands proud as a new classic. Read full review
88
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenNov 18, 2020
Stewart, Wolfwalkers borrows something from werewolf mythology, another thing from Irish history, and more than a few things from the animated fantasies of Hayao Miyazaki and emerges with a dazzling feature that ultimately establishes its own distinct pattern. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoSep 15, 2020
Textured in ways that family entertainment is rarely allowed to be and even more visually ambitious that the other Cartoon Saloon films, this is a special movie. Read full review
85
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeSep 19, 2020
The many lessons that Wolfwalkers has to share, whether they’re about the relationships between children and parents or between people and nature, are ones you can never be too old to learn. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChristian HolubNov 14, 2020
Wolfwalkers deserves a new level of praise for the way it takes previous Cartoon Saloon themes (such as the porous relationship between man and nature) to new heights of artistry. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubJason ShawhanNov 11, 2020
A vibrant and expressive fantasy, magical and unyoked to realism without pulling any punches about the destructive folly of manifest destiny. Read full review
83
The Film StageJared MobarakSep 19, 2020
Just like Moore’s previous films The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, a consistently mesmerizing Celtic flavor is imbued into the animation, music, and story. Read full review
80
CineVueMatthew AndersonOct 28, 2020
Exciting, thought-provoking and visually striking, it is everything an animation can and should be for viewers young and old. Read full review
80
EmpireJohn NugentOct 26, 2020
A treat. With astonishing craft and visual storytelling that howls from the screen, Cartoon Saloon have surely secured their place in the animation hall of fame. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgOct 20, 2020
Wolfwalkers is a beautiful movie for fans of animation and families with young children. If you want to ween the little ones off Disney’s overproduced glitz and turn them on to alternative forms of animation and storytelling, Wolfwalkers is a great place to start. Read full review
80
Screen DailyAllan HunterSep 19, 2020
A lovely, satisfying saga, Wolfwalkers has the feel of an instant classic. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorDec 9, 2020
The particularly imaginative handling of the shifts between the human and the more ethereal animal incarnations represent the film’s most rewarding aspect. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDan RubinsOct 27, 2020
The storyline’s edges are frayed just enough to give it the gentle distance of a tale recalled though the gauze of myth and memory. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 12, 2020
As much a joy as this movie . . . is to behold, its scenario is more than a little overbaked and overdrawn. Read full review
60
The GuardianAndrew PulverOct 30, 2020
This is a charming and thoroughly likable film. Read full review
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