After Brendan and the Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart unveil their new animated feature The Wolf People. Before discovering it on October 20 at the cinema, here are five things to know about this poetic film.
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THE WOLF PEOPLE
In Ireland, during the days of superstition and magic, Robyn, an 11-year-old girl, helps her father hunt the last Pack of Wolves. But one day, during a hunt in the forest, Robyn meets Mebh, child by day, wolf by night. Now for Robyn, the threat no longer comes from wolves, but from men.
The Wolf People by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, October 20 in theaters.
THE LAST PART OF A TRILOGY
Third feature film by Tomm Moore, The Wolf People concludes a fabulous triptych devoted to Irish folklore with the Oscar-nominated hits Brendan and the Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). Like his two previous critically acclaimed films, this final installment sheds light on the links between man and the nature that surrounds him with poetry and empathy.
Although considered the final feature film in a trilogy, Le Peuple Loup can be enjoyed independently of the other two films that make it up. It is indeed the themes addressed, our relationship to the environment in particular, which unites these projects above all within the same cycle.
© 2020 Cartoon Saloon (WolfWalkers) Ltd / Mélusine Productions
TWO DIRECTORS IN ORDER
Artistic director and designer on Tomm Moore’s first films, Ross Stewart co-directed with him this new work produced by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon. In 2015, the two men also collaborated together on the animated film The Prophet.
THE IRISH FOLKLORE IN THE HONOR
For this new feature film, Tomm Moore and screenwriter Will Collins have drawn on the folklore of the region, drawing inspiration from an ancient Celtic legend, that of the “wolfwalkers”, also known as the “wolves of”. Ossory ”. The latter features people who turn into wolves in their sleep.
The two directors were also keen to locate their story in the city of Kilkenny in Ireland, where they grew up. The story takes place in 1650, “When the English sought to ‘civilize’ Ireland by cutting down all the forests and trying to exterminate the wolves, because they symbolically embodied the indomitable character of the country”, as Tomm Moore explains in the press kit.
THE INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE FILM
From an artistic point of view, Tomm Moore says he was mainly inspired by Eastern European animated films adapted from folk tales, starting with the works of Hungarian director Marcell Jankovics.
For the wild and uncontrollable style of the vegetation in Le Peuple Loup, the director also cites the Japanese feature film The Tale of Princess Kaguya by Isao Takahata as a source of inspiration. Not to mention Celtic art and painters of the Viennese Secession, such as Gustav Klimt, who also influenced his work.
© 2020 Cartoon Saloon (WolfWalkers) Ltd / Mélusine Productions
A STAR GIVES A VOICE
After the participation of the Irish actor Brendan Gleeson in Brendan and the Secret of Kells and The Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart could count on another star well known to the spectators… Sean Bean!
The interpreter of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones and Boromir in The Lord of the Rings indeed lends his voice to the character of Bill Goodfellowe in The Wolf People. A little extra for those who will have the opportunity to discover this film in its original version.
Discover Le Peuple Loup from October 20 at the cinema.
