Disney just won another Oscar, but...

Where do the Wolfwalkers roam?

Who walks among the wolves?

We loved Wolfwalkers. The new marvel from Irish animation Cartoon Saloon is premiering on Apple TV+ on December 11 and it is one of the most joyous, beautiful animated features of the year. (Here’s our review, ahead of its Toronto premiere earlier this year.) And if the wait for the film is agonizing, we have something to soothe your soul – exclusive images from The Art of Wolfwalkers (out today from Abrams Books!) The book, written by legendary animation historian Charles Solomon, is the perfect companion to the film and allows you to luxuriate in the artistry and craftsmanship of …

Wolfwalkers, from the geniuses at Cartoon Saloon, the Irish animation studio behind The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, is an absolute miracle. It’s touching, thrilling, and beautifully animated (using traditional hand-drawn techniques alongside more advanced technologies). And the new trailer sums all of this up really, really well. The official synopsis for Wolfwalkers reads: “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. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, …

…

In 2009, Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animation studio founded a decade earlier, released their first feature film, The Secret of Kells. With its bold animation style and commitment to old school techniques, at the time fast falling out of favor with American animation studios (Disney’s last traditionally animated movie, Winnie the Pooh, was released in 2011), The Secret of Kells ushered in an exciting new animation studio, one that wasn’t afraid of cultural specificity or aesthetic experimentation. With Wolfwalkers, the studio’s newest film, they seem to be both closing a chapter (completing a loose Celtic trilogy that …