A Queer Analysis of Wolfwalkers
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2022
- The first time I watched Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers, the queer analogy jumped out at me plain as day, especially when relating to the characters as a trans/nonbinary person. In this video, I analyze the film through a queer lens, and explore the themes of queer identity, gender expectations, and their roles in colonialism!
This video was created in collaboration with Tom from @Curmudgeon Media: / curmudgeonmedia
Sources:
www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/bus...
irishmyths.com/2021/04/10/wol...
www.encyclopedia.com/environm...
thequietus.com/articles/29116...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...
seejane.org/spotlight/wolfwal...
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#cartoonsaloon #wolfwalkers #gaywolves
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It is truly insane how many perspectives you can view this movie from. Queer, feminist, colonial, conservationist, religious, cultural. It has the denseness of a Shakespeare play
Funfact in the artbook they say that the original line, that after became "work is prayer" was "womenly work is godly work" who seems to reinforce even more the gender binary
Yeah I saw that and thought, "I wish I could've seen that before I made the video!" 😅
This is my favorite movie of all time. When I first watched it, I knew I witnessed something I will never forget. It was pure magic in a way few films ever had to me, perhaps the only film to this level. It resonated with me in ways I couldn't put into words yet...now here I am years later...in the know that I'm in a closet that I one day hope to get out of with the same grace as Robyn in Wolfwalkers
kinda sad...
The parallel narrative with Bill isn't one I thought about when I watched this film! This film is so well made now that I see that parallel, since it not only feels like Bill dealing with paternal expectations, but also him dealing with the toxic masculinity of their patriarchal society. Reminds me of a character like Fakir from princess tutu, who learned how to fight in a way that didn't involve violence, but his words
This movie screams puppy love (pun absolutely intended)
I really would prefer to think of them as sisters rather than anything romantic as hey they are still kids. I think the power of this is that I think you can find something to relate to personally regardless of your situation. This is a really good film it is such a shame Cartoon Saloon can never get a wider release as they really deserve it.
Agree, not everything has to be about romantic love
they are clearly just a bit younger than the characters in the owl house. are you gonna go get mad at disney for their bisexual + lesbian couple because theyre kids too? and thats apparently too young to be LGBT?
@@Thorax420 are you perhaps a Twitter user?
They mentioned nothing about owl hosue, never said anything offending it. I love that show.
They are taking about something doing nothing with it.
@@Enby_Mystery did you perhaps not read my comment? the point of me bringing up the owl house is to point out that LGBT media for kids of LGBT kids already exists, and that minors are capable of having romantic crushes that are gay. its fine to personally not want to ship them or see them as sisters, but replying to an lgbt persons lgbt headcanon with "but theyre kids" is, unintentionally or not, a real bad look
I personally see them as sister because Robyn is 12 while Mebh is 9, the age difference isn’t weird at all but those types of ages are usually used in more sisterly relationships
this video was a joy to edit, but with or without my editing, you wrote an exceptional piece of analysis and you should be incredibly proud 💚
Your editing brought it to LIFE! Thank you for elevating my work 💚
@@OmgItsKavi Some of those wipe-transitions were soooooooo clean...
@@toon4thought My favorite transition is the one at 22:55-22:56 where my avatar comes out of Mebh's chompers :p
God, I didn't even think about the line 'I'm not a girl, I'm a wolfwalker' !
I thought of that as Mebh trying to deny that she's still just a child and still afraid to be on her own without her mother, but to each their own
This was a great dissection of this film. Wolf walkers is incredibly multilayered and it deserves to be analyzed more often. The intersectionality between colonialism and queerness gave this a unique reading of the film I hadn't seen from others. Great job on this!
Thank you so much, friend!
my partner and i loved the wolf = nonbinary angle ! T o T mebh and robyn are both gay and nb i cant believe its canon
Thank you so much for all your kind words, it really means the world to me!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! 🥰
Hi! I was actually honored enough to be able to attend a virtual seminar with the directors of this film! They answered my question about there being queer subtext in the film, and they said that it was intentional and very important to some of the people working on the film! Great video!
Wow, that’s amazing you got to attend a seminar with them and ask a question! Thank you for sharing your experience and the kind words, glad you enjoyed the video!! 💚
With the mention of Mebh and Robyn being together, when they're living outside of society and outside of the binary, it doesn't really matter what people think or label them as, they're just together as much as they are!
I think one thing that jumped out at me was the theme of faith-be it in spirituality or oneself or trusting others, as well as how faith can be used to justify cruel actions or blind people with fear. (I’m actually Catholic). And this is displayed all throughout the film.
For example, the man who is healed at the beginning (I forget his name) has his perceptions challenged, and thus believes Mebh might heal Merlyn after she takes the bird. And let’s not forget that Robyn makes the effort to visit him when she can and bring him bread when he’s in the stocks. A really great example of the contrast of this (mistrust) is when Robyn encounters Mebh as wolf and she’s extremely afraid, especially after being caught in a trap, but viewers pick up that something is…different (in a good way) about this wolf. However, Robyn’s fear blinds her and, instead of trusting Mebh to help her, she punches and kicks the poor girl that it causes her to get bitten.
I also think that, in terms of faith, both Bill Goodfellowe and the Lord Protector are really intriguing. Bill is keeping faith that he can protect his daughter, but he fails to trust Robyn and often stifles her-although, given their circumstances, you can see where he’s coming from, and he is by no means a bad father. Is it any wonder then that when, after Mebh’s mother nearly died from an arrow he shot, that his daughter defies him and joins the pack to help her friend? The Lord Protector, meanwhile, is the kind of person who is quick to able anyone/anything that doesn’t fit a very rigid mold of purity as “witchcraft” or “nonsense”, and is quick to punish those who don’t comply. Hell, he threatens to imprison a literal child! But, to me, he’s almost tragic. He’s not like Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, whose “piety” stemmed more from power and who was about as pious as hellfire. The Lord Protector is genuine in his faith, but it blinds him. He can’t see beyond what he knows, only “us or them”. And he’s so unwilling-maybe even unable-to see a different perspective that he basically kills himself, “for the Lord”. And, crucially, Bill is able and willing to grow and change for the sake of his daughter, gaining faith in her, the pack, and himself. The Lord Protector, dead or alive, would have always stayed in that rigid place
What do you all think? Sorry for the essay lol
Great points! Thanks for the comment :)
I'd say I would turn into a tanuki, but turning into a wolf when falling asleep would be cool as hell, so I'm going with that!
I mean, a girl discovering a side of herself she didn't know when meeting another girl and hiding it from her intolerant peers... That's like a whole metaphor that I did notice the first time I watched this film (and that you'll probably talk about in more details than I can in this video).
EDIT: Welp, I thought at the time that I may have read too much into it, but it turns our I wasn't reading deep enough XD Holy cow! There was so much more in there than I even suspected.
Now about my thoughts of what I noticed in this film and you didn't mentioned:
I also noticed the lineart of the characters that you didn't mentioned: at the beginning of the movie, Robyn's (and Bill's) lines are clear and defined while Mebh have a sketchy look to her. And as she discovers more about herself, Robyn becomes more and more sketchy as well (which allows a more fluid animation since there were less steps between the initial drawings and the final animation).
Also, this is my interpretation about Bill: his arc is going from being tamed to being free, from a hound dog, to an "army dog" (that even ends up in a leash near the end of the film) to a full on wolf after breaking his chains.
Another reviewer I watched mentioned that the film may be also referrencing "the Irish travellers", a group of nomadic people coming from Ireland that may have been forced on the road by the british conquest of the 1600's. The carriage at the end of the film ressembling a traveller's carriage... Just another piece of info I wanted to share.
also as someone who relates a lot to mebh, it makes me so happy to see someone else interpret her line about not being a girl and being a wolf instead as Gender Moment
This video is phenomenal! I watched Wolfwalkers about week ago for the first time-thanks to “Running with the Wolves” lol-and Wow!!! It is a masterpiece. And I remember reading an LA times article about the queen reading of this film, but your analysis is amazing!
I’m still figuring out my own identity, but Wolfwalkers makes me feel like there is a path for me, whatever it may be 😊
Thank you for the kind comment! All the best to you on your journey 😊
@@OmgItsKavi Thank you!
This was the queer reading of one of my all time favourite films I needed! Maybe especially as a non-binary lesbian.. Thank you for highlighting the gender non-comformity in the film, it was something I had not thought too much about, but resonated with when I watched Wolfwalkers. And I agree, Robyn (also a very gender neutral name) and Mebh are definitely destined to be together, that is something they will grow into - the thought of them roaming free, together for the rest of their lives honestly just fills me with joy
So glad you enjoyed the video, thank you for the nice comment!
I love coming back to this video over and over again. As someone who relized queer identity very early in life there are many things I relate in this movie. This is such a great Analyzis for an amazing movie.
Oh wow, I'm so glad you like the video! It truly is an amazing movie. Thank you for the kind comment!!
I saw Robyn and Mebh as sisters more than anything else but at the same time I am not against them being together
This is such a good video. I didn’t think much abt it being a trans reading but I can definitely see it. I did of course interpret Maeve and Robyn has loving each other in a romantic way. It kinda starts as the forbidden lovers troupe. Throughout the story they are so physically close with other. So much of their closeness is what you see some ppl in a relationship do with the way Robyn holds Maeve’s face and the way they put their faces together especially when they are both in wolf form
As much as I loved this film from the day I first watched it, it's people like you that have really made me realize just how *special* and one-of-a-kind it actually is.
I hope this video ends up resonating with many fellow trans and queer people, as well as allies like myself, because this really is such a fascinating perspective that makes the messages and themes of the film that much more powerful and meaningful IMO. The kind that are sure to persist through the ages.
(Also, thanks for the supporter cred)
I’m so happy to see this masterpiece getting more love. Your analysis and deep dive into these themes were incredibly insightful and great. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.
Also, if I could be any I’d probably be a cat.
Turning into a cat would be amazing! Thank you for the kind words! :)
@@OmgItsKavi You're welcome :)
I... didn't expect this to be such a high quality deep dive into this film. Thank you!
WOLFWALKERS, I LOVE this movie, with so many examples of non-binary, lesbian and above all, freedom to be happy, I would love to turn into a capybara or a Bush dog when I sleep. (Brazil here saying hi to everyone 🇧🇷)
I saw this film just after coming out as trans in December 2020. Even before I saw it, the full trailer gave me huge trans vibes, and I was SO HOPING I wasn't seeing something that wasn't there. And dear lord, the trans theming is just EVERYWHERE. It's amazing! And that's only just one layer of what makes it such a good movie. It's genuinely the most gorgeous film I've ever seen, by a landslide. It immediately became my all time favorite film, a 10/10 masterpiece. I cried multiple times! 😭💜
The fact that Robyn was originally going to be a boy and the filmmakers have stated they didn't rewrite much of her dialogue to reflect this change makes me wonder. If nothing about the story was different other than Robyn being a boy, would more people read her relationship with Mébh as being romantic?
If we interpret the father and mother end with each other as well. They would end up being step brothers and sisters
I did hear that the creators said they didn't make it with that in mind, but they were perfectly comfortable if people treated it as such.
Bookmarking this so I can watch it after I’ve seen the movie. Love me some 30+ minutes video essay content but I don’t wanna spoil myself lol.
Yes!! Enjoy the movie!
how'd you like it? :D
I loved this movie so much! When your video got put in my recommendations I was so happy to see more people talking about it! I have one question: What is the music you use in the video? Will you post a playlist of all the songs you used? I would really appreciate it!
I've been waiting for this one!!!
this movie speaks to me so much as an autistic, LGBT person that was raised in religious abuse. im so glad other people see the LGBT themes that are intrinsicly a result of colonialism :3
Love this film and this analysis is spot on. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the kind words! c:
Just one more reason to love this movie! I already adore that it’s message is tantamount to “Fuck the patriarchy, police and colonialism” (the fact that it was released in 2020 is just too perfect) but your analysis and the others you cited add an incredible layer of depth to it. And as someone going through my own personal identity journey, I can relate. It’s clear you and Tom put so much effort into this. Thank you both for such and entertaining and enlightening video, may the algorithm smile upon you 😊💖
Thank you so much! Totally agree, this movie came out at the perfect time :)
It's quite easy to tell your mind has been propagandized with unrealities. You're the type of person who complains about the Christian crusades in the middle east never once realizing they were mostly defensive to free Christians from Islamic aggression nor you'll mention the Arabic slave trade which ran for 1400+ years which enslaved about 100+ million but you'll be quick to mention the USA's 325k.
The end when there was the fake comment that Tom would write saying he would turn into Bob Hoskins made me laugh
while I was editing this video, I was determined to throw a Bob Hoskins reference in there somewhere for the real fans
Tom put so many little gags that made me laugh, my favorite is the little chomp after "puritan-flavored" hot pockets 😂
@@CurmudgeonMedia Wonderful goal to have
Great video! So nice to see this movie getting a lot of love!! I love this wolf family!!!
Thank you for watching! This movie deserves all the love and more c:
Wolfwalkers Is an AMAZING MOVIE, great analysis!!!!
Thank you! And I agree, Wolfwalkers is amazing c:
Beautifully articulated, thank you for such an amazing video
Thank you for watching and for the kind words!
Hey there just wanted to say I like your video on Wolf Walker it's pretty good glad to see there are still people talk about this movie and also if you have another movie in mind to do a video on here might take on the next movie you should talk about if you want to or not turning red is my idea for a video you could do if not that's okay hope you have a happy pride month take care
Thanks for watching! I actually have some notes/a rough outline of a script for a video about Turning Red, but it takes me a lot of time to make videos and I also have a tendancy to work on multiple at a time 😅 It's on my list, though, and I'll get around to it eventually!
Turning red was a 1/10 movie. If you thought that movie was good there's something wrong with your brain.
I never saw anything romantic between the two of them. I only saw them as sisters.
I would love to become a wolfwalker. But more than wolf I want to be cat
Keep it up honey, you'll get there 👍😘☺️
this movie will forever be the most magical thing i have ever watched :)
Thanks for this. Keep it up!!!
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this video. Good work 👍
Thank you!!
I mean, I guess you can see the movie in this way. However, I see them more as sisters.
This is an AMAZING meditation on this film!
Thank you!! 🥰
Wolfwalkers is my Fav movie
Love this analysis video very good. If I could turn into any animal it would be a frog or a bird :]
Frogs are excellent! Thank you for watching!
Yeah, I would love to turn into a cat when I sleep.
(As an Irish demigirl lesbian, I think I have a new favorite movie!!!)
Awesome! Also side note, I love your profile pic shoutout to Super Paper Mario hehe
@@OmgItsKavi Thank you!!! Still holding out for a switch port of SPM
To be honest I see them as sisters and see their parents as a couple because of the ending. It still is interesting to see different perspectives on the movie.
i ship them but if they were at the same age snice mebh is jus 9 years old and robin is 12 so i also see them as sisters
I love this video. However some points are a little strange with the fact the movie ends with their parents getting married
That’s goddamn video online keep up the good work
It felt much more as a neurodivergent and queer film to me, then them being lovers or anything
Idk
Yeah because Being a wolfwalker is like having autism or ADHD and relatable to me as a Therian in that way, like experiencing sudden changes, shifting and transformation into a wild animal being free and able to feel things most humans can’t and discover things you never knew you could do! I can’t put this into words, so I’m sorry for the horrible language. This movie’s really about mysteriously embracing magical spirits of nature like complex, hyperactive misunderstood and deeply emotional animals like wolves and us with a different body and nervous system, seeing from a crazy new perspective and accepting you’ll never be the norm of what society expects from you and that’s beautiful
Sorry my writing is bad 😿
@@frollealabanks2020 no it isnt its wonderfully done ❤ I love it and I totally get it
@@user-zx4qn1uz2s 🥹💜
omg sometimes youtube doesn't show me all my comments so i'm just seeing this but just want to say that i love this interpretation, as someone who is also neurodivergent!
I think theg have more of a sister relationship
32:41 lmao the gender sword
my friend Tom who edited this video included so many great visual gags like that 😂
Samoyed
Fluffy and white, try to resist petting one.
...
......
ok resist petting one if you have allergies, stay healthy everyone!
I heard Samoyeds might actually be hypoallergenic
I don’t think Robyn and Maeve are gay for each other cus they become step siblings at the end (the mother and the father got married and so that would make them step
Siblings) but there is something to be said about the wolf Walker analogy.
the parents don't get married at the end, the creators of the movie have said so.
@@kellogglaeverbaum9989 Ohhh ok. I still kinda see them as step sisters but I guess it’s fine if others don’t because marriage isn’t confirmed.
@@redballoon9007 often that used to ignore queer relationships, dont do that
@@palemeadows It’s literally my own opinion. You don’t have to abide by it, especially since Robyn’s Dad and Maeve’s mom never got married. I just get more sibling vibes from them but I can also see why people think of them as a romantic item.
Glad more and more people are noticing a queer read for this film! There were so many instances in this movie that had various messages packed into its runtime through colonialism such as sexism, autonomy, environmentalism, queer identities, faith, ethnicity.
I dunno if anyone else picked up on this possible allusion but I think even menstruation was alluded to in a metaphorical way with the various cues the protagonist goes through such as petting her hair after waking up at night from an "accident," her immediately being sent to be taught "womenly" things the day after... the timing and framing is so specific while also paralleling kids being sent away to camps/schools/facilities for behaving in a non cishetero manner.
Like, I dunno how clever the writers were and how aware they are on how intrinsically linked these problems are but kudos to them for potentially showing how sexuality, gender and adolescents all get put under the heel of colonialism, with disastrous effects on children. Considering the Ghibli film Princess Kaguya was a MAJOR influence in this movie, that movie being very explicitly about how children, namely girls, are shaped and molded into a patriarchal consumerist environment... I wanna say Cartoon Saloon did their homework lol
I love that interpretation! Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment!
Breaking bad music? Lol
You truly said my thoughts and feelings on this