Wolfwalkers Blu-ray Review

If you’re diving into Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy, especially Wolfwalkers, you’ll quickly spot the unmistakable fingerprints of Studio Ghibli all over it. Tomm Moore and his team have never shied away from admitting their debt to Hayao Miyazaki and the other masters at Ghibli. This isn’t simply imitation as Wolfwalkers is a heartfelt homage that reinterprets Ghibli’s magic through an Irish lens, blending Celtic mythology with the same reverence for nature, folklore, and hand-drawn artistry that made films like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro timeless. The result? A spiritual successor that stands tall on its own while proudly nodding to its inspirations.

The strongest direct line runs straight from Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke to Wolfwalkers. Both films pit a young protagonist against a world where humans are aggressively taming the wild, as industrial forces clear forests and change the landscape. In Miyazaki’s epic, San (the wolf-raised princess) rides her massive white wolves through ancient woods threatened by ironworks and greed.

Wolfwalkers echoes Princess Mononoke’s nature-vs-industry conflict

In Wolfwalkers, young Robyn Goodfellowe bonds with Mebh, a fierce wolfwalker girl whose pack roams the untamed Irish wilds under threat from Cromwell’s soldiers. The feral girl-in-the-woods archetype, a deep human-animal connection, and an environmental parable are all there in both animated tales. Cartoon Saloon infuses Wolfwalkers with Irish folklore on wolf transformations, and the clash between rigid English order and an independent Celtic spirit.

What truly elevates the connection between them is the shared ethos. Ghibli and Cartoon Saloon both champion hand-drawn animation in an era dominated by CG, using the classic style to reflect cultural roots. Ghibli draws from Japanese yōkai and Shinto beliefs, while Cartoon Saloon pulls from illuminated manuscripts, Celtic knots, and woodcut aesthetics. Both studios tackle mature themes (grief, loss, war, environmental destruction) through children’s eyes, trusting young heroes to bridge divides and carry hope forward. Wolfwalkers echoes Princess Mononoke’s nature-vs-industry conflict, while softening it for a younger audience but still delivering real emotional weight.

This influence stretches across the trilogy. The Secret of Kells channels Ghibli’s visual poetry and mythical creatures, while Song of the Sea captures the gentle wonder and family healing found in Spirited Away or Ponyo. Moore has spoken openly about Miyazaki’s impact and how Ghibli showed that 2D could be bold, expressive, and deeply meaningful without chasing Hollywood trends.

If Ghibli gave the world enchanted forests and eco-fables, Cartoon Saloon took that torch and ran with it, howling their own mythic song.

For animation lovers it’s a celebration of how one studio’s influence can spark another to greatness. Wolfwalkers doesn’t copy Studio Ghibli but sits alongside their venerable catalog with an Irish flair worth exploring.

In this deluxe GKIDS boxset, Wolfwalkers’ brilliant animation shines brighter than ever. The crisp Blu-ray transfer lets every swirling pattern, textured forest, and fluid transformation pop, reminding us why hand-drawn animation endures.

The 1.85:1 1080p presentation on Blu-ray, exclusive to this limited-edition boxset from GKIDS, honors the film’s distinctive artistry with reference-quality clarity. The hand-drawn animation is crisp and free of noise, allowing every intricate detail to shine, from the textured foliage and fur to fluid character movements.

Colors pop vividly with smooth, banding-free gradients in the AVC encode: deep forest greens, fiery oranges, and ethereal night blues are reproduced faithfully, preserving the intended painterly look without over-saturation. Contrast is sharp yet natural, with deep blacks that enhance the film’s dramatic shadows and dreamlike sequences. This is the best Wolfwalkers has ever looked on disc, a stunning showcase for the film’s visual ambition and distinctive animation.

Audio is equally impressive, delivered via an active 5.1 DTS-HD MA track that immerses you in Wolfwalkers’ charming world. A majestic score by Bruno Coulais and the folk-inspired songs swell with warmth and power, while the surrounds capture the rustle of leaves, the howls of wolves, and the chaos of hunts with pinpoint directionality. Dialogue is clear and well-placed, making every emotional beat land perfectly.

Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles play in a white font. Dubs in Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Irish 5.1 Dolby Digital are included.

The limited-edition Irish Folklore Trilogy box set from GKIDS, now out of print, features the exclusive Blu-Ray presentation of Wolfwalkers, as well as animatics and bonus features for all three films (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) never released before in North America. Each film receives its own BD-50 and a fourth bonus disc has several meaty special features.

This deluxe set is presented in beautiful and rugged packaging that reflects each film’s loving depiction of the natural world, and the art includes an original illustration by Cartoon Saloon. Also included is an illuminating 2,000 word essay by film critic Andy Crump about the lauded animation studio Cartoon Saloon, the origins and creation of these incredible films, and their role in the world of animation and the world at large. The exhaustive extras seen in animatics, commentaries, and concept art reveal the creative process.

The BD is coded for Region A. No one has issued Wolfwalkers on standalone Blu-ray.

Audio Commentary with director Tomm Moore and screenwriter Will Collins

Interviews with voice actors Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Sean Bean, Jon Kenny, and Tommy Tiernan (24:19 in HD)

The Art of Voicing Wolfwalkers featurette (03:57 in HD)

Behind ‘Running with the Wolves’ featurette (03:00 in HD)

How to Draw: Wolf, Mebh, and Forest featurette (33:44 in HD)

The Music of Wolfwalkers featurette (01:48 in HD)

Character Designs of Wolfwalkers with director Tomm Moore (60:07 in HD)

2020 Comic Con Panel (26:37 in HD)

Behind the Scenes featurette (02:52 in HD)

Conceptual Trailer (01:51 in HD)

4th Bonus Disc:

The Secret of Kells Animatic with separate audio commentary by director Thom Moore and the production team (88:48 in HD)
Song of the Sea Animatic with separate audio commentary by director Thom Moore and the production team) (70:43 in HD)
Wolfwalkers Animatic with separate audio commentary by director Thom Moore and the production team) (101:54 in HD)
Reading of Pangur Ban Featurette (01:05 in HD)
Splanc! TV special (27:05 in SD)
The Two Worlds of Wolfwalkers Video Essay by Queline Meadows (15:59 in HD)
U.S. Trailer for The Irish Folklore Trilogy (02:16 in HD)

Full disclosure: This Blu-ray was provided to us for review. This has not affected the editorial process. For information on how we handle review material, please visit our about us page to learn more.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 45 full resolution, uncompressed HD screen shots grabbed directly from the Blu-ray: