by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Ilai Swindells, Elizabeth Nebben, Jennifer Saunders, Akmal Saleh, Samara Weaving, Peter McAllum
Intro:
300% better than it has any right to be.
100% Wolf was… alright. A locally-made animated film from Flying Bark Productions, it was a standard and predictable ‘learn to be yourself’ tale elevated by a solid voice cast and some delightfully nutty inclusions, like the main villain being an ice cream man/werewolf hunter. Coming out the same year as Farmageddon: A Shaun the Sheep Movie and Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification, it made a decent impact at the time, but isn’t necessarily something that would have staying power. Or, at least, that’s how it seemed at the time. Now that its theatrical follow-up is here (after a respectable 26-episode run with Legend of the Moonstone spin-off), the idea of there being even more of this material is intriguing.
True to its title, this overclocks just about everything that went into the first film. The iffy lighting and sub-par texture work is replaced with CGI that stands up to scrutiny. The sense of humour on display, while still delving into kid-friendly potty humour, not only lands often but the jokes themselves are well thought-out and plot-relevant, a feat for just about any modern comedy. And the main thesis of the film, even with its mild reset button with the lead (were-poodle Freddy, voiced by Ilai Swindells), builds on the importance of self-worth from the original and adds to it with genuinely useful advice on what ‘respect’ really means in interactions with others.
This is all evident even before the opening titles, starting with a truly beautiful depiction of the Moon Spirits that give the earthbound werewolves their power. From there, the specific existence of werewolves ends up being the most normal thing here, as it gets into the specifics of magic and maintaining balance between the forces of the Moon and the Earth. Between that and the occasional low-key philosophising (often from Akmal Saleh returning as guide dog Hamish), it’s more than a little Avatar: The Last Airbender, and considering Flying Bark is slated to make a proper entry into that franchise in 2026, this is a surprisingly solid test run for that aesthetic.
As energetic as the cosmic-level ramifications surrounding the villain Max (Jennifer Saunders) and as oppressively adorable as it is whenever it involves baby Moon spirit Moopoo (Elizabeth Nabben), it’s the quiet moments that garner the most fondness. On top of the added visual acuity, the production as a whole, is comfortable with just letting these moments be without feeling the need to add unnecessary stimulus. It makes the numerous scenes of characters bonding with each other, again adding to the mutual respect message, feel as real as if they were enacted with hand-carved puppets, showing genuine respect for its younger audience. And not just the young’uns either. The recurring visual metaphor of doing the wrong thing to help someone else, and how that can lead to not just making things worse for them but making yourself worse for the experience, is a level of thematic maturity that is rare for animated family films, even nowadays.
200% Wolf is, at lowest estimate, 300% better than it has any right to be. The studio behind the Maya the Bee trilogy deliver a film that is well-animated, has solid lessons for kids, an egalitarian approach to its audience that makes for ideal family film material, and enough raw creativity to make every moment worth investing in. It’s more than a little shocking to see Flying Bark pull out all the stops like this, but if that means they can produce more work that is this tier of quality, they could soon find themselves in the same standing as Animal Logic and Adam Elliot in terms of Aussie animation talent. If you’re looking for something to take the kids to, or just hankering for quality animation on the big screen, this is your puppy.
