In this episode we discuss an animation double bill: WOLFWALKERS and WALTZ WITH BASHIR. I am joined by regular contributor Mansi Tiwari.
WOLFWAKERS is a beautiful hand-drawn 2D animation that retells an Irish myth, grounded in historical events. We discuss the effects of shifting perspectives, just how scary the wolves are and whether Mebh’s animated hair is up there with Merida’s and Moana’s.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR is an unusual choice for an animation, as it is a documentary. Mansi and I try to figure out the advantage of this medium for an exploration of trauma and the collective nature of memory, as the director Ari Folman tries to remember what atrocities he might have committed during the 1982 Lebanon war.
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The short stories we talk about are Tim O’Brien’s THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, who writes about his experiences during the Vietnam War.
The other films by studio Cartoon Saloon, the makers of WOLFWALKERS, are THE SECRET OF KELLS, SONG OF THE SEA and BREADWINNER.
