Behind the Scenes of "Wolfwalkers"

by Nathaniel R

Today's must read is a memoir piece from storyboard artist Iker Madigan about working on Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers.  There are all sorts of interesting tidbits including how difficult compositional choices are with the two dimensional "flat graphic style" that Cartoon Saloon is known for. Here's another interesting note. I've never heard animators described like this but it makes emotional sense:

Depending on the degree of freedom entrusted to them, story artists can exhibit qualities from both directors and writers. Truth is, they can be something like a cross between a second unit director and a script doctor. 

And the following, about artists who are part of "story teams" that most animated features employ, is the type of honesty you rarely get in such pieces...

There’s nothing more damaging for a film than someone who just stays quiet during meetings or simply nods when the director speaks and consistently does exactly as told. Not to say that people ought to be contrarians for sport, but it’s very unlikely that every decision made by anyone will be perfect without ever leaving some room for improvement. Because of this, when story artists keep quiet, it usually means either one of two bad things: they have lost interest in the project, or they are not confident in their own skills. 

the first act of Wolfwalkers is the one that changed most radically as the film was developed

And this bit is fascinating about the power of awards (a key subject here at The Film Experience).

On a side note, the release and eventual Oscar race entry of The Breadwinner had a definitive influence on the Wolfwalkers story team that the directors might not have been aware of. Back during a studio screening of Nora’s film, I remember turning to Guillaume and commenting “Well, shit, now we have to make something better than this.” He laughed and nodded. As Cartoon Saloon continued to pile up improbable Oscar nominations, there was a growing fear among creative directors of ever becoming the first one to drop the ball. Not that Academy Awards are the official confirmation of whether anyone has been an accomplished filmmaker or not, but either way they represent an honor without which an independent studio like the Saloon may have never survived past the making of The Secret of Kells.

That last sentence confirms what we're always saying about the importance of awards to the health of cinema, even though people always like to disparage them as 'popularity contests' (which, yes, they are) or meaningless (which they can be yes but don't have to be). The Academy Awards -- and really anyone giving out awards --- has a responsibility to art to make strong choices even though this responsibility isn't felt or honored enough.

If you're interested in Wolfwalkers or how animated films are developed, give this fine article a read. And you can follow Iker Madigan on Twitter here. And here's the chart on Best Animated Feature Oscar race where you can vote daily and Tim Brayton's review of each contender.