#verses a true fantasy that an artist or writer has genuinely had

[brbgensokyo]

its been nearly 12 hours and im still struck by how nothing that elf from re:fantazzio is. Its so bland i feel as if im looking an some alt world Mihoyo game cosplay.

[popculturebuffet]

Into The Spider-Verse: Spider-Gwen (Edge of Spider-Verse #2)

Hello all you happy true beliviers! We're back into the spider-verse just in time for national women's month and the third of our main trio of spiders: Gwen Stacey, the spectacular Spider-Woman, referred often to as Spider-Gwen to disguish her from the various earth 616 spider-women before she was rebranded Ghost Spider.

Yeah Spider-Gwen is a lot to unpack, so let's take it from the stop. Spider-Gwen is a variant of Gwen Stacey, who you may remember from some adaptions as the Amazing Spider-Man films, being peter's prop for that hilarious dance number in spider-man 3 that's in my eyes even more rediculous than his saturday night fever schtick, and from cartoons appearing as an updated version of her classic self in Specatcular Spider-Man and as Spider-Gwen in Ultimate Spidey, Marvel's Spider-Man, Spidey and HIs Amazing Friend and Marvel Rising.

For those less familiar with the comics, Gwen Stacey was peter's very second love intrest. Gwen was introduced late into Steve Ditko's run as one of the mileu of jackasses constantly taunting peter parker, this time as he entered college. As seen with Amazing Fantasy at the time peter was a loner Dottie, a rebel, who was mostly picked on. He had one girlfriend briefly, Betty Brant, but after her brother died she became paranoid about him taking pictures of spider-man, blaming spider-man for his death and worrying he'd lead to Peter's. So really.. Aunt may was all peter had for the first 30 or so issues.

Once Ditko left though Lee decided to shake things up as peter had entered college. Since new Artist John Romita drew characters a bit more handsomely, he decided to expand peter's friend group: Harry Osborn, who picked on him previously, decided he had it wrong about peter and genuinely tried to befriend the guy, serving as a nice contrast to the various assholes. It also made sense: people who are withdrawn or feel trapped in the high school hiearchy can often find friends easier in College, where people may be open to trying new thems or not bogged down by history. Granted Peter also had flash there as a rival , Lee coudln't take all his pain away or he woudln't be peter, but he now had a friend.. and soon had love intrests.

Peter soon ended up in a brief archie style love triangle between Mary Jane Watson, at the time a viacious party animal who'd been oft hinted at in a running gag where May tried to set them up and Peter assumed "nice girl" meant

Which has aged like fine egg left on a sidewalk for 9 days. This is where Gwen came in. Gwen like harry realized she might of misjudged peter especially after finding out he snubbed her and harry at first because Aunt May was sick, as part of the legendary "If This Be My Destiny" three parter. The two dated for a long time and she was a fan faviorite with many of a fan, some who'd get promoted to managment, preferring her over MJ. The thing was in the original comics.. Gwen was pretty one note. She was just "nice" and "love intrest". See while stan lee was good at MANY things, creative worlds, working with great artists, showmanship, coming up with brilliant premises for characters… he was absolutely awful at writing women , at least during the silver age. Most of his women's main trait's were "love intrest" or "girl" or "getting overly emotoinal". Their powers were often limited as was their influence, with sue storm ONLY being able to turn invsible at first before gaining her forcefields, and Jean Grey's telekensis being very limited. While Janet Van Dyne got better with her stings and stuff, she was often depicted as flighty. Gwen is , as you can see, far from his worst but is just kinda there to be the "good girl" in contrast to mj at first, then to just cause friction with peter whenever his double identity impcats their romance. She was a plot device, not a person.

She kept on like this till a new writer jumped on board Gerry Conway. Conway had decided someone needed to die as it'd been a while since uncle Ben and while George Stacey, gwen's dad, had in the line of duty, he wasn't close to peter and was mainly killed to drive a wedge betwen him and Gwen. So he ended up deciding on Gwen to both motivate the poor boy and to clear up the cast a bit. So Gwen became famous.. for her death, the legendary "The night gwen stacey died" which I showed the utmost respect and reverence to in my amazing fantasy #15 review

The story is incredibly well crafted though, and the art is gorgeous. It's only weakness.. is being a MASSIVE example of Women in Refregirators syndrome, with Gwen being killed to motivate peter and not having any real agency in her death. Said death at least would haunt peter for the rest of his career and still comes up on occasion. There were clones, terrible retcons not worth mentoining and other things involving gwen, but she remained dead and still is…. in the 616.

Thankfully marvel had a merry multiverse and Dan Slott had plans to explore that in an upcoming event comic Spider-Verse, which while sharing a name and vauge premise of uniting a bunch of spider people with the movie, is nothing like it and involves the spider-person hutning inheretors. I have not read it as it was at a time when Dan Slott's run on the book took a massive dive, so I can't really speak for it's quality. But good event or no it did give us a lot of great new spider-people to go with established variants like Spider-Ham, Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Man Noir, and Gwen was one of them.

Gwen was an editor's suggestion and a brilliant one: Take the biggest victim in spider-man history , and make HER the one who gets bit by the spider. All Dan Slott really had was the idea to give her a trench coat costume and the red and blues, but the actual making of her went to Jason Latour.

For context as I found out in my research… Jason Latour is a sexually harassing creep. At 2017's Thought Bubble fest, he followed around artist Lauren Tracey who at the time was in her early 20's to his 40's just to add to it, and stalked her, then kissed her against her will. After Tracey revealed the allegations, Latour tried to claim he didn't remember the incident.. only for tons of others to come forward and reveal he was also creepy twoards them or friend sof theres. They likely knew.. but didn't have the power to come forward. Latour weakly apologized and hasn't worked for Marvel since. It was deeply disapointing to find out someone I respected… was an ashole who used his power to harass women, make them feel deeply uncomfortable and affect their careers. He was one of MANY in the industry who did this and I doubt he'll be the last I talk about but it's super depressing he used his power like this and he can promptly fuck himself.

I won't be letting this affect my judgement of the comic itself. It's hard and i'll likely look like this the whole itme i'm typing this

But I have to judge the issue by it's own merits, while still stressing the creator isn't to be worshipped. It's a good object lesson to remember that terrible people can make good art. I try to avoid covering that art to glorify them. It's why despite being a massive x-men fan and having grown up with the story you likely wont' see Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men covered on here unless someone comissions it. Like this it's an important part of comics history and can't just be.. forgotten, but the creator shouldn't be on any sort of pedestal for it unless he truly and completely has repented for what he's done and even then what he's done shoudln't be forgotten in the process.

Now getting into Prailne's and Dick's creative process, Pralines and Dick decided to really swing for the fences. This was an alternate universe.. so he decided to make it really alternate. Instead of a cheery if often weepy coed, Gwen was a troubled college freshman who was reseved and steady out of costume and freer in it.. at a terrible cost. He and Rodregiuz gave her a hood to symbolize the weight she carries and acccents of purple and blue to really help the costume pop against the white, while also giving her the mask to keep up the "anyone can wear the mask" motif from Peter and Miles.

The result wasn't a hit with Dan But he ended up eating his words and fully agreeing they made the right call. The result was an INSTANT hit from her first apperance and quickly got an ongoing. I MIGHT talk about it in the future, it's tricky with Pralines and Dick being the writer. For now though let's go under the cut and into the spider-verse as we explore the startling origin of Spider-Gwen.

So we open with Band Practice for the Mary Janes, the band Gwen is drummer for. Her bandmates are naturally this universe's Mary Jane Watson, along with Glory Grant, a friend of peters in the main universe who worked as Jonah's asstiant and Betty Brant, who I previously mentioned and also worked as Jonah's assitant.

The band plays their signature , and likely only, original song,

I mean that would rule but naturally instead it's called Face it Tiger. I.. I will neve rbe tired of that being a thing nor imagining waht this riot grrl esque song sounds like in my head. Pralines and Dick makes a smart move here: instead of just having the issue go through Gwen's origin, like it seems what other one shots of edge of the spider-verse i've glanced at do, we get the origin in one beautiful two page spread, told quick, susicntly but still with enough emotoinal punch. We get some of the blanks filled in later, but it's enough to make the story work and get a sense of who THIS gwen is.

I also like all the small touches here: the times square having advertisments for Janet Van Dyne with her wearing her classic outfit and signifying she's still the wasp here, and Dzzler. Just little nods. I also like the MC Hammer joke.

On the origin itslef it's great following most of the same beats btu cleverly twisting peter parker: We saw what he was during Amazing Fantasy: he was resentful, alone, and had no one. Here we see where that might of gone where he instead ends up as the alternate version of one of his own villians, dying tragically trying to be popular and loved like Gwen's alter ego.

Glory gets gwen to snap out of it but she can't open up for obvious reasons. MJ here.. is more of a dick, lacking the main universe MJ's better nature and instead being a snippy mean girl.

We then get a fairly sad scene of reflection, of Gwen sitting on the billboard, feeling it was her fault peter died. Much like with Uncle Ben and our peter, that's not necessarily true, but you can undrestand her guilt: he followed in her example. her DEFENDING him isn't her fault, nor him feeling insecure over it, that's just good ole toxic masculinity, but she still went into it for wealth and fame and showed what someone trying to do the same could end up as.

We then get her talking to her father, who views her music more as a distraction, and wants her to focus, while Gwen understandably.. dosen't want to do that. We also find out George Stacey.. is the one hunting gwen.

We also get a nice brief scene of her and a cop trying to shoot her. She webs him up and wisecracks ab it, showing she's far more assertive behind the mask and gets some freedom from it… though it also feels like a coping meachanism, a way to avoid the pain she's going through from Peter's death and her own father hunting her and not supporting her. To try and use the freedom much like peter does to shake off her torubles. It's this kind of thing that shows Pralines and Dick REALLY gets what makes a spider-man story work and what makes these some of the best.

So we cut to our villians for this issue: The Rhino and Matt Murdock.

Yeah one of the bigger swings of this universe, and one of the reasons I enjoy it so much, is that rather than just go the normal alternate universe route we see in most comics of "this reality but one things diffrent", Pralines and Dick switches it up and has a BUCNH of little thigns be diffrent that are not remotely impacted by the fact Gwen is who she is here: The Fantastic FOur are non existant with Ben Grimm being a cop while Reed Richards is a child progedy, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde are shield agents with Logan being a functionally immnortal samurai, Howard T Duck is the president of the united states, and Janet Van Dyne is retired from superheroics and instead super wealthy, Sam wilson is a woman and the captain america who came here from the 40's, and so on. I love how many swings this place takes.

Matt Murdock is the biggest though: instead of becoming an upstanding young man, he was blinded in an accident that also killed his mom and his dad's death happened earlier.. and the Hand got a hold of him. As a result this Matt is everytihing the 616 matt isn't: cruel, selfish while still being every bit as compitent and charasmatic and as we find out later, EVERY bit as powerful. Matt is Gwen's arch enemy and the big bad of this universe, serving as the mouth of sauron for the kingpin.. while clearly planning to dethrone his old boss nad rule.

As for what he's up to with Rhino, whose grey skinned here instead of in a rhino costume it's simple: He's putting a hit out on George. He wants him dead both because the Good Captain's an issue for their operations and general.. and as an issue for Spider-Woman he could be leverage to bring her on their side.

That night it's a concert and instead of waiting for gwen whose just a tad late.. her band goes on anyway

Gwen soon has bigger issue's though as The Rhino shows up to kill her dad and while she's able to stop that, he bear hugs her, nearly crushing her.. but like any spidey, she has a near unstoppable will in he and thus cleverly beats him.. by drumming her way out.

She then FINISHES it by punching the fucker through a wall.

God damn is every spider person's first fight going to one up the next one? I mean we've gone from scaring a thug to near death, to fighting an electric man who knocked out their universes avengers equivleent with ease, to drumming a guy , beating him some more than putting him thorugh that fucking wall, Frank Murphy Style. By the time we get to spider-ham is he just going to whip out a machine gun on funny animal mysterio? We'll fine out I suppose

It's here I gotta stop to comment on Robi Rodregueiz' art. It's gorgeous, stylezed, being very remincent of ditkos but with more of a colorful pop to it. It's kinetic, in your face and perfect for the character and a large reason why i didn't nope out of this; the character isn't just good because of Pralines and Dick, but because of Rodieguesz art really caputring her form her pain to her punches perfectly.

SO gwen saved her dad.. problem is her dad dosen't know it's her and believe sin due process. Gwen rightly points out the problem in that: she didn't kill peter but thanks to JJJ a blood thirsty mob thinks she did and will try and kill her before trial, and that's not getting into the cops who tried to shoot her on sight. Captain Stacey vows to bring her in no matter what it takes.. so Gwen has to pull her trump card, throwing earlier words he said back at him.

It's a beauitful speech that sums up why she's like this: it's her responsiblity> She has the power, she has to use it and going to jail just to prove she's innocent helps no one. Her innocence helps no one. But this.. this can help everyone. George reluctantly lets her go and an emotoinal ending, Gwen's father letting her go both of their futures uncertain and their relationship as father and daughter even more so…. is undercut a bit by this guy.

Yeah look I know who this is, Spider-UK he's also a captain britan, defenders of the crown and the multiverse, long story that naturally for me is x-men adjacent. But to anyone coming in just to see this character after one of her many adaptation apperances or just ucrious is going to be fucking confused. I get this wans't MEANT to lead into an ongoing.. but even story wise puncuating a heartwrenching ending with british spider-man creeping on some random balcony shadowed ominosuly makes him come off more like he's going to add Gwen to some horrifying collection than you know, recurit her to save the universe.

Gwen would go on to the frequently hinted at ongoing and greater hearts btu as a start.. this issue is fantastic. It gets who she is across quick, makes her distinct from our gwen, and all the better than her honestly, and sets a lot of what would make the character famous in stone. It's not a huge shock every version of gwen since has been this nor that this is one of the best spider-man stories in the last decade. Pralines and Dick may suck.. but this story dosen't and is worth checking out for the art alone. Just maybe get it second hand or something.

Next Time we thankfully have a creator who HASN'T sexually harassed a woman as next week we take a look at SP/DR from my boy Gerard Way. Until then keep on swingin and thanks for reading.

[living-with-abhi]

Is Jamali Kamali Mosque still haunted?

Read There - https://www.livingwithabhi.com/post/must-visit-place-for-every-individual-jamali-kamali-mosque-tomb

My first genuine experience with Mehrauli Archeological Park was the latest year around October. That was the point at which I began to find out about lesser-known spots in Delhi. Even though I had visited some lesser-known landmarks prior in different pieces of the city too. As far as I might be concerned, the absolute first landmark that I visited was Qutub Minar.

The second landmark that I had the chance to catch wind of was Adham Khan's burial chamber which I visited double this year. I had no clue if there was a spot named Mehrauli Archeological Park. As far as I might be concerned, it was only the Qutub Complex and that is it.

In January, Jamali Kamali Tomb and mosque were the primary landmarks that I visited in MAP (Mehrauli Archeological Park) this year. The Indiana Jones in me took me to these ways.

At the point when I visited Jamali Kamali's burial place and mosque again in the principal seven-day stretch of December this year, I invested somewhat more energy, getting amazed by the engineering and plan that this landmark has conveyed every one of these hundreds of years.

I have been to Qutub Minar threefold in the day and once in the evening and each time I visited there, I passed before the Archeological Park which I had never known would hold such a fantastic legacy. The burial chamber and mosque of Jamali Kamali are the primary landmarks (however you will stroll along with the limit of Balban's burial place) which you will check whether you enter the recreation center from the Mehrauli Gurgaon street which is the fundamental access to the recreation center or regardless of whether you come from Qutub Minar metro station (Yellow Line).

It was awful for me to miss the burial place of Jamali Kamali for such a long time when I visited Qutub Minar. Even though the burial chamber of Azim Khan fascinated me, sitting on a rough plinth and being plainly noticeable from the street that to I had quite recently overlooked it during each one of those occasions. Landmarks like Jamali Kamali make me gaga for this city living with such legacies for quite a long time.

Being not very a long way from Delhi when I was in school, this capital city was about Red Fort and Qutub Minar. When I moved to Gurgaon in 2010, that radar extended somewhat more, and afterward, I moved to Delhi and presented myself to the unexposed parts of the city that I never read in secondary school history course books.

History of Jamali Kamali Tomb and Mosque – The Sufi Poet and His Disciple

When I say Delhi is home to hundreds of unknown monuments that lack proper documentation, Jamali Kamali's tomb, and mosque are no exception. Historians have different theories to establish the truth behind the history of Jamali Kamali's tomb and mosque. Yet, it is not certain if all those theories are true or not, and even if those theories are true, then to what extent? Moreover, you don’t want to believe more than one theory since you need a concrete source that can lay the foundation of the facts.

I went through an hour or so burrowing the data about the set of experiences behind the development of Jamali Kamali's burial chamber and the mosque however all I got was a sack loaded with realities with various speculations. Only one out of every odd hypothesis upholds the other. Subsequently, I gave up very much like others, since there are no verifiable records that can be accepted. Yet, there is no decision. As far as I might be concerned, large numbers of these realities seemed like fables.

I was perusing the blog entry composed by somebody. He has referenced plenty of hypotheses that history specialists have put for Jamali Kamali mosque and burial chamber. Indeed, before we talk about the authentic foundation of these landmarks, we should initially discuss Jamali Kamali.

It is said that Sheikh Hamid Fazlu’ullah was a Sufi saint and poet who was known by different names including Sheikh Jamal-ud-din Kamboh Dehlwai (Jamal Khan). Jamali was his pseudonym. He was born in a Sunni merchant family and came to India when Sikandar Lodhi was in power. He was known for his wonderful poetry. Sikandar Lodhi himself was a poet and it is said that he was so impressed by Jamal Khan’s poetry that he would get his work corrected by Jamal Khan.

Individuals called him Jamali since they were intrigued by the lovely words he would pen down. The Urdu word Jamal implies positive quality and excellence. Jamal Khan was a follower of Sheik Sama-ud-noise who was additionally a Sufi artist. At the point when Mughal crushed Lodhi and set up their force, Jamal Khan turned into the court artist during the standard of Babur and Humayun. He lived there till his demise.

The Urdu word Kamal implies wonder. Very little is thought about this other individual Kamali. He actually stays a secret. It isn't sure if he was Jamali's pupil or who he was actually. History specialists have put various speculations to build up the beginning of Kamali. However, a large portion of them are confounding and one thinks that it's difficult to trust in any of them. Since the two of them used to live respectively, it is said that he was named Kamali since it rhymed with Jamali. Also, that is the explanation the two of them are known as Jamali Kamali. Here are a few stories that I went over while finding out about Jamali Kamali burial place and mosque on the web:

– Kamali was a worker who served Jamali.

– Kamali was a writer and Jamali assumed praise for his verse.

– Kamali was Jamali's better half and later, she was depicted as a male.

– Kamali was Jamali's darling and the two of them were gay.

There is a great deal to be perused at this pointless to accept. Indeed, even Kamali's genuine name isn't referenced anyplace. Karen Chase has referenced their gay relationship in her book "Jamali Kamali – A Tale of Passion in Mughal India." I additionally read that Kamali kicked the bucket before Jamali.

Presently we should discuss the set of experiences behind the Jamali Kamali mosque and burial place. Since Jamali was a popular artist and Sufi holy person in the Mughal court, he had an incredible impact. If online realities are to be accepted, Humayun constructed Jamali Kamali's burial place after Jamali's passing. The landmark is supposed to be worked around 1528-29 and completed around 1536. Jamali was covered hereafter his passing.

Researchers likewise express that the verse that is referenced in Guru Granth Sahib had a place with Jamali. Baba Farid who composed the verse was a devotee of Qutubdin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Be that as it may, I don't know whether this depiction is valid or not. In this way, I am not getting it. If you know anything about it, do tell me.

Design of Mehrauli's Jamali Kamali Mosque and Mausoleum

The mosque of Jamali Kamali is set in an encased nursery. The mosque is worked of red sandstone alongside marble embellishment. The mosque has a chance lobby and a yard. The mosque has one vault and five curves just as a focal curve. As the curves move to the focal curve, their size increments. The focal curve is the biggest which has spandrels. These spandrels are enhanced with emblems. You will discover mihrab on the dividers just as engravings from the Quran. The edges of the mosque have octagonal pinnacles. The mosque has adorned arcades that actually hold the carvings and improvement however they have been endured at a few spots. The mosque is viewed as the heralds of the relative multitude of different mosques that worked during the Mughal time frame.

The burial place of Jamali Kamali is all around brightened. The level roof of the chamber is intensely brightened and put. The roof has been painted with blue and red ink just as it has engravings from the Quran. The dividers of the chamber have been improved with shaded tiles alongside sonnets composed by Jamali. The burial place has been enhanced wonderfully to such an extent that briefly, you will want to enter a gem box. There are two graves. One has a place with Jamali and one has a place with Kamali. These graves are fabricated near one another and on the off chance that you see them interestingly, you will imagine that the two of them were darlings.

The burial place of Jamali Kamali remains bolted and has been fixed to stay away from the pubic section. Since the landmark doesn't add anything to business the travel industry, in this way, the passage entryway of the burial chamber has been fixed. The dividers of the mosque have turned into love letters which you will see when you come here. Individuals have composed their names on the dividers which are pitiful. There is a demonstration in the constitution however not uphold.

Ticket and Timing of Jamali Kamali Tomb and Mosque

Jamali Kamali Tomb and mosque are among the landmarks to visit without a passage ticket in Delhi. The circumstance should be from 10 AM to 6 PM. You can without much of a stretch reach here from Qutub Minar metro station which is the closest metro station. Since it is situated in Mehrauli Archeological Park, there are a few different landmarks inside the recreation center which you should visit when you come here.

I visited the Jamali Kamali mosque and burial place in January 2020 interestingly. The second time I visited here was in the main seven-day stretch of December 2020. A considerable lot of the landmarks in the recreation center were shut while some were open which didn't sound good to me like Jamali Kamali mosque was open while Balban's Tomb which is simply inverse to the mosque was bolted. Rajao ki Baoli was open while an obscure burial place simply inverse was shut.

Myths About Jamali Kamali

There are a few fantasies about Jamali Kamali's burial place and mosque and these landmarks are known to be spooky. Individuals have encountered paranormal exercises here in obscurity. They have heard voices, creatures snarling, somebody's breath close to the ear, or they have had dreams of white lights and something frightful. It is likewise said that jinns live here. These are concocted stories as they were.

The burial place and mosque were revamped by ASI before the Commonwealth Games of 2010. The burial place and mosque of Jamali Kamali may not add to the standard of the travel industry of the city yet add a ton to the legacy. That is the explanation, for the most part, legacy darlings come here. You will not get any guide here. On the off chance that you need to investigate the recreation center and its landmark, possibly you should do it all alone or you need to contact the legacy walk coordinators in Delhi.

#adventureblogger #travel #tourism #Municipality #jamalikamali #haunted #place #myths #heritage #monument #mosque #tomb #historicalsite #travelgram #travelblog #jamali #kamali #tomb #mosque #heritage #mehrauli #archaeology #archaeologist #asi #delhincr #DelhiSultanate #delhitravel #delhitravelblogger #travelblogger #traveller

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Pack Mentality

With all the praise that Soul was getting for it’s gorgeous animation and brilliant narrative, half of which i would agree with, there were rumblings of it being the absolute favorite for the animation Oscar this year, And then a challenger appeared over on the Apple TV upstart; Wolfwalkers. It was this beautifully animated, especially considering it’s hand-drawn, a lost art in this age of Pixar and Dreamworks. After seeing a preview, i was instantly smitten. I had to see this film. I had to know if it was as great as everyone said.

The Good

Yo, this film is absolutely stunning! Seriously, it’s easily the best looking movie I've seen all year. Soul is an exceedingly close second but the fact that all of this is hand-drawn gives it that edge. I’m an Eighties kid so stuff like stop motion animation, practical effects, and hand-drawn animation will always carry more weight with me because i grew up with all of it. It’s fast becoming a lost art and I'm glad that there is a studio out there still willing to give this type of animation a shot. Like, holy sh*t, that way the Wolfwalkers see the world? are you kidding me??

I just gushed about the animation, itself, but i have to make note of the actual aesthetic. I love this type of stylized art. It reminds me of that old school, Cartoon Cartoon-esque, look. I’m talking Gendy and MacKracken. It looks like something completely different from the domination of that Cal Arts style from the past decade, a complete breath of fresh air. I love when content comes through, completely unique unto itself, but absolutely outstanding, nonetheless.

Tomm Moore is the director of this thing and writer of this thing. It’s got his stink all over it, which makes since, since he was the person who brought us The Secret of Kells. That film, too was absolutely stunning and played out like nothing else released that year. Tomm reminds be a lot of Travis Knight, the cat who runs Laika and makes all their stop-motion pictures. I adore the fact hat these studios are keeping the old styles alive while simultaneously delivering some of the best animation content out there.

I really like the plot to this flick, man. It’s kind of your run-of-the-mill, man versus nature, odd couple pairing, story but it’s told with such passion and reverence. This isn’t Pocahontas or Ferngully. y can tell the message is there but it’s definitely a distinct narrative crafted by Moore, one that he has been developing for a few years. You definitely feel that dedication in this flick and its all the better for it.

The music in this film is as much a character as anyone else. My, goodness, do these songs cue your emotions. Music and animation often go hand-in-hand, more so than live action films, so you absolutely need that soundtrack to hit in just the right way. The once created for Wolfwalkers is near perfect for the content. All of these Celtic rhythms and percussion are divinity for the ears.

As this is an Irish production, I’m nowhere near as well versed in this cast as i am with US productions, but Eva Whittaker and Honor Kneafsey are outstanding as the two leads,  Mebh Og MacTire and Robyn Goodfellowe. Their scenes together are amazing and the chemistry shared is surprisingly genuine. Sean Ban also comes through and delivers a commanding, yet, caring performance as Robyn's stubbornly overprotective father, Bill Goodfellowe and the horrifying cruel antagonist, Oliver Cromwell, is given life by Simon McBurney. Maria Doyle also makes an appearance as Mebh’s mother, Moll MacTire. It’s a limited one but has incredibly impact on the overall plot.

The pace of this movie is pretty nice. It moves smoothly, getting you where you need to be with a gentle push. There is no fat around this story so it’s pretty streamlined. That focus makes for a properly engaging watch and a rather entertaining one to boot.

The Bad

This thing is properly animated. While i think this is wonderful, it will definitely turn off older people and cats who think animation is for kids. Cartoons are for kids and they happen to be animated. This is a fantasy tale steeped in Irish folklore that just happens to be animated. It has to be animated. The way this thing pays out, there’s no way it could be live action or CG. Even so, the very fact that it is animated will limit the audience willing to give it a chance an that is a crying shame.

This thing is an exclusive to Apple TV. I don’t know anyone who has Apple TV and the fact that it’s got such a tiny platform to call home, really limits the amount of exposure this film is going to get. It’s f*cked up because it is, arguably, the best animated movie released this year. Like, i loved Soul because it spoke directly to the blackness in me but, as a film, as a creative endeavor born from pure creativity? Wolfwalkers craps all over Soul. I loved both of these films but the artist in me demands that Wolfwalkers be given the respect and exposure it so rightfully deserves. That ain’t happening on Apple TV.

The Verdict

I adore this film. Absolutely love it. Celtic mythology is my third favorite after Egyptian and Greek so seeing it brought to screen so vividly was a true experience. Celtic myth never gets the shine it deserves. I am grateful for Moore and his Cartoon Saloon are making incredible works and Wolfwalkers is another in a small but acclaimed library. Moore also brought us The Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea, both excellent in their own right. Wolfwalkers definitely continues that pedigree with gorgeous visuals, a story filed with heart and emotion, outstanding performances, particularly form the two leads, and a brilliant vision of a world steeped in Celtic lore.