100% Wolf is an Australian animated adventure fantasy comedy film directed by Alexs Stadermann and produced by Alexia Gates-Foale and Barbara Stephen.[6][7][8] It is adapted from Jayne Lyons' 2009 novel of the same name. It features the voices of Jai Courtney, Samara Weaving, Magda Szubanski, Rhys Darby, Ilai Swindells, Akmal Saleh, Rupert Degas, and Jane Lynch. The film follows a teen boy who is part of a werewolf family. When his first transformation turns him into a poodle, he sets out on an adventure to prove he belongs.
| 100% Wolf | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alexs Stadermann |
| Written by | Fin Edquist |
| Based on | 100% Wolf by Jayne Lyons |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Heidy Villafane |
| Edited by | Simon Klaebe |
| Music by | Ash Gibson Greig |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Studio 100 |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes[2] |
| Country | Australia[3] |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $8.1 million[4][5] |
100% Wolf was produced by Flying Bark Productions and released on May 29, 2020, by Studio 100. It received generally mixed reviews from critics and grossed $8.1 million worldwide.
Plot
editFreddy Lupin is the young heir to a werewolf pack that has been protecting their local town for years and does not get along with dogs. When he attempts to follow his family during their nightly patrol using a magical moonstone, he loses the moonstone to an ice cream man called Foxwell Cripp, and his father Flashheart apparently dies after falling from a cliff while trying to save Cripp. Freddy's uncle, his father's brother, Hotspur, becomes the new pack leader.
Six years later, the time comes for Freddy to experience his first wolf transformation, but despite the encouragement of long-term housekeeper Mrs. Mutton, he is humiliated when he turns into a poodle instead. Faced with the disdain of his pack, Freddy is challenged to prove his wolf status by moonrise the next day or risk being banished. Freddy decides to try and retrieve the moonstone from Cripp, who is now obsessed with proving that werewolves exist.
While searching in town, Freddy befriends Batty, a stray dog also known as 'Houndini' for her ability to escape the dog catchers consistently. Batty leads him to Cripp and they manage to retrieve the moonstone. They are later both caught by dog catchers and placed in the Coldfax Dog Pound, which is actually run by Hotspur. They meet three dogs called Hamish, Bruno, and Twitchy. Meanwhile, Hostpur incidentally learns by Cripp himself that a poodle has stolen the moonstone and, at the same time, is informed by online pictures of the dogs on his database that Coldfax has captured his nephew. He goes there, pretending to be willing to adopt the stray poodle but takes the moonstone off Freddy and abandons his nephew to his fate. Freddy reveals to Batty and the others the truth about his family and that he was meant to be a wolf. Meanwhile, Cripp deduces that the Lupins are werewolves.
After an escape attempt goes wrong, Freddy is sent to a pit with 'the Beast', an unknown monster that supposedly eats dogs. Freddy discovers that the 'Beast' is actually Flasheart, whom the dog catchers captured after he was injured by the fall years before. He also learns that a jealous Hotspur left his brother in Coldfax with a silver bracelet to keep him trapped in his wolf state. Batty and the other dogs escape into the vents. They help Freddy free his father and discover that Hotspur is planing to turn all the dogs into wigs. They are all ambushed by Coldfax guards, but Mrs. Mutton arrives to fight after realizing about Hotspur. She and Twitchy stay behind while the others escape.
Freddy, now back in his human form, leads Flasheart and the dogs home where they confront Hotspur. Cripp arrives and attacks the other wolves with a mass of silver concentrate, but Freddy stops Cripp's attack. Hotspur tries to attack while the other wolves are weakened by the silver, but the dogs are able to get the wolves to safety. Hotspur activates the wig-making machine, but Mrs. Mutton and Twitchy free the remaining Coldfax dogs and destroy the machine. Freddy lures his uncle to the mansion roof. Transforming back into a poodle in the moonlight and accepting his form, Freddy lets out a loud roar to affirm his status as an alpha wolf, sending Hotspur falling back into the mansion.
Sometime later, Freddy's reflections reveal that not only have werewolves and dogs gotten on better terms, but the pack has also opened the mansion up to all dogs. Hotspur and his children are reduced to dog-walkers and picking up after the mutts. Coldfax is shut down and the commander arrested. Cripp has taken to selling ice cream at the mansion. Flasheart returns to his old role as pack leader, but he assures Freddy that he is proud of him and believes he will be a good leader when the time comes.
Voice cast
edit- Ilai Swindells as Freddy Lupin
- Jerra Wright Smith as young Freddy Lupin
- Samara Weaving as Batty
- Jai Courtney as Flasheart Lupin
- Rupert Degas as Hotspur Lupin
- Jane Lynch as The Commander
- Rhys Darby as Foxwell Cripp
- Magda Szubanski as Mrs. Mutton
- Akmal Saleh as Hamish
- Loren Gray (US) and Sarah Harper (AUS) as Twitchy
- Michael Bourchier as Lord Hightail
- Kate Hall as Lady Hightail
- Adriane Daff as Harriet
- Liam Graham as Chariot
- Alexs Stadermann as Cerberus and bruno
- Jenna Suffern as Dolph
- James Marsh as Stu the Dogcatcher
- Cam Ralph as Steve the Dogcatcher
- Jessica Window as Street Hawker Dog
Reception
edit
100% Wolf received positive mixed from critics and earned a total of $7.7 million worldwide.[4][5]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 69% based on reviews from 16 critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[9]
A 2 stars out of 5 review Common Sense Media, however, found the film included "mild peril, slapstick violence, scenes inspired by classic horror movies, and potty humor" and had entertaining value but lacked educational content. [10] A 3 stars out 5 review for The Hollywood News stated "100% Wolf capitalises on familiar narrative threads to ensure that family fun is maintained. So get ready for familiar story elements from iconic films including The Lion King, How to Train Your Dragon and just a smattering of The Corpse Bride . By borrowing these elements, it ensures that it gets the young audience on board more easily."[11] While giving the film a similar rating, Tyler Collins, of Oakville News, was much more critical and concluded, "There's no audience who'd get anything of value from seeing 100% Wolf unless you want to be 100% weirded out."[12]
Cath Clarke, in her review for The Guardian, wrote, "Do dog pounds exist anywhere outside kids movies any more? Maybe not, but Freddy's incarceration gives the film its best characters, including a pugnaciously chippy chihuahua and a doberman with a Werner Herzog accent. There's also a funny moment where Freddy, who has been adamant he won't urinate like a dog, can't hold it in any longer and lets rip mid action scene, spraying pee like machine gunfire."[13]
"100% Wolf has all the right elements to it, it just heavily borrows moments and characters from other bigger budget hits. This feels at best an ode to such animations, and at worse aping and unimaginative. Albeit the film is readily consumable because of the former, but a pink-haired werepoodle alone does not make things intriguing enough – even if likeable Freddy wins us all over in the end and prompts calls for Freddy the werepoodle toys from the kids.", commented Lisa Giles-Keddie on HeyUGuys.[14] The Globe and Mail offered a similar appraisal, criticising the film's predictability.[15]
A positive review in The Curb, however, stated, "While the Freo-centric iconography may not be the first thing across every viewers mind, the localised jokes and vernacular will ensure you notice the Aussie-infused charm of 100% Wolf, helping make the distinctly non-Australian story feel comfortably ocker."[16]
Other media
editTelevision series
editA 26-episode TV series spin-off, 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone, screened on ABC ME on December 28, 2020, produced by Flying Bark Productions and Studio 100 Animation.[17] Season 2 (The Book of Hath) aired on ABC ME on May 1, 2023.
Sequel
editA sequel titled 200% Wolf was announced in July 2022.[18] On April 28, 2024, Flying Bark Productions announced via social media that the film would be released on August 8 in Australian cinemas and on August 23 in the United States.[19]
References
edit- ^ "100% Wolf on Premium Video on Demand from. May 2020". May 28, 2020. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ "Animated family feature 100% Wolf receives production funding :Media centre". Screen Australia. Australia: Screen Australia, Government of Australia. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "100% Wolf". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
100% WOLF is an Australian animated adventure in which a teenager from a family of werewolves discovers that his own transformation powers turn him into a poodle.
- ^ a b "100% Wolf". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "100% Wolf". The Numbers. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ "100% Wolf (2019) – The Screen Guide – Screen Australia". www.screenaustralia.gov.au. Australia: Screen Australia, Government of Australia. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ Hall, Sandra (May 27, 2020). "Spirited tale of a wolf in poodle's clothing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Flying Bark Productions Starts Work on '100% Wolf'". Animation World Network. Animation World Network. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "100% Wolf (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ Movie & TV reviews for parents. "100% Wolf Movie Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Kat (July 28, 2020). "'100% Wolf' Review: Dir. Alexs Stadermann". The Hollywood News. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "100% Wolf is 100% Weird: Review". Oakville News. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Clarke, Cath (July 29, 2020). "100% Wolf review – werepoodle is more fluff than stuff". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Giles-Keddie, Lisa (July 31, 2020). "100% Wolf review". HeyUGuys. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Review: Australian animated film 100% Wolf is 100% predictable". The Globe and Mail. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "100% Wolf Review – A Howling Great Time of an Aussie Animation Treat - The Curb". December 31, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Knox, David (December 26, 2020). "Airdate: 100% Wolf". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "200% Wolf (2023) - the Screen Guide - Screen Australia". Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ "Flying Bark Productions' 200% Wolf release date announcement". Facebook. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (January 18, 2018). "'Go Karts,' '100% Wolf' Head Funding Slate for Screenwest, Screen Australia". Variety. Variety.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
