With new releases being few and far between, thanks to a little insignificant virus by the name of COVID-19, thousands of parents around the world are in desperate need of something to entertain their little ones as we fluctuate in and out of lockdowns and life restrictions. Fortunately for them, and the rest of us, Disney launched their own streaming service and released some exclusive content onto it such as; the remake of Mulan and, on Christmas Day, Pixar’s new film, Soul. Not only that, but now I’m here to tell you that there are more international animated films you can distract your little ones with, such as the Australian Werewolf film 100% Wolf.
The film tells the story of Freddy Lupin, an enthusiastic young werewolf yet to transform for the first time. When the day finally comes for him to transform and take control of the pack, something strange happens. Instead of turning into a wolf, he transforms into a poodle. Dogs are one of Werewolf’s greatest enemies, thus, Freddy is shamed for his transformation and is given 24 hours to retrieve a sacred stone he lost 6 years ago in order to prove his worth to his people and take the mantle as their leader. However, if he should fail, Freddy will be banished from the pack forever.
100% Wolf is really only for 50% of those watching as it is a kid’s film rather than a family film. By this I mean the narrative is incredibly predictable, the dialogue is extremely derivative and generally it isn’t for anyone who has known how to read and write for several years. I can’t have too much of a problem with the film being only for kids, despite how lazy the film making often feels. The real problem I have with 100% Wolf is that it feels uninspired and references many far superior films throughout its runtime.
The setup of the film is essentially a Lion King checklist. A young boy set to be leader one day? Check. A king who dies from falling from a great height? Check. A bitter uncle who throws his family under the bus the seize power? Check. They even have their own rip off version of pride rock for Christ’s sake. Not only that, but the animation style looks like an uncharacteristic version of the animation Illumination pioneered with Despicable Me. Because of this look, the film feels like a mash up of Hotel Transylvania and The Secret Life of Pets and overall, the film is about as good as the most mediocre sequel from either franchise.
Overall, 100% Wolf is a film best used as a distraction for the littlest of children so that the adults may get on with better things. Derivative, uninspired and with references to better films, 100% Wolf is a kid’s movie with a hard emphasis on the word kids. There are one or two glimmers of intelligent storytelling, such as the uncle’s kids being locked in the attic, which makes a surprisingly satisfying conclusion in the third act, but it isn’t nearly enough to satisfy audiences teenaged and older. Nonetheless, if you’re a fairly new parent and need the little shits to shut up for 90 minutes, then 100% Wolf may be 100% the film for you.
100% Wolf shall be released on digital platforms on November 23rd and on DVD on November 30th