Within the fantasy genre, keeping comparisons in cinema may not be the thinnest of the ice as many a fan-favorite productions tend to take root in the minds of the viewers. This makes it all the more interesting to view Woodwalkers, a film with an Austrian-German origin that is eager to enter the fantasy zone with its story. The film narrates the story about a boy named Carag who appears to be an ordinary boy but in fact is a metamorph who is a half human half puma.
From Child to Warrior
Carag, however, having been raised in mountains and volcanoes becomes attracted to the urban centers and wishes to adopt a human lifestyle even against his parents’ wishes. At the age of eleven he is brought to the police in Jackson Hole as a lost child who cannot remember anything from his life. This is the first step towards his endeavor to find a place in a society he considers alien.
After a lengthy two years away from the forest where he had spent his earlier childhood, Carag, now going by the name of Jay, has found himself in Jackson Hole attending fifth grade. However, the integration process is not as simple as he has thought – he gets mocked and rejected leaving him feeling out of place. Later, he finds solace at Clearwater High School, a boarding school for half human half animal creatures.
Harry Potter Influence
Woodwalkers has a rich cast including Emile Chérif as Carag, Oliver Masucci as Russell Vuk, and Martina Gedeck as Bridget. A sneak peek at the film trailer makes one question the interesting storyline behind the movie, which has left many viewers split. Many people have noticed that the movie is similar to the famous saga of Harry Potter. It succeeds in such aspects as pulling off a magical boarding school, a trio dynamic with two sidekicks, that are school’s enemies and a brutal antagonist.
The film is based upon a cycle of nine books by Katja Brandis which could be the reason why there is so much focus on the plot and characters to be making comparisons to that in the movie. Woodwalkers has managed to stir excitement among viewers with its interesting plot as it focuses on the magical forests, which were filmed in Germany and the Alps last summer.
Release Information
Woodwalkers will be released in German cinemas on November 21, 2024, and is the first of three films: the second and the third ion are expected to be released in 2026 and 2027. Although no dates have been given for the international release, there is strong expectation that this adaptation of Brandis’s most popular series shall capture world attention in the same manner as Brandis’s books.
With the development of this genre, Woodwalkers like its predecessors is an interesting new work in the field, presenting its own kind of adventure and magic but easily appealing to characteristics similar to those found in the Hary Potter series.