Peter & The Wolf (2023)

“Beware. For Wolves come in many disguises.”

Sergei Prokofiev’s classic musical fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf” is a story that’s been adapted, and adapted, and re-interpreted, and remade, and rebooted, for sheer decades. My first introduction to “Peter and the Wolf” was the animated adaptation from an episode of “Tiny Toons Adventures,” and since then the story pops up every now and then for modern audiences. This one is written by musician Gavin Friday and the one and only Bono, both of whom originally collaborated on this story to produce a book to benefit the Irish Hospice Foundation. Their version is brought to screen thanks to Gavin Friday who offers up a minimalist but beautiful truncated take on the original story.

Grieving 12-year-old Peter who is now in the care of his grandfather after enduring the loss of a parent; upon hearing stories of a wolf on the loose, Peter decides to explore the vast meadow and forest nearby to try and find the wolf himself. Along the way he encounters creatures that help him on his quest while contending with hunters aiming to win a prize for capturing the wolf.

The work by Gavin Friday does a great job of creating stark menace, and an inherent sense of whimsy. Along with the great hand drawn animation, the setting is comprised of realistic landscapes and wooded areas. This feels like a missed opportunity as the animators could have really transformed the woods in to a horrifying backdrop for Peter’s inevitable encounter with the wolf. Nevertheless, the animation is stark and imposing enough, even with a lot of the mood punctuated by the heavy black and white shades. The film does offer up splashes of red every now and then intended to foreshadow the inevitable violence the wolf would inflict.

“Peter and the Wolf” is a very good interpretation of the original story with some contemporary themes perfectly balanced with the classic ideas about survival, the way we perceive each other, and the crucial cycle of nature. It’s also a bittersweet look at grieving loss and how we can pay homage to our dearly departed ones. “Peter and the Wolf” is a worthwhile adaptation teeming with talent, and I had a great time with it.

Now Streaming Exclusively on MAX.