Song Of The Sea

Song of the Sea (2014)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Tomm Moore

Starring: The voices include the likes of David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Lisa Hannigan, Finnoula Flanagan, and Lucy O'Connell

From: This is from a few different countries but it was a Cartoon Saloon production

What better film to watch on the night of St. Patrick's Day than one from Ireland... an animated film featuring native voices, folklore, and music. Turns out, I was extremely charmed by this film.

To explain a key plot point, a selkie is a creature found not just in Irish folklore but also in surrounding regions, like Scotland. It's a seal that becomes human while on land. The movie follows a pair of children, siblings Ben and Saoirse (if you ever wanted to know how to pronounce Saoirse Ronan's name, this movie will inform you); Ben does not like his sister for a big reason that is not her fault. In fact, he's real aggravating in general, at least to start out with. Turns out, his sister-who is mute-is a selkie and they go on what turns out to be an important adventure.

In an age of computer animation it is great to see films that still use the traditional hand-drawn style. I watched plenty of cartoons when I was a kid so I'll always have nostalgia for such things. I loved how this movie looked; it was like looking at watercolor paintings in motion, and you'll see many different colors of the rainbow. There's a wide variety of different characters you see on this journey, all memorable. It's a heartwarming story, although some moments are tearjerkers so for some I imagine the room will suddenly seem very dusty...

This is a movie that people of all ages can fall in love with. Most will have siblings so they can especially feel nostalgic for childhood. Me, I have two younger sisters and I do wish I would have been a better brother. At least the sisters are doing fine as adults; as for myself... anyhow, it's a nice journey which blends the real world and the faerie world quite spectacularly and the comparisons to Studio Ghibli are natural. It's a movie I give my... seal of approval to.