Song of the Sea (2014) (Goes well with : Secret of Kells and Ponyo)
Our family is a fan of animation. Sure, I’ve got a 9 and 10 year old so it’s obvious we’ve watched a lot of animation. Sure, I’ve got a 9 and 10 year old so it’s obvious we’ve watched a lot of Disney animation. However, I always yearn for more than the “obvious”. There are film-makers and studios making animation films as vibrant and produced as any Disney film. Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki immediately jump to mind. In fact, he was doing such an amazing job Disney had to snatch him up for the American market and distribute his catalog! Then along comes Tomm Moore and Cartoon Saloon. Our family loved his first movie, Secret of Kells, and I pleased them when the title screen popped up with his follow up. The anticipation was high.
Song of the Sea, like Secret of Kells, is steeped in Ireland. The foreign presentation, to me, is refreshing. We start on a dark watery coast where a family is expecting a new child. The older brother, Ben, promises to be the best brother ever just before mom suddenly feels a pain, apologizes and runs off. The father, Conor, searches in vain for his wife but is left with a son and, now, daughter. Years later he is a broken man years later. His young daughter, Saoirse, has never spoken a word and Ben has grown harsh and jealous of his sister. Soon, Saoirse discovers a white coat and is called to the ocean to swim with the seals it is revealed that she is a mythical creature known as a selkie. Grandmother takes the kids to the city “for their own protection” and they promptly run away to return home. Without her white coat, Saoirse, grows ill and so time is of the essence. Along the way they meet fairies, giants, villainous owls and spirit dogs in a story that shows how a family that has fallen apart can come together.
Selkies are a long time Irish legend. Our family had actually recently run into them in another movie night (The Secret of Roan Inish [1994]) so we were surprise and excited to experience them again. Similar in nature to mermaids the fairies tales have been told for a long time. Song of the Sea is true to the nature of these stories in that often female selkies will often run back to the sea and are strongly tied to their “skins” (or in this case, coat).
Be aware, this is an Irish movie through and through. Accents are thick. My daughter called out after just a few minutes for the subtitles to be put on because “I don’t want to miss a single word”. We kept them on throughout the movie but your ear should attune to the dialect after a bit. During that accumulation you will enjoy beautiful animation but will miss the nuance of the language.
Both of Tomm Moore’s feature films have been nominated for animation Oscar’s and you can see why. I’m not going to go on a tangent about how Oscar’s can be largely crap and no indication of inspiration or ability but instead use that honor as a way to WOW you into believing me before you see this film for yourself. The distinct style of drawing is like that of a child’s picture book come to life. The colors and the world is magical and exaggerated while the story is fantastical but the overall themes are simple. A mixture of smooth, stunning animation with human emotion is perfect for a family movie night.
Overall the themes of love and loss make the movie timeless and epic as any film your kids are used to seeing. While we at first view young Ben as a brat you will be cheering for him to protect his ailing sister as she falls ill and is in need of getting home. Brooding father Conor is completely torn apart at the loss of his wife and then children. He seems to almost live with blinders on as everything falls apart but is brought back to life when his family pieces itself back together. There is also the ever loyal sheepdog, Cu, which quickly won the hearts of the kids. I think our next pet, no matter what it is, will be named Cu.
At the end of this magical journey our family sat quiet. Then someone clapped and we laughed. Days after viewing it I had both kids (and mom) bring up parts of it in conversation. I overhead my daughter telling Mom in the other room that “one day, I’m going to own that movie” and I smiled and thought: “Wonder when I’m buying that for you”. Oh the joys of adulthood.
I dare not give away too much of the magical adventure the characters endure. Just rest assured you and your family are in for an enjoyable time. There are bad guys (it seems) and legends and adventure. As the adult I ask you to also to relax the focus of your eyes a little during the story and stare at the art. The animation is mostly hand drawn and awash with watercolors. Spinning and alive, it is glorious.
Mom says: I loved this!
Best guess : All ages (accents may trip up some viewers)
Grown Up Score: A
Kids’ Grade: We Loved It!