It's good to know that even in the new 10s, we can still get traditionally animated films of this quality, after even Disney has given up on them. Song of the Sea is of course done with a smaller budget, but you honestly couldn't tell, mostly because the animation style is so simplistically beautiful and partly because of the skill of the animators.
Like their previous film, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea is heavily rooted in Irish folklore and mythology, which is exactly the right choice because we're once again treated to an amazingly deep, layered and emotionally mature story. This time our story follows the life of a young girl named Saoirse (Lucy O'Connell). Her mother was called away when she was born and now she's living on a small island with her dad, Conor (Brendan Gleeson), and brother Ben (David Rawle). Yet she has never uttered a single word in her life, and slowly the past of her mother and the secrets of her own origin start to unravel.
Song of the Sea shines because of the complexity and personality of its characters. You're instantly pulled into the mythology of Ireland and the film is very skilled in explaining and showing the intricacies of its lore without shoving it down our throats. The various mythic characters are especially interesting, threatening, sympathetic and intriguing, all at the same time.
Yet the movie's biggest problem are also some of its characters. Mainly the children. Saoirse is fine, even if a bit passive to my liking, but Ben is simply annoying. He's very much your stereotypical whiny little brat, who thinks he's entitled. And yeah, there are good reasons for it, one of them simply being that he's at that age, but it's still annoying. I wouldn't even complain all that much, but there is a way to make an annoying brat without it being annoying to the viewers.
But, luckily Ben has his redeeming qualities as well, so it's nowhere near enough to ruin the film. Song of the Sea is absolutely worth a watch if you liked The Secrets of Kells or if you're still looking for new traditionally animated films.
Like their previous film, The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea is heavily rooted in Irish folklore and mythology, which is exactly the right choice because we're once again treated to an amazingly deep, layered and emotionally mature story. This time our story follows the life of a young girl named Saoirse (Lucy O'Connell). Her mother was called away when she was born and now she's living on a small island with her dad, Conor (Brendan Gleeson), and brother Ben (David Rawle). Yet she has never uttered a single word in her life, and slowly the past of her mother and the secrets of her own origin start to unravel.
Song of the Sea shines because of the complexity and personality of its characters. You're instantly pulled into the mythology of Ireland and the film is very skilled in explaining and showing the intricacies of its lore without shoving it down our throats. The various mythic characters are especially interesting, threatening, sympathetic and intriguing, all at the same time.
Yet the movie's biggest problem are also some of its characters. Mainly the children. Saoirse is fine, even if a bit passive to my liking, but Ben is simply annoying. He's very much your stereotypical whiny little brat, who thinks he's entitled. And yeah, there are good reasons for it, one of them simply being that he's at that age, but it's still annoying. I wouldn't even complain all that much, but there is a way to make an annoying brat without it being annoying to the viewers.
But, luckily Ben has his redeeming qualities as well, so it's nowhere near enough to ruin the film. Song of the Sea is absolutely worth a watch if you liked The Secrets of Kells or if you're still looking for new traditionally animated films.