Song of the Sea (2015) One of the most beautiful animated films we’ve ever seen (Review)

There is a problem in British Cinema and it’s the relationship with its own mythology and history; go to Korea, Japan, Scandinavia or India and you’ll find numerous movies, cartoons, comic books and other paraphernalia devoted to traditional folklore. British Cinema is more captivated by modern history, politics and its future than a world inspired by its endless sea of myths and legends. Without sounding overly philosophical, you cannot truly understand who you are without knowing who you used to be. Ireland is different, Ireland has Tomm Moore, Ireland has Song of the Sea.

Before Song of the Sea, animation director Tomm Moore made his début with the Secret of Kells, unparalleled artistry in mythology throughout Irish film, folklore and ancient history; with his second feature, he raises his game further setting a legitimate challenge to the grandmaster Hayao Miyazaki.

Ben (David Rawle) is a young Irish boy who lives with his Mum and Dad on a lighthouse island, one day, with the birth of his Sister, his Mother mysteriously wanders into the sea never to be seen again. This was no freak accident it was, in fact, an introduction to a mythical world of faeries, spirits and Selkie (a Celtic variation of the Mermaid, only a seal) only Ben was too young to understand at 4 years old. In spite of promising his missing Mother to be the best Big Brother possible the now 10-year-old treats his Sister horribly, blaming her for the sudden disappearance of his Mum. A treatment that is firm and unrelenting until that mystical fate reintroduces itself with Saoirse taking after her Selkie Mum.

Panic-stricken and against their Father’s (Brendan Gleeson) wishes, the two children are moved to mainland Ireland to live with their Gran, kick-starting a chain reaction in the world of myths and legends. Saoirse is much further from the sea than ever before and without her Selkie coat, influences conspire to harm the girl; but that isn’t all, the mythical world needs her (the Last Selkie) at full strength and the restorative powers of her song. This starts an adventure for Ben to save his Sister and the hidden world.

Fantasy is all well and good, but if it doesn’t have a human grounding it can be little more than spectacle. Despite having all the trappings this is a story about sibling rivalry within a coming of age story, both of which are eminently relatable and depicted with strokes of sensitivity, subtlety and empathy a world away from the heavy-handed tropes adopted by other Western animation studios. The role of familial guilt in Western animation is frighteningly underutilised, Song of the Sea is both a mature and intelligent family film. This is a world away from the reductive nonsense used to placate kids and give tired parents some respite – looking at you here, Dreamworks.

The earlier comparison to Hayao Miyazaki is an entirely deliberate one, in many of the Japanese auteur’s films there was a degree of ecological symbolism, Moore’s film has a similar intent. This is a modern Ireland and the mythical influence is not what it used to be, the countryside is scattered with shrine-like statues which become fallen faeries in Moore’s hands. It’s an inspired detail turning such mundane fixtures found anywhere in British or Irish countrysides into something magical. Such incidental details are used to discuss how modernity and Man have steam-rolled over the world we once occupied – for both its meaning and world-building intent it’s very touching; very Miyazaki.

Like the Secret of Kells before it, Song of the Sea is a staggeringly beautiful film especially with the implementation of digital techniques. Moore’s art direction is almost as if a picture book came to life, with its picturesque and literal 2D there is little like it in the world of animation today. Akin to a film with inspiring cinematography, it sometimes becomes hard to keep track with it being all too easy for the imagery to consume you with its unparalleled beauty. This is apparent at every level, even the mundane moments in the lighthouse are beautiful, so, for moments where the kids enter the mystical world, well, it shoots for the moon, hitting it head-on. No failure among the stars here. Moments which are more overt in their strive for beauty are beyond superlatives. Animation generally translates better to Blu-Ray, than live-action, Song of the Sea goes that one step further – it is a reason to invest in Blu-Ray.

The Song of the Sea is the best-animated feature of 2015 and it does it without any fanfare or a promotional juggernaut, it achieves this by doing everything well – sound design, storytelling, art direction, animation and acting. There is no aspect of the film that isn’t as good as it possibly could be. This melancholic tale of mystery and discover can only be described one way, Song of the Sea is an instant animation classic.

Thanks for reading our review of Song of the Sea

For more Movie talk, check out our podcast CINEMA ECLECTICA Song of the Sea features on episode 38