Song of the Sea Review - NP Approved

Song of the Sea (2014)

Director: Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt
Country: Tomm Moore
Genre: Animation | Family | Fantasy
Country: Ireland | Denmark | Belgium | Luxembourg | France

Editor’s Notes: Song of the Sea is currently playing in Toronto at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

Every year moviegoers are treated to CGI-animated blockbuster fare. It’s easy to dismiss it as just the way animated films are done now. However, there’s brilliance and craftmanship in all forms of animation and when it works, it’s perfect. It just so happens that Tomm Moore’s Song Of The Sea.

The storybook plot is heartwarmingly poignant and uplifting at most points. The artwork is gorgeous. It’s a traditionally animated film with a bit of CGI, which makes the feat all the more awe-inspiring. 

The selkie is a Irish mythological creature that lives as a seal in the sea and becomes human on land. They’re kind of like mermaids and many of the tales involve shape shifting and falling in love with earth dwellers. Song Of The Sea is based on this myth. Ben (David Rawle) is a little boy who lives in a lighthouse by the sea with his sister Saoirse and his father, Conor (Brendan Gleeson, a recognizable voice indeed). Conor mourns the mysterious loss of his wife, while Saoirse at six has yet to utter her first word. Saoirse finds a a shell instrument and a coat that belong to her mother: the instrument plays captivating music and the magical coat that turns her into a seal when underwater. After an incident, the children are sent to live with their grandmother. Ben soon realizes that his sister holds a mystical connection to their mother. Together they try to find their way back home with the assistance of their giant dog named Cú.

 The music is a big part of that too. Infused with Gaelic fare by composer Bruno Coulais and folk band Kila, they utilize organic instruments and poetic lyrics. The mixture results in a nuanced playing with history and oral traditions.

The storybook plot is heartwarmingly poignant and uplifting at most points. The artwork is gorgeous. It’s a traditionally animated film with a bit of CGI, which makes the feat all the more awe-inspiring. As the children travel through a mixture of real life and underworld magic, the scenery lights up in the corners with enchanted filigree. The images are simplified 2-D sights, (rendered by Genndy Tartakovsky of Samurai Jack) with saucer-eyed people and creatures. It’s different to see that kind of hand painted animation nowadays, but it works well for this film. The audience may not know who all of these mythical creatures are or their histories, but the ethereal details forge intrinsic connections with the viewer. The otherworldliness of the film lies in the soft crashing of the watercolor waves, the meditative looks at sleeping giants, and the playful colors in the kooky beings that inhabit it.

The music is a big part of that too. Infused with Gaelic fare by composer Bruno Coulais and folk band Kila, they utilize organic instruments and poetic lyrics. The mixture results in a nuanced playing with history and oral traditions. While Saoirse is mute, she can sing a magical song that brings the otherworld to life. This is a beautiful statement for the importance of musical heritage for Irish peoples and their culture. The viewer gets lost to the details and brought back to the story through the constant interaction of soundtrack and art. It’s a gorgeous sight to behold in such a little film.

Some of the film is sad, most of it is just a joy to behold. Ultimately it is a moral tale that cautions us to remember the great things that we might not see directly with our eyes.