Song of the Sea - Review
How do you judge animation? I mean - specifically - for awards. Here’s some wild thinking but shouldn’t the talented makers of movies filled with imagination and computerised or hand-drawn creations be judged through their ability to tell a story and push the technical boundaries of film as well? Repeatedly, however, it feels as though bigger award ceremonies seem to favour the money-makers (the original rump-shakers) and how entertaining they are to children. Which is why, inexplicably, Disney snatched this year’s Oscars from the likes of How to Train Your Dragon and this film, Song of the Sea.
Whilst Big Hero 6 mightily soared in box office takings, the story missed the mark and wasn’t as thought out of a masterpiece as Tomm Moore’s captivating Song of the Sea was. And during the screening I was at, children were mesmerised by the animation and the story which ultimate is a telling sign that - despite being hand-drawn and intelligently away from the norm - Song of the Sea was as much a joy for children as it was for critical adults.
Song of the Sea revolves around a happy family living off the coast of Ireland in a Lighthouse. Mother Bronagh, son Ben, father Conor and sheepdog Cu all excitedly wait for the arrival of a new baby - a daughter. However, Bronagh disappears in the night and leaves behind newborn Saoirse. Years later, Ben is resentful and bitter against his mute sister. When their grandmother comes to visit for Saoirse’s birthday, a supposed accident leaves Saoirse washed up on the shore, causeing the pair to be shipped away from their father to stay with the old woman. Unhappy and homesick, Ben absconds on Halloween with Saoirse quickly following him. However, on this fateful magical night - Ben is about to discover that there is something special about his sister that could lead them on an unforgettable adventure.
Simply put this film is divine. The hand-drawn animation is enhanced with enriching colour and vibrancy that echoes of the team’s achingly gorgeous talents. The visuals are plentiful, leaping off this 2D background without the use of computer trickery. Each panel - heck, each space - is utilised to tell the story in all its dreamlike splendour. Engrossing from the beginning, Moore’s work draws you in and delicately weaves a story with its blissful artistic stream. Each colour palette is splashed onto the screen to flesh out this fairy-tale. Your eyes will be wide with wonder as the creatures and mystic trickle happily on screen and softly coo your emotions out of you. It feels so redolent - a haunting remind of how animation should be - a combination of the classic and the modern that stalks the screen with this beauty.
Moore is also able to gift us unforgettable characters. From the wise old man, who may not be as all-together as hoped, bouncing off a cave with his hairy antics to the witch Macha who’s transformed into an owl; each is greatly envisioned and ooze with this uniqueness. That being said, with Macha - our misunderstood antagonist - her enlarged stone line figure that climbs the stairs with wide eyes and anger could easily be matched with the greatness of Studio Ghibli. But Moore is weary to make these figures his own and whilst you may harken back to Totoro or Spirited Away, Moore’s original vision speaks louder volumes.
Children and adults will be amused and captured by Song of the Sea. As the story is told from Ben’s perspective, and sometimes his sisters, it’s not hard to sympathise with his plight despite being edgy towards Saoirse. Moore makes an impact by implementing Ben’s struggle into the animation including a terrific mapping scene as Grandmother’s car clunks along the pages of Ben’s own drawings which is impressive use of his children protagonists's imagination.
Whilst a film of such nature could easily have thrown chunks of the story away and replaced it by the exquisite animation, Moore adeptly balances the visuals and the story making it a powerful watch. Coercing the depths of your emotions from within, the story’s folklore - though not based on anything specific - feels as ancient and splendid. Told fervently well through the animation and our two children bouncing across Irish countryside, it’s almost as though your favourite grandparent (though not the one on screen) has sat you on their knee and softly embellished the tale like her mother did when she was a babe. It’s terrifically written with a stirring centre that takes Ben and Saoirse on an emotive journey as well as a magical one.
I’d love to sit here and say, “This. This is the defining scene of the film” but the moment I did, I reeled off a hundred more. That being said the finale is spectacular and I urge you not to well up at the vision on screen as it brightens your very core. Song of the Sea has everything you’d want in family entertainment without damaging the culture they are showing. Plentiful in danger and joy, Moore’s animation triumph is a cinematic classic. It should, making waves around the UK this weekend, be seen by all and be awarded as such in upcoming ceremonies such as BAFTA.
But putting the industry aside, for a moment, Song of the Sea really echoes with it's excellent nature and you’ll be singing its praises forevermore.
Song of the Sea is out July 10th