A Song of the Sea
Directed by Tomm Moore
Produced by Tomm Moore, Ross Murray, Paul Young, Stephan Roelants, Serge Ume, Marc Ume, Isabelle Truc, Clement Calvet, Jeremie Fajner, Frederik Villumsen, Claus Toksvig Kjaer
Screenplay by Will Collins
Story by Tomm Moore
Starring David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Lisa Hannigan, Lucy O’Connell, Jon Kenny, Pat Shortt, Colm Ó Snodaigh, Liam Hourican, Kevin Swierszcz
Music by Bruno Coulais & Kíla
In the vast ocean of streaming material, there lay a host of little noticed or undiscovered gems, magical beings under the water waiting to bring beauty and song to our mundane lives.
A Song of the Sea is one such gem, an authentic animated telling of the legend of the selkie. Released in 2015, this Irish/European production did well only in China (!) grossing just $850,000 outside of China. As often happens with financially orphaned films and series, Netflix bought it up on the cheap, and it’s now getting the attention it deserves.
Seals of Approval: a review of A Song of the Sea
Directed by Tomm Moore
Produced by Tomm Moore, Ross Murray, Paul Young, Stephan Roelants, Serge Ume, Marc Ume, Isabelle Truc, Clement Calvet, Jeremie Fajner, Frederik Villumsen, Claus Toksvig Kjaer
Screenplay by Will Collins
Story by Tomm Moore
Starring David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Lisa Hannigan, Lucy O’Connell, Jon Kenny, Pat Shortt, Colm Ó Snodaigh, Liam Hourican, Kevin Swierszcz
Music by Bruno Coulais & Kíla
In the vast ocean of streaming material, there lay a host of little noticed or undiscovered gems, magical beings under the water waiting to bring beauty and song to our mundane lives.
A Song of the Sea is one such gem, an authentic animated telling of the legend of the selkie. Released in 2015, this Irish/European production did well only in China (!) grossing just $850,000 outside of China. As often happens with financially orphaned films and series, Netflix bought it up on the cheap, and it’s now getting the attention it deserves.
The animation and art contain elements of Miyazaki and early Disney, with the Irish landscape and magical worlds beneath creating a stunning tapestry of scenes that will take your breath away. The tragic story of the selkie is both powerful and fragile in the telling, with many a misstep that might ruin the mood and turn it into farce. This movie makes none of those missteps, weaving a tapestry of legend and loss and love, creating an absolutely beautiful tale. It will leave you in tears, not from the sadness, but from the beauty. The characters, human and fae, are rich and extraordinarily real. Ben and Saoirse, the brother and sister are as realistic a depiction of children as a tale based on magic can possibly be. The animals in the movie, both seals and the dog Cu, are ordinary animals. They don’t talk, they don’t make wise cracks, but they play vital roles. The fae, of course, are different, particularly the Great Seanachai, whose vast mane of hair contains stored memories in each strand, but who has virtually no memories of his own.
The story is unabashedly Irish, and no effort is made to Americanize it. That doesn’t detract from the story; it adds a level of credibility that is often lacking in American animated stories from various old lands.
It’s an amazing movie that deserves far more attention than it has thus far received.
Now on Netflix.
The animation and art contain elements of Miyazaki and early Disney, with the Irish landscape and magical worlds beneath creating a stunning tapestry of scenes that will take your breath away. The tragic story of the selkie is both powerful and fragile in the telling, with many a misstep that might ruin the mood and turn it into farce. This movie makes none of those missteps, weaving a tapestry of legend and loss and love, creating an absolutely beautiful tale. It will leave you in tears, not from the sadness, but from the beauty. The characters, human and fae, are rich and extraordinarily real. Ben and Saoirse, the brother and sister are as realistic a depiction of children as a tale based on magic can possibly be. The animals in the movie, both seals and the dog Cu, are ordinary animals. They don’t talk, they don’t make wise cracks, but they play vital roles. The fae, of course, are different, particularly the Great Seanachai, whose vast mane of hair contains stored memories in each strand, but who has virtually no memories of his own.
The story is unabashedly Irish, and no effort is made to Americanize it. That doesn’t detract from the story; it adds a level of credibility that is often lacking in American animated stories from various old lands.
It’s an amazing movie that deserves far more attention than it has thus far received.
Now on Netflix.