Song of the Sea

I recently got around to finally watching "Song Of the Sea" after a friend recommended it to me about a year ago. The story is about a boy called Ben and his little sister Saoirse, who he begins to realise is more than she seems. The film is by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and, like their 2009 film "The Secret of Kells," the story is rooted deeply in Irish folklore, featuring Selkies, giants and faeries, and tied in lots of Irish folk tales. I loved this about the film as there are practically no other animations or even many films that focus on Irish folklore, and Song of the Sea does it so beautifully in such an interesting way. What I also loved about the film was how they connected different aspects of the story in such clever ways, connecting the 'real world' in the film to the folk stories using the characters, such as the grandmother in the film and her faerie counterpart, Macha the owl witch. I also loved how they explored the idea of grief while also keeping it light hearted and touching. This interplay of reality and fantasy was an element of what made the film so special.

The film is visually stunning on top of having a great story, with beautiful swirling hand drawn animation, inspired by Celtic folk art. I particularly loved the background art in the film, and how you could see a clear difference in the art style between the seaside scenes and the gritty Dublin city scenes.The background reminded me sometimes of Ghibli's 'Spirited Away,' I think because of the painterly qualities and the vibrant colours. The characters were also extremely cute and lovable, not only in design but also personality wise, each displaying different flaws but ultimately realising their mistakes. I think this film deserves to be alot more well known than it is.
Below is the trailer for the film;