Song of the Sea (2014)

If you ever watched 'The Secret of Kells', you will never think of skipping it. Though, people watch it in the interest of the Oscar connection. From all the nominees it is the clear winner according to me, even far better than the real winner 'Big Hero 6'. The American Academy Awards had failed to recognise the true ingenuity. That does not stop win the heart the of millions of children around the world. As for the adults, it makes you feel young again for a while. Lots of humour in it with faint emotions at the end along the kids favoured flavour throughout.
Far East and far West film industries ruling the animation production, but Tomm Moore from Ireland is trying to open the new gate from the European division. Not many people are aware of him, one more movie and its success may lead to the greater heights for sure. This animation technics are very unique, but not the first time in the use.
The character illustrations were cuter to enchant the young kids. Watching the movie is like reading a children's storybook with the large pictures everywhere and a couple of lines of words in the corner of the page. Like the anime in Japan and 3D animation in Hollywood, this would mark the Euro on the map. There are many animations are made and still making in Europe, but this one is the new perspective of hope to reach all the major and remote places of the Earth. Wish it moves in the right direction.
If you had known how all the fairy tales work, you would feel you can predict this story because, you know defeating evil, breaking curses, the happy endings are the usual part. So what matters is the storytelling, how well the stories are presented on the screen. This film excels in that point, and the music is the another highlight of the movie. Whoever the music director/composer I must praise him. Almost a year ago I saw the trailer for the first time and I felt like I already loved the movie, mainly because of the music.
''Hold this shell to your ear and listen carefully. You will hear the song of the sea.''
In his earlier movie the director told a simple and short story extraordinarily, and still I hum that beautiful 'Aisling song' sometime. This movie had a wonderful adventure story of a boy called Ben and his little sister Saoirse. In the journey of running away from an owl witch, the magical creatures and an ancient seashell guide them a path. On the right time the title song makes the way to delight next 10 minutes of the crucial segment in the narration. I love the original version, in Irish even though I don't understand. It was good and catchy, even for the grown ups as well. Feels like, want to visit those places from the movie, but sadly our only option is Disneyland, huh.
Disney and Studio Ghibli are the king and queen of fairy tale movies. No one would, but if you are mildly fed up of those, here the new dimensional fresh tales from the Ireland's folklore. Though, it sets in the modern world, but does not abandon to bring the key factors. Like the ancient meet the modern world with the same intensity. Kind of new to hear the words like Selkie, Macha etc., but, brand new for the people who live thousands of kilometers away in the different continents. Animation movie fanatics would love it, but if there are any children like niece and nephew in your home or visits you, watch it with them on that occasion and you would feel differently.
9/10

This is a gorgeously told tale from Celtic mythology that follows the adventures of the young "Ben" and his sister "Saoirse". Their mother died whilst giving birth to the girl - who is unable to speak - and they lived in an isolated lighthouse (I'd love that!) with their widowed dad "Conor" until being sent to live in the big city with the grandmother. The colourful narrative now follows the pair as they determine to get back home to their dad. Along the way, we discover that "Saoirse" is no ordinary girl, and that her powers, thanks to "Ben" and his fairytales, might enable both of them to engage in a challenge to free some magical creatures trapped in the realm of the humans. The animation is charming, the characterisations likewise - they are well developed and retain their innocence and childishness throughout. The soundtrack is also a thing to enjoy - a typically Gaelic affair with haunting melodies and jaunty themes that all add richness to this simple but intriguing story. This is a fascinating vein of legend that is really underdeveloped by cinema internationally. Here we have a delightful introduction to those stories and this really is well worth and hour and half of anyone's time.