Song of the Sea *** (2014, voices of Lucy O’Connell, David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Lisa Hannigan) – Movie Review

Director Tomm Moore delivers a sweet, warm and appealing animated treat, fascinatingly mixing Irish folk yarns like The Secret of Roan Inish (John Sayles 1994) with beautiful visuals in the design style of Japanese works like Spirited Away.

Lucy O’Connell provides the voice of Saoirse, a little girl who is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who transform from people into seals.

Saoirse escapes from the home of her grandmother (voice of Fionnula Flanagan) to journey to the sea and turn into a seal. And then she goes on an adventure with her brother Ben (voice of David Rawle) to save the spirit world and other fairy creature magical beings like her. Brendan Gleeson is the other star voice as Conor / Mac Lir.

Its quality was recognised when it gained a 2015 Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year.

Moore also provides the story, and the screenplay is by William Collins.

A  €5,300,000 co-production of Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, this movie is from the same studio that brought us The Secret of Kells (2009). Production Company: Big Farm, Cartoon Saloon, Digital Graphics.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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