[Irish Week] Movie Review: Song of the Sea

As I was an au pair in Co. Galway, the kids I was minding told me everything about it (they saw it twice and almost hit the three time, since they wanted me to see it too)...

I rememebered it was a mix of Irish legends and stories, but I've never thought they could melt one another so well!

This animated movie was in cinemas while I was in Ireland, but while there I chose to watch other movies. I saw Song of the Sea recently (it came out last month here in Italy). 
Here's to you, my review and thoughts!
Read More

Ben lives with his father Conor and pregnant mother Bronach on a little island, (the father is the lighthouse keeper) and can’t wait to meet the new member of the family. But one night, just before he falls asleep, he sees his mother running away, saying she was sorry…

6 years have passed and Ben treats his sister Saoirse really bad, always yelling at her and making fun of the fact that she still doesn’t talk. He’s really mean to her, especially during her birthday, which is also their mother’s disappearance anniversary…after a not so pleasant birthday celebration, Saoirse finds a beautiful shell in Ben’s room and start to play with it, not knowing that shell was her mother’s and has a special power.

Saoirse follows the trail of lights that came out thanks to the shell's sounds and ends up swimming with seals, becoming a white seals herself. But when her grandmother discovers she isn’t in the house and finds her on the beach, forces Conor to let Ben and Saoirse go back on the mainland with her…of course, the children don’t want to leave and Ben blames his sister for all his problems! 

As soon as they get to granny's house, Ben tries to escape and Saoirse follows him...that's when they uncover an incredible truth about Saoirse, their mother Bronach and all the fairytales she used to narrate to Ben when he was younger...

My Opinion

"Song of the Sea" is what you'll get if you give Disney/Pixar 'Inside Out' theme to Studio Ghibli to develope it. 
It's a journey through what was thought were only legends and old stories and for a brother and sister to really bond. The graphic is original and 'old style' (not made with computer graphics, but pencil drawings and watercolors), the story fascinating and heart melting...I now see why it has been nominated at the Academy Awards as Best Animated feature earlier this year!

Ranking: 4/5

Photo credits: juiceforbreakfast.com & allocine.fr