Song of the Sea (2014)
Animation has long been used to transport audiences to magical worlds that break the walls of traditional reality. Due to this, animation has naturally found a strong relationship with human mythology that often does the same. Cartoon Saloon has become one of the leading animation studios when it comes to this relationship with director Tomm Moore creating one of the strongest animated trilogies in recent memory pulling from Irish Folklore and mixing it with the magic of childhood, the 2nd of which being 2014's Song of the Sea. Ben (David Rawle) is a young boy who lives on the Irish coast alongside his father Conor (Brendan Gleeson) and sister Saoirse (Lucy O'Connell) and is still dealing with the disappearance of his mother. As his grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) tries to tear him and his sister away from their father and to the city to live with her, Ben starts to put the pieces together and see that his family and specifically his mother might have had ties to Irish Mythology.
The immediate thing that will stand out within Song of the Sea - as with most Cartoon Saloon projects - is the animation. In a time where most major animation studios seem incredibly focused on creating as realistic CGI animation as possible, it cannot be expressed how refreshing it is to see a sizable animation studio like Cartoon Saloon take risks and give instantly iconic and memorable pieces of animation. Each feature the studio puts out feels unique and inspired, with Song of the Sea being no different. The color palette captures the coastal soul while the smoother line work and background art create a world that feels right out of a storybook. It is the perfect blending of complex visual ideas and simplistic execution that creates a world that lives and breathes magic with a distinct oceanic salty edge. There is simply no other animated feature that feels like Song of the Sea that makes it stand out to this day even years after its release.
The blending of mythology and reality also is a clear standout from the project. Even for audience members who know absolutely nothing about Irish Mythology going into the film, Song of the Sea does a rather spectacular job at introducing the various figures and stories that Tomm Moore clearly holds close to his heart and bringing a modern life to them. At no point does it feel like the inclusion of these myths are out of place or disconnects the audience from the story, but instead enhances the overall project. Similar to something like Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko, using these myths of yesterday to find a modern emotional core to the world around the audience today is not only incredible clever but carries a weight. It is clear that these myths are living and have a deep identity to them established long before production on the film ever even started, and rather than try to change that the film plays with it to find something of legitimate value. It is incredibly special and rare but when accomplished truly leaves powerful results.
The voice acting throughout the film is also rather impressive. Where established actors such as Brendan Gleeson clearly give solid performances, the younger members of the cast also really wow in their roles. David Rawle specifically really serves as the emotional heartbeat of the film mixing mythology, plot drama, and childhood wonder all together into a competent package. This is no easy task - especially only having a vocal performance to work with - but the young actor turns out something that is rather spectacular and easily would go down as one of the strongest voiceover performances of the year. The one area where it feels like Song of the Sea does drag a bit is in its beginning. Specifically within the drama of Ben's grandma trying to take him and his sister away to the city, it does feel as if the film becomes a bit by the numbers without really adding much to the overall story. It seems like this side plot is more to simply fill up the film's 93-minute runtime. Where this side plot is far from painful to sit through, it simply feels more forgettable and boring than the rest of the powerful feature.
Cartoon Saloon has proven time and time again to be one of the most exciting animation studios working today and Song of the Sea fits right into that narrative. Almost standing as a modern-day Studio Ghibli, Song of the Sea speaks to everything that makes the studio stand out as much as it does. From the inspired animation to the layered story that pushes the traditional narrative for animated features and what they represent in modern culture, Song of the Sea is incredibly special and important and as amazing of features studios like Pixar are creating in their own right, there is something about Cartoon Saloon and their projects like Song of the Sea that feel just a bit more special at the end of the day.
The immediate thing that will stand out within Song of the Sea - as with most Cartoon Saloon projects - is the animation. In a time where most major animation studios seem incredibly focused on creating as realistic CGI animation as possible, it cannot be expressed how refreshing it is to see a sizable animation studio like Cartoon Saloon take risks and give instantly iconic and memorable pieces of animation. Each feature the studio puts out feels unique and inspired, with Song of the Sea being no different. The color palette captures the coastal soul while the smoother line work and background art create a world that feels right out of a storybook. It is the perfect blending of complex visual ideas and simplistic execution that creates a world that lives and breathes magic with a distinct oceanic salty edge. There is simply no other animated feature that feels like Song of the Sea that makes it stand out to this day even years after its release.
The blending of mythology and reality also is a clear standout from the project. Even for audience members who know absolutely nothing about Irish Mythology going into the film, Song of the Sea does a rather spectacular job at introducing the various figures and stories that Tomm Moore clearly holds close to his heart and bringing a modern life to them. At no point does it feel like the inclusion of these myths are out of place or disconnects the audience from the story, but instead enhances the overall project. Similar to something like Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko, using these myths of yesterday to find a modern emotional core to the world around the audience today is not only incredible clever but carries a weight. It is clear that these myths are living and have a deep identity to them established long before production on the film ever even started, and rather than try to change that the film plays with it to find something of legitimate value. It is incredibly special and rare but when accomplished truly leaves powerful results.
The voice acting throughout the film is also rather impressive. Where established actors such as Brendan Gleeson clearly give solid performances, the younger members of the cast also really wow in their roles. David Rawle specifically really serves as the emotional heartbeat of the film mixing mythology, plot drama, and childhood wonder all together into a competent package. This is no easy task - especially only having a vocal performance to work with - but the young actor turns out something that is rather spectacular and easily would go down as one of the strongest voiceover performances of the year. The one area where it feels like Song of the Sea does drag a bit is in its beginning. Specifically within the drama of Ben's grandma trying to take him and his sister away to the city, it does feel as if the film becomes a bit by the numbers without really adding much to the overall story. It seems like this side plot is more to simply fill up the film's 93-minute runtime. Where this side plot is far from painful to sit through, it simply feels more forgettable and boring than the rest of the powerful feature.
Cartoon Saloon has proven time and time again to be one of the most exciting animation studios working today and Song of the Sea fits right into that narrative. Almost standing as a modern-day Studio Ghibli, Song of the Sea speaks to everything that makes the studio stand out as much as it does. From the inspired animation to the layered story that pushes the traditional narrative for animated features and what they represent in modern culture, Song of the Sea is incredibly special and important and as amazing of features studios like Pixar are creating in their own right, there is something about Cartoon Saloon and their projects like Song of the Sea that feel just a bit more special at the end of the day.