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10

calmckeonDec 28, 2015

One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), and this is the only animation I have ever seen that is an equal in terms of heart and soulfulness, the story isOne of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), and this is the only animation I have ever seen that is an equal in terms of heart and soulfulness, the story is enchanting, the characters ones you fall deeply in love with, I wanted to watch it again the moment it ended, I haven't felt that way in a long time, it reminded me of why I first fell in love with the art of cinema and story telling.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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8

nutterjrDec 31, 2015

A visually stunning animation masterpiece that will take you on a magical colourful journey with mythical creatures, folklore and legends.The kind of fairy-tale I'd imagine Celtic grandmas would read as bed time stories to children on a coldA visually stunning animation masterpiece that will take you on a magical colourful journey with mythical creatures, folklore and legends.The kind of fairy-tale I'd imagine Celtic grandmas would read as bed time stories to children on a cold winter's night in Ireland and for moments in that film I felt as if I was cast under it's spell.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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10

anasarbescuNov 5, 2015

One of the.most,amazing,film i have ever seen! I could even say a work of art, starting with the graphics and ending with the soundstrack. At times i would think that the creators were on acid! :) And the story, so different from all theOne of the.most,amazing,film i have ever seen! I could even say a work of art, starting with the graphics and ending with the soundstrack. At times i would think that the creators were on acid! :) And the story, so different from all the disney boring one, interesting and magical about mythical creatures and miracles. I knew it's a highly recommended movie, but i'm really impressed, didn't expect something so good.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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9

SpoiledTurnipsJan 25, 2015

Song of the Sea is a brilliant sophomore effort by Tomm Moore (director of Academy Award nominee The Secret of Kells). With gorgeous watercolor backgrounds and moving music, this heartrending story of a know-it-all boy, his magical yet silentSong of the Sea is a brilliant sophomore effort by Tomm Moore (director of Academy Award nominee The Secret of Kells). With gorgeous watercolor backgrounds and moving music, this heartrending story of a know-it-all boy, his magical yet silent sister, and their trusty dog stumbles only slightly on its way to a mesmerizing, climactic finale.… Expand

5 of 6 users found this helpful51

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9

BetAApr 4, 2015

A beautifully moving film with wonderful music and art, that is rare in the times of CGI animation. The homeward bound story of Ben and his selkie sister, Saoirse, is touching on a spiritual level and may very well leave you in tears.

IA beautifully moving film with wonderful music and art, that is rare in the times of CGI animation. The homeward bound story of Ben and his selkie sister, Saoirse, is touching on a spiritual level and may very well leave you in tears.

I try to avoid giving 10s because masterpieces don't come everyday, but come the next time I see this film, I may regret my score choice.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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9

LeZeeApr 3, 2015

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 realIf 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 fairytales 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… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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9

sidsin21Mar 21, 2015

One of the most heart warming animated movies ever. Brought to mind the works of studio ghibli, fantastic mr. fox and other great movies of the animation canon. It's a wonder it didn't win the Oscar!

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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9

ColginatorJul 16, 2015

From the opening sounds as we first hear the hypnotic "Song of the Sea" it is clear that this film is something special. It's a Celtic song that a pregnant mother sings to her 4 year old son to tell the tale of the Selkie, a mystical creatureFrom the opening sounds as we first hear the hypnotic "Song of the Sea" it is clear that this film is something special. It's a Celtic song that a pregnant mother sings to her 4 year old son to tell the tale of the Selkie, a mystical creature with the power to live as a seal at sea and human on land with the ability to carry the spirits across the oceans. Shortly after this he wakes to find his father clutching his new born sister in his arms, with his mother disappeared.

6 years later, the young boy named Ben (David Rawle) has grown to be a grumpy child who has been raised by his father Conor (Brendan Gleeson), neither of whom have been able to get over the loss of a mother and a wife. He's raised along with his sister Saoirsie who has yet to speak a single word despite nearly reaching six years old. But the relationship between Ben and his sister is troubled, as he often treats her with much disdain and distance. He loves his sister as any brother would, but blames her for the loss of his mother at the same time causing him to to act out at times.

This difficult situation leads to the children's grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) to take them to the city of Dublin, away from the lighthouse and the sea in the hope of having them finally recover. But Ben misses his home, with the lighthouse being one of the few things left to connect him to his mother and sets off to journey home. On his journey he encounters the mystic creatures of Irish folk lore that he was enamoured with as a child from giants made of stone to an aged creature who contains the memories of every mystic creature in his long beard. From these creatures Ben discovers that his sister is a selkie and he must return her to the sea so she can sing the selkie's song to release the souls of the mystic creatures.

Unlike the standard computer animated films that have become too commonplace, Song of the Sea is lovingly drawn with hand drawn animation. It's truly imaginative in its visuals at times creating beauty in the mundane through creating the streets of Dublin and having gorgeous bright lights engulfing the town at night. At others it creates the mystic land of the sea and the sight of the seals swimming majestically against the rough waves or giants emerging from the ocean's depths. It is constantly beautiful and carries with it stunning attention to detail bringing the world to life through incredible touches including dust particles floating in the sunlight, creating a world to behold through its more traditional take on animation.

Whilst the film explores the entirety of Celtic legend, the core of the film remains its characters and how they deal with their bereavement and depression. Each character deals with their pain in a different way with some removing their emotions entirely due to not being able to handle them any longer or becoming obsessed with the past when they were happy. With this we get great emotional depth from all the characters as we can understand and even possibly relate to all the pain that they are going through. But the centre relationship is the heartwarming relationship between Ben and his sister. He is going through a difficult period of his life, at times being selfish and even cruel because of his his reeling from the loss of his mother. But as the film goes on we watch many beautiful scenes where we see he is a brother willing to go any length to save his sister.

I could draw all kinds of comparisons about this films to other animated gems. I could say that it has the sense of childlike wonder that you see in a Disney film. I could say that the film delivers the same spirit of adventure of a Ghibli film. But comparisons like this do the film a disservice. This film stands in its own right delivering a unique animation style and focus on Irish culture not quite like any I've seen before. It is truly a masterpiece.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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8

lasttimeisawApr 19, 2015

Five years after his Oscar-nominated feature debut THE SECRET OF KELLS (2009), which unfortunately I’ve yet to watch, the Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore’s second film SONG OF THE SEA continues to capitalise on the ancient mythology with theFive years after his Oscar-nominated feature debut THE SECRET OF KELLS (2009), which unfortunately I’ve yet to watch, the Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore’s second film SONG OF THE SEA continues to capitalise on the ancient mythology with the traditional hand-drawn animation technique, and again becomes a dark horse on this year's Oscar race of BEST ANIMATION PICTURE.

keep reading my review on my blog, please google: cinema omnivore, thanks… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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9

kussygonzalezAug 1, 2015

Gorgeous film on all fronts. Beautifully written and has great music. It really digs deep into the motivations and flaws of each character. I wouldn't really say it's for exclusively children, there are some adult themes. I bawled like aGorgeous film on all fronts. Beautifully written and has great music. It really digs deep into the motivations and flaws of each character. I wouldn't really say it's for exclusively children, there are some adult themes. I bawled like a baby. Watch it!… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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9

Iky009Oct 1, 2015

It's a beautiful animation to see, there's no telling something, charming in every way, from its familiar narrative, that high contrasts with its fanciful nature, enriched with his thunderous visual power, and a gorgeous soundtrack. Of courseIt's a beautiful animation to see, there's no telling something, charming in every way, from its familiar narrative, that high contrasts with its fanciful nature, enriched with his thunderous visual power, and a gorgeous soundtrack. Of course it is hard not to cling to the soft Saoirse (read '' sircha '') is a very cute character.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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10

NerdConsultantJul 11, 2015

Song of the Sea is one amazing film. I absolutely loved it. There is never a dull moment on screen, it’s absolutely visually stunning. This film had a real danger of being style over substance but the acting talent as well as the brilliantSong of the Sea is one amazing film. I absolutely loved it. There is never a dull moment on screen, it’s absolutely visually stunning. This film had a real danger of being style over substance but the acting talent as well as the brilliant story and direction make sure that is not the case. It’s one brilliant, brilliant film. I loved the characters, I loved the visuals, the animation was sublime ,the soundtrack is one of the best I have heard in a long while. It’s a really amazing celebration of Irish culture and Folklore. People (inclding myself) call Hayao Miyazaki the Walt Disney of japan well after this film I say Tom Moore is the Miyazaki of Ireland because he’s bringing his imagination to life through animation and a lot of animators should watch this movie to see how it’s done… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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8

DanBurritoOct 16, 2015

I, like many, had never heard of this movie until it got nominated for the Oscar. Then, the following year it came out in Ireland, where I live and I decided to check it out. It was a bit slow in parts but overall, I really enjoyed it. TheI, like many, had never heard of this movie until it got nominated for the Oscar. Then, the following year it came out in Ireland, where I live and I decided to check it out. It was a bit slow in parts but overall, I really enjoyed it. The animation was breathtaking and the cast were great. I strongly suspect that the kid who voiced Ben (Also known for "Moone Boy") might have a successful career ahead of him. Now, as I mentioned, there are parts where it get too slow, but when the pace picks up, it's well worth it. Very good movie, recommended for fans of old mythology.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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8

HerlyantiJan 6, 2016

This animated movie is so so so beautiful. I really love the animation. Looks so different from any other cartoon movie. But sometimes it's a lil' hard to get the drawings. Only sometimes, esp when there are so many objects on the screenThis animated movie is so so so beautiful. I really love the animation. Looks so different from any other cartoon movie. But sometimes it's a lil' hard to get the drawings. Only sometimes, esp when there are so many objects on the screen that made it looked complicated. I also love the music. So soft in my ears.
It's an Irish classic (where I finally learned how to pronounce "Saoirse" in the right way haha). The story itself reminds me of the legend of Danau Toba or The Mermaid. Well, it's different actually. Only a few part of the story and the character that looks similar. The saddest part is when Ben had to part with his dog, Cu.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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4

YellowKirbyOct 21, 2015

Too long, too slow at bits and quite boring at times. The story seems to wander at times, and it spends too much time showing off the art style (one of its few redeeming qualities). And the pacing is atrocious... its too slow at the start,Too long, too slow at bits and quite boring at times. The story seems to wander at times, and it spends too much time showing off the art style (one of its few redeeming qualities). And the pacing is atrocious... its too slow at the start, too fast in the middle...

Honestly, if you're looking for a good-quality animated film, try Pixar or Studio Ghibli.… Expand

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

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1

scrimpledimplesNov 28, 2015

First of all, I would like to qualify the rest of this review by first explaining that I enjoy sleepy films about nothing; I'm a massive fan of the films of Bill Forsyth, Wes Anderson, Raymond Briggs and perhaps more appropriate as aFirst of all, I would like to qualify the rest of this review by first explaining that I enjoy sleepy films about nothing; I'm a massive fan of the films of Bill Forsyth, Wes Anderson, Raymond Briggs and perhaps more appropriate as a comparison here, Sylvain Chomet. I was drawn to this by its aesthetic, and came to it really wanting to enjoy it.

The inlay of the DVD box carried the weight of a hundred stars, from a number of respectable publications, but as I only happened upon this by chance in the supermarket and wasn't even aware of it until today, despite its academy award nominations et al. With this in mind, it isn't like I had massive expectations or been subjected to hype it couldn't possibly live up to.

The film is indeed visually appealing, as expected, with fluid animation and nicely stylised characters and environments. Unfortunately, and quite unexpectedly, that is where the enjoyment ended. The pacing is atrocious, and the film seems directionless as it meanders to a... conclusion, I... guess? Contrary to what other reviewers have said, I fail to see much in the way of empathy or compassion exhibited in the characters, the 'jealous bratty brother who eventually comes good' is over-done to the point of being largely unlikeable and the few 'touching' scenes seem tokenistic. The Illusionist manages to convey a lot of emotion, character and unspoken back-story in a few on-screen seconds, even without dialogue; and our relationship with the elderly couple of When The Wind Blows are built by their keenly detailed semi-detached bungalow, family photo mantles and the cherry tobacco familiarity of a grandparent. The characters are puddle deep and storytelling in general is vague, and feels largely like Spirited Away rewritten based on Celtic folklore. Using "largely" in that last sentence is a lot kinder than the "blatantly" I felt it deserved. It feels almost as making the story vague and leaving deliberately large gaps between the lines is not to create healthy ambiguity for your imagination to fill, but a cynical attempt at seeming more interesting than it actually is; creating the illusion that still waters run deep and all that.

This film is visually pleasant, but there are a lot of titles out there that manage to be pretty as well as genuinely warm and charming. I really feel that this is being held in higher regard than it should be, perhaps due to a fiercely loyal geographic thing or a desire to support the underdog, which I would usually be all for but this time, sadly not. I fail to see any good in this beyond its visual appeal and I fail to see an audience for this beyond emperor's new clothes hipsters, as it is pretending to be too cryptic for children and it doesn't wear its heart on its sleeve enough for adults.… Expand

0 of 10 users found this helpful010

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7

TyranianApr 13, 2019

Not as good as Secret of Kells but still a very well-made animation with beautiful visuals and music.