Review of Song of the Sea (2014) by Mike N — 12 Mar 2015

Irish animation company Cartoon Saloon had only one film previously released in the United States before Song of the Sea, but when that film is the remarkably detailed, stunningly original Academy Award nominated The Secret of Kells, the bar is set incredibly high.

Yet somehow, Song of the Sea rose to meet those expectations and smashed through them with this delightful tale that has all the spark and imagination of the most esteemed of the classic Disney films of yore but infused with a perfect level of Irish lore and mysticism.

The touching tale of a young boy, his immense dog and mute and magical sister is an absolute delight, and the film visually dazzles with Cartoon Saloon's incredible hand drawn animation style, rife with swirling details and fanciful imagery.

From terrifying owls to those insanely adorable seals, Saloon (like the classic cartoons from which they clearly draw their influence) doesn't pull punched on the emotional roller coaster of the kids journey, nor should it, as it crafts a spellbinding adventure about love and family.

With Pixar on the decline, it looked as though Laika (who released their also-worth-a-look The Boxtrolls this year) might take up the torch of the new weavers of dreams, but if after a one-two punch of Kells and Sea, Cartoon Saloon are the ones to keep an eye on now.