I struggle to find the word that describes movies like "Song of the Sea" and "Secret of Kells" because because it needs to be a word that means joyful, dazzling, and haunting while at the same time quiet, unpretentious, and simple. I had the privilege of seeing a screening of "Song of the Sea" at CTNx this past November, and I just saw it again in the theater. Maybe its just my pregnancy emotions, but I cried streams of tears both times I saw it. I cried not just because the story and the characters were so touching, but also because films like this feel very personal on an artistic level. I sometimes feel so cynical about my own career and the state of animation in general that when something like this comes along, it shakes me up. This isn't really a review- I just wanted to say I really loved the film. There are lot of great contenders for Best Animated Feature this year and I couldn't say without bias which film is best, but if "Song of the Sea" wins, I will cheer very loudly. If you haven't seen it yet, please go throw money at it at a theater near you.
