I’ve always been kind of saddened by the amount of animation that goes completely ignored in America. Of course, there are a handful of well-liked family films from studios like Disney, Pixar, or Ghibli, but in the minds of most people (in America at least) it feels like animation has been delegated to the position of “mindless kiddy stuff.”  It’s easy to see where this comes from, of course, since for the most part American animation is made for children, but even then I think it’s a shame that people use this as an excuse to write off all animation from anywhere, unless it comes from one of the studios I mentioned earlier. The Oscar’s bias against animation is actually extremely well-documented. There are two articles, one titled “Definitive Proof That Oscar Voters Are Clueless About Animation” and another titled “Proof That Oscar Voters Are Clueless About Animation” on the site cartoonbrew.com that I highly recommend reading if you’re curious about the topic. I bring this up because the general ignorance and disregard for animation means that plenty of fantastic movies go completely ignored, and one such movie, gypped by this year’s Oscars and never heard of by the general public, was the fantastic Irish film “Song of the Sea.”

“Song of the Sea” is the newest animated film from Irish animation studio “Cartoon Saloon” and creator Tom Moore. Several basic story types mix together to create a loose and somewhat barebones, but totally working plot about fantastical adventure tying in with a simple but extremely well written and emotional story about family and loss. The place that this movie shines isn’t in the overarching plot, but in the little pieces that make it up. The movie is about real Irish folklore, which is a really nice change of pace. Of course I should expect it coming out of an Irish film, but either way, it’s an interesting topic that has somehow gone completely ignored in most American animated movies. The movie handles these elements with a fantastic sense of whimsy, and it really feels like something out of Disney or Ghibli. These sequences are incredibly fun to watch for it, but what makes them really shine is how they’re integrated with the rest of the film.

The standout portion of the film focuses on the family aspect. This movie is proof that children’s movies can have brilliant writing. The relationship between our main character, Ben, and his younger sister, Saoirse, is one of the best and most accurate depictions of an older brother-younger sister relationships I’ve seen in an animated film. There’s also some great subtlety in here, there’s a fantastic shot early on of the father’s expression and reaction to his children that says a ton about his character and some of the moments the movie had cleverly skipped over. It’s surprisingly moving for a moment so early in the film, but they nail the tone, subtlety and characters so well that it works really well.

From here the movie has its share of astounding and much less astounding moments. The movie has a tendency to meander a lot, the plot is really loose as I mentioned earlier, and while it usually works, there were moments that I had no idea how plot point A and B were connected. The climax is notable for its family drama and gorgeous animation, but I’d be lying if I said I was as engaged as the movie wanted me to be. The climax felt way more big and emotional then it needed to be or had earned. All flaws aside, the plot and characters of “Song of the Sea” are impressive for how well they work being so simple. The emotional climaxes and moments of character development hit strongly every time; the movie manages to feel important and involving purely on the back of the quality of its parts, even if the whole picture doesn’t seem all that noteworthy to begin with.

Honestly, while I do really like most of the story elements and the characters in “Song of the Sea,” they may not be the best reason to watch this movie. This is by far the most original looking, and best looking animated film I saw from 2014 (and I’ve seen most of the major releases). First of all, this movie is traditionally animated! Not drawn and animated on a computer, but entirely hand drawn, and while both techniques have their merits, it’s unbelievably refreshing to see a traditionally animated movie again. The style has a particular charm to it, a more natural, more artistic look that can’t be perfectly emulated on a computer. Even then, “Song of the Sea” goes above and beyond in this department, with its art generally being super stylized, using basic line art with incredibly intricate backgrounds and a keen eye for detail, with tons of little visual patters integrated on to — this movie uses a ton of swirls and curving lines. The movie is interestingly directed, with lots of unusual and abstract shots that can only really make sense in the medium of animation. It never goes off the deep end into super “abstract” territory, and it all has a really unique and beautiful flair that even super-high budget animated movies can’t usually obtain. It’s not the prettiest animated movie I’ve ever seen, and far from the most visually unique, but it certainly is something special, it’s the type of film I’d love to see more often.

The gorgeous visuals are accompanied by an almost equally gorgeous soundtrack. The movie has a lot of what you’d expect from an animated family adventure film, a few big orchestral tracks to compliment the more standard “big” moments, and they’re about standard. The movie shines in a few other regards though, there are a few surprisingly atmospheric tracks, some more upbeat and some creepy. There are a few somber tracks, which sound distinctly Irish, with lots of wind instruments, and what sound like smaller string instruments, which play over the family centric scenes of the film. Easily the best of the soundtrack however, are the vocal tracks. The movie has a few vocal insert songs which are just incredible; they’re somber, melancholy, atmospheric, and beautiful all at once, and really make some of the scenes in this movie. While it is forgettable in places, the soundtrack makes up for it in spades with its highlights.

“Song of the Sea” is a good movie, maybe not a great one, but still very solid. It integrates a lot of interesting themes into a classic folktale adventure film and delivers on some fantastic emotional scenes with its good cast of characters. The general production of it impresses me the most, thanks to some gorgeous, unique visuals, and a very strong, fitting soundtrack. The movie has a light, adventurous atmosphere with a nice emotional core, making it seriously feel like a movie from Disney or Ghibli. I liked the animated films which were popular this year, but I feel like this was the strongest of the bunch by far, and it’s a major shame to see something so great go almost completely ignored. This is the kind of work that deserves more attention.