I couldn't make it to any of the showings in LA, so sadly I've missed the opportunity of a big screen experience (at least until there's another special showing) but nevertheless I am really looking forward to seeing this. If the watching experience is anything like TheSecretOfKells, it won't be long before I forget where I'm watching anyway.
I'm so very glad this film got nominated for an Academy Award so it's fairly widely known already.
This and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya seem to have people talking more and more about folktales again. I've even noticed that shift in many of the articles (by non-Disney-allied media) about Cinderella too. They're either about the costumes or are looking at the variety of Cinderella stories and why we're still telling that story today. That's very different from just a couple of years ago.
For Song Of The Sea, I'm curious to see all the old and 'new' folklore blended in as well as see how they handle a selkie story. One of the best made family fairy tale films I know is The Secret Of Roan Inish - a quiet but gorgeous film that isn't at all flashy but still has a very strong sense of magic. High time I dusted that one off and showed it around again!
The medium for Song Of The Sea is different, of course, but it sounds just as down to earth in many ways and that can only be a good thing.
You can currently pre-order this from Amazon at a special price, so that's great if you can take advantage before it's released on March 17th as well, otherwise, go grab yourself a little Irish gem for St. Patrick's Day!
Here are the Special Features we can look forward to:
Audio Commentary with Director Tomm Moore
Behind the Scenes with Optional Commentary from Director Tomm Moore
Animation Tests with Optional Commentary from Director Tomm Moore
Notably missing is The Lego Movie, and it appears everyone is surprised since it's been considered THE film to beat - all year. (The Lego Movie has been considered one of the best movies of 2014, not just a good animated film, and I'd have to agree. It, too, has classic fairy tale elements, [anyone up to doing a fairy tale elements in The Lego Movie guest post?], though they're far less obvious shown in lego form, but that's part of it's genius. It's one of the reasons I think it resonated so well.)
But Song of the Sea and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya nominations are both well deserved nominations and are to be enthusiastically congratulated, especially since they are essentially quiet achievers without big marketing machines behind them to make people take notice. (Distributor GKids - who represents both - must be tickled pink at the news.)
In other The Tale of The Princess Kaguya news, a Blu-ray and DVD are on the way! Coming February 17, 2015, the movie will be released in English with this cover:
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear we'll be able to watch it in the original Japanese with English subtitles, but people everywhere are hailing this as a classic. I even saw the quote: "One of the most important films ever made.." I haven't had time to research the translation and English dubbing to see people's thoughts on those but I'm really pleased we're going to be able to see it and have the option to get a copy to keep.
The LA Times published their interview with Song of the Sea director, Tomm Moore today and while they are clearly very impressed with this artist and storyteller, a bonus was to hear Mr. Moore's perspective on the importance of folklore:
"We've (the Irish) become more consciously part of the Anglosphere, part of the English-speaking world," Moore said. "But what kind of a society do we want to have? There is something important in the folklore, in the stories that links people to their environment and where they're from that's worth remembering. You lose a lot more than just stories when you lose folklore."
NPR also did a brief but lovely review of the movie HERE, complete with movie soundbites, which is worth listening to. (I've tried a number of ways to embed it with zero luck, unfortunately. It's worth the extra click-through though.)
At least one of Cartoon Saloon's* upcoming projects (did I mention this Academy Award nominated team are Indie filmmakers?!) look like they will be delving back into folklore as well.
We are very happy about this!
Cartoon Saloon's next film will be about a little girl in Afghanistan and will be directed by Twomey; then Moore will tackle another Irish folklore tale, set during the time when Oliver Cromwell was ridding Ireland of wolves.
*Tomm Moore's independent studio, where both The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea were made.
Do you remember the selkie movie, Song of the Sea, I've been excited about for some time now, being made by the creators of the Academy Award nominated film, The Secret of Kells? It's finished! And by all reports just as stunning as everyone hoped. It even has MULTIPLE Annie Award nominations (judged by animation peers) including a Best Picture nom as well as Best Director, and is currently playing in select theaters around the US. (Theater details and opening dates can be found HERE).
For other fairy tale people in Los Angeles, it arrives here TOMORROW (which is probably TODAY by the time you all read this, ie. Friday, January 9th.) It also opens in Irvine, CA on January 16th, so two windows of opportunity to see it in LA!
In gorgeous, hand-drawn animation, “Song of the Sea” tells the tale of the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who must race against time on a journey to awaken Saoirse’s powers and save the magical spirit world....
The idea for the film was born during production on “Kells” on the west coast of Ireland, where Moore and his family came across corpses of seals that had been killed by fishermen. A local told Moore that, years ago, the widespread belief that seals were mystical creatures who could contain human souls or transform into humans would have prevented their deaths.
Selkies aren’t the only characters from Irish folklore to be featured in “Song of the Sea”; the film also has the sea deity Mac Lir, as well as the Great Seanachai, or traditional storyteller, and a host of ancient and mystical creatures.
I've included some stills that have been released so you can get an idea of the style. While it looks simplistic, sort of like Kells did, it's anything but and is already receiving high praise from animation critics globally (it's already had screenings in the UK and throughout Europe and at a number of festivals).
Here's the (wonderful!) official trailer, released in December, for those of you who haven't seen it yet:
PRAISE FOR SONG OF THE SEA
“ONE OF THE MOST BLISSFULLY BEAUTIFUL ANIMATED FILMS EVER MADE!It is a gem beaming with awe-inspiring, heartwarming magic. As if wrapped in a blanket made of gorgeous dreams, watching Song of the Sea is a spellbinding experience that captures fantasy in its purest form." - IndieWire
“DAZZLING!” “A marvel to behold!” - Variety
"WONDROUS! DELIGHTFUL!" - The Hollywood Reporter
Doesn't it look beautiful?
And folkloric-ly magical?
I can't wait to see it!
For those who love Celtic music (like me) the Annie Award nominated soundtrack (yes, for that too!) is already available for download via iTunes and GooglePlay.
The 2014 Annie Awards will be held January 31st, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA. While Song of the Sea up against heavy hitters like The Lego Movie and How To Train Your Dragon 2, (both popular, "successful"* and extremely excellent movies), having so many nominations (there are quite a handful!) should help people take special notice of this lovely fairy tale film.
Other fairy tale films in the running for Best Picture at the Annie Awards this year, include The Book of Life and The Tale of Princess Kaguya.
We are spoiled for wonderful fairy tale-esque viewing choices right now!
This is the gorgeous picture awaiting you when you go to the official film website. (I had to grab a screen-cap to entice you!)
The official poster, not yet properly released but on display in the offices at Cartoon Saloon
We've been looking at the conceptual trailer for this selkie movie a couple of years now (at least) but a real, honest-to-goodness teaser trailer means one very important thing: it's almost here! And boy is it GORGEOUS!
The teaser is only a minute but it's so beautiful and artful. Take a look:
Here's the description if you missed it before:
SONG OF THE SEA tells the story of Ben and his little sister Saoirse -- the last Seal-child -- who embark on a fantastic journey across a fading world of ancient legend and magic in an attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. SONG OF THE SEA features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Lucy O'Connell, Liam Hourican and Kevin Swierszsz. Music is by composer Bruno Coulais and Irish band Kíla, both of whom previously collaborated on The Secret of Kells.
No word yet on how GKids will be distributing this in the US - how widely or when - but it's hpappening and it'll be showing in theaters before the end of the year (in some places). Images are also starting to be released internationally as it's being picked up around the world for distribution. When I see dates, I'll let you know. In the meantime, have some eye candy:
The caption says "in development" but it's actually in production - they're on the downhill run now!
Those of you in 'the know' regarding animated films, know they take years (and years and sometimes years and years and years) to make, and Song of the Sea, by the creators of the wonderful Secret of Kells people (Cartoon Saloon), is slowly but steadily making progress. After a ton of work, much is which is done by hand at the very small company (compared to the big animation studios), they're finally getting to the stage where they can release images here and there, as well as a teeny bit of teaser footage too. *cheers!*
In case you missed it, and before you go any further, here's the conceptual trailer which has been out for about almost 4 years now. Most of what you need to know about the film (and the fairy tale relevancy) is right there:
Song Of The Sea - Conceptual Trailer from Cartoon Saloon on Vimeo.
Now take a look at their new showreel, just released. It has new footage from Song of the Sea! (Each section is titled, so no need to guess which one is the selkie pic):
I'm really hoping the timing for the release of this film is good so it gets decent exposure. Kells was just stunning yet hardly anyone saw this lovely Irish film until, by a miracle, it was nommed for an Oscar and distribution was finally picked up by Buena Vista. While that was great, it would have done better if the public had been enthusiastic about it earlier and it had gotten a larger fan base in the lead up to the nominations. Song of the Sea promises to be just as beautiful and it would be great if they didn't have to struggle as much for support this time around.
LOTS MORE CONCEPT ART AFTER THE JUMP!
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This post was set to go live on Sunday before the Oscars but I didn't have time to finish it. I'm completing and posting it late anyway because this movie is worth watching (doubly so if you're interested in Celtic tales and myths) and is continuing to have incredible impact, including selling out to audiences in New York this week and breaking records for an Indie release.
The official website is HERE and includes resources for schools, wonderful music and much more (including even more images than are shown here).Now that Oscar nominated film "The Secret of Kells" (titled "Brendan and the Secret of Kells" in the UK and Europe) is opening in theaters in the US, a whole lot of people are being wowed by the visuals and story telling of this Celtic story, that's already received multiple awards and continues to garner critical acclaim. All the designs, including the characters, are based on the actual Book of Kells, making for a stunning and very different family animated film.Today, collected for your enjoyment from all over the web, I'm posting a variety of scenes from the movie.And if you don't know anything about the movie, here's a synopsis from Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com:
A haunting blend of history, fairy tale and pure invention, Moore's film follows a young student monk named Brendan, who has spent his whole life inside the fortified walls of the Abbey of Kells, whose forbidding abbot (voiced by Brendan Gleeson) has built it as a sanctuary against the Viking raiders who are pillaging and burning Irish villages at will. (It's somewhere around the year 800 A.D., give or take.) Into Brendan's cloistered life comes a playful monastic wanderer named Aidan (Mick Lally), who apparently studied with the legendary St. Colum Cille (aka St. Columba) on the Scottish isle of Iona, and carries with him perhaps the single greatest treasure of medieval Ireland.
That treasure is neither gold nor jewels but a book -- a lavish illustrated manuscript version of the Gospels that in centuries to come will be known as the Book of Kells. (Today it is considered Ireland's most important single cultural artifact, and can be seen under glass in the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin.) Brendan's yearning to help Aidan complete the manuscript, and safeguard it from Scandinavian marauders, leads him outside the walls of Kells into the magical forest around it -- and also out of the then-new Christian world into the pagan past.
Borrowing a wide range of illustrations and motifs from the Book of Kells and numerous other medieval and indigenous sources, Moore and his team of Irish, Belgian and French animators send Brendan on a mystical voyage. He is aided by an irrepressible forest sprite named Aisling ("ASH-ling"), but must go alone to face the terrifying Crom Cruach, an ancient and perhaps demonic Celtic deity who -- at least in some legends -- required the sacrifice of first-born children to ensure the harvest.
Want to see more? There's a blog HERE which has chronicled the production since it began and is refreshingly personal and positive (as opposed to a selection of marketing releases). And here's the new trailer for the current US release:
And here, at a glance, you can see how it all works together. Just gorgeous! There's a special film story book released too, in which they've made an effort to capture the sense of style of the film, rather than just show images from the movie with text.Here are just a few of the pages (not in order): You can find that book HERE. (Note: Amazon is currently selling this book for over $100 but you can find it in non-US stores, who ship to the US, for much, much less.)
Moving art full of myths and tales. This film is enough to make me consider going back into animation. I hope there are lots of extras included on the DVD and I can't wait to see how the next feature "Song of the Sea" turns out (think selkies and Irish folklore - see development pic and conceptual trailer below)!
You can currently pre-order this from Amazon at a special price, so that's great if you can take advantage before it's released on March 17th as well, otherwise, go grab yourself a little Irish gem for St. Patrick's Day!
