Song of the Sea (new in Teen DVD)

NEW! In Teen DVD: Song of the Sea

Six years earlier, the night Ben's sister Saoirse (pronounces seer-sha) was born, their mother vanished into the sea, sending the children's father into a deep, self-absorbed depression. For this upheaval of his happy family life, Ben blames Saoirse and doesn't even try to disguise his constant anger toward her.

Then on her 6th birthday, Saoirse steals a seashell flute from Ben's room. When she plays it, something is awakened...and that something leads the girl into the ocean. Here we learn Saoirse isn't exactly human. She's a selkie, a mythological being that is part girl, part seal. Her father finds her washed up on the shore, wrapped in a magical fur coat and clutching the seashell flute.

For the children's protection, their father sends them to live with their strict grandmother in a distant city. A city as far from the seaside as one can get. Wanting to get back home to his beloved dog, who was left behind in the move, Ben runs away...and Saoirse follows. 

Not long after, the children are kidnapped by a mysterious trio and taken to a secret cave. Here they learn the truth: A terrible Owl Witch has been turning the world's magical creatures to stone, and only the selkie's song can restore everything to as it should be. Problem is, Saoirse is mute. She can't even speak, let alone sing.

Time is running out, and the children must rescue the world of magic before it's too late--for magic and for Saoirse.

What follows is an epic adventure about family, love, and self-discovery. Ben and Saoirse learn to work together and, in doing so, learn to care about each other and become a family. Each also learns things about themself they never believed they were capable of.

Song of the Sea is gorgeous film. It's full of unique mythology (unique as in not Greek/Percy Jackson mythology), and the quest, full of narrow escapes, will keep you wondering until the end. The animation isn't as complex or detailed as that of a Disney film, but it's beautiful in its simplicity. It's a movie worth watching. --AJB