It has been a stellar year for Irish animation, with Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon receiving a much-deserved Oscar nomination for their film Song Of The Sea. It's the second Oscar nod for the studio, who were also nominated in 2009 for The Secret Of Kells.
As a result, Tomm Moore, director of both The Secret Of Kells and Song Of The Sea, is now internationally renowned not only for his emotive stories, but also for creating an entirely new visual language for animation, drawing on Irish art, folklore, symbolism and landscapes.
"This film was all about capturing a singular atmosphere," he explains. "We painted big watercolour skies and wanted to make them move the whole time, to capture that constantly changing light we have in Ireland; all cold greys into pink sunsets. And it was about texture too. We wanted to show that feeling of walking in a field and your socks getting wet! The Secret Of Kells was all about stained glass, which is beautiful but a little bit colder and removed – we wanted this one to have a different feel."
The texture of the landscapes in the film in a delight. They are traversed by young Ben, voiced by Moone Boy star David Rawle, and his younger sister Saoirse, who has become a target for magical creatures since it was revealed that she's actually a Selkie who transforms into a seal when in the ocean. Moore says he based the story on his own family.
"Most siblings have some degree of rivalry going on," he notes, "and usually it's because you love them too much, they're too close to the bone. Ben was based on my son, though the relationship was based more on me and my sister. But my son is all grown up now, which adds a touch of melancholy to the whole thing – he's 19 now and was ten when I started working on the film, which gives you an idea of how long it takes to get an animated film made!"
Animation is often divided into two distinct camps; fun and frothy for kids, more sophisticated for adults. It's important to Moore that his work appeals to all ages.
"There's a certain interesting dialogue that beings to happen when kids ask questions and adults ask questions. I think it's a big responsibility making movies that are aimed at kids, because at that age, films burn into your brain and hopefully make you think about the world in a different way."
The film also uses some beautiful Irish language songs and myths.
"The production was long," concludes Moore, "but it worked, as all the while David was growing up and was just ready to play the part."