Animated charmer that hearkens back to the old school days of traditional animation and a story based on folklore, in this case the old Irish selkie legends. That’s those stories about people who are actually seals under their skin and who long to return to the sea, apt to disappear at any moment, often leaving some broken-hearted person behind. The movie brings some imaginative kid’s-eye-view whimsy to the story, as well as a good nasty villain who steals the souls of perfectly nice mystical fish people and keeps them in jars in her house. What a bitch! Luckily, two bickering siblings, a plucky older brother and a timid little sister (secretly a selkie herself), are around to thwart her ways. The mood here is nicely bittersweet. I even got a little misty in the eyes right there embarrassingly in the theater… and I’m the sort of guy who gives The Human Centipede II four stars.
An Irish production that went out in limited American release mostly on the arthouse circuit (though it’s likable enough for the mainstream), this was the odd man out of the Best Animated Feature nominees for the 2015 Oscars. Didn’t win, but the movie’s still worth a look for those who might miss the old Disney method or are looking for a good cry.