In 2009, Irish director and illustrator Tomm Moore released his first feature length film, "The Secret of Kells." I remember thinking when I first saw it, "seriously? you're going to do a movie in totally flat 2D images in this day and age?" It took all of about two minutes to convince me he'd made the right choice: the art is outstanding. He's stuck with the same graphical style for this one, but it's smoother, more polished and elegant. And the story itself is better constructed. It's set in the modern day, with our two most important characters being the son (Ben, voiced by David Rawle) and daughter (Saoirse, voiced by Lucy O'Connell) of a lighthouse keeper (Conor, voiced by Brendan Gleeson). Their mother leaves very suddenly right after Saoirse's birth. Most of the story takes place when Saoirse is six: Conor sends them to live with his mother, which neither of them wants. Ben is mean to his younger sister, but when strange things start happening, he becomes her defender.

A wonderfully lyrical story with gorgeous artwork, definitely recommended.