Ireland Archives | Otaku No Culture

Unleashing Colum Eastwood’s The Morrigan. Just Who Is This Phantom Queen?

A slow-burn folk horror with teeth, The Morrigan reframes the goddess as something older and sharper than pop culture’s “wicked sorceress” shortcut. Through a mother and daughter caught in a modern system built to drain women dry, the film turns possession into sovereignty, and rebellion into something sacred and brutal.

2025 The Morrigan Movie Poster Cineverse
Now on VOD and Digital

The worship of the Morrígan is nearly as old as time, dating back to roughly 3000 BC. In terms of raw elemental power, she rivals a force like Gaia, the very breath and blood of the land itself. Yet, history has been unkind to her. In Irish lore, she was a terrifyingly complex sovereign; in modern literature, her role was flattened to fit the needs of the “wicked sorceress” trope. While pop culture often lazily grafts her onto Arthurian legend, those who hold The Mists of Avalon as the best may need to head back to school to “unlearn” the sanitized version of the goddess they’ve been sold.

Colum Eastwood’s expansion of his short film proves he’s done the homework. He frames the Morrígan not as a simple adversary, but as a goddess of death, regeneration, and rebirth. This is the core belief of Fiona (Saffron Burrows), a woman battling a modern world designed to “steal a lady’s thunder.” The film’s strongest thematic tissue lies in the parallel between the ancient and the modern: Fiona is reeling from a husband who has abandoned her and their daughter, Lily (Emily Flain), while being professionally bled dry by Professor Jonathan Horner (Jonathan Forbes). He is a leech who steals from his TAs while the world turns a blind eye.

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Heidi Rescue of the Lynx and the Hayao Miyazaki Connection

Yes, we even need an aside from Fantasia Film Festival. Heidi Rescue of the Lynx is a continuation, especially if you know the story from Heidi, Girl of the Alps already.

Now Playing in Cinemas Across the UK and Ireland.

Heidi Rescue of the Lynx continues a beloved story, capturing the same charm and warmth found in Johanna Spyri’s classic Swiss tale—while also welcoming a new generation of fans. I first discovered this story through the 1970s animated series Heidi, Girl of the Alps, one of Hayao Miyazaki’s earliest projects. His work on the screenplay and production art—centered on nature, kindness, and emotion—would shape many of his later cinematic works.

At the time, shows like Lupin the Third and The Rose of Versailles introduced me to European stories told through anime. But Heidi stood out. It had a quiet, heartfelt tone that stayed with me. Its characters and designs even helped inspire others, like Mei in My Neighbor Totoro. Over the years, Heidi has returned in a few new versions. Most of them stayed close to the original story.

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Wolfwalkers on Apple TV+ Today!

Wolfwalkers on Apple Tv+ this Friday! Available on Apple TV +

If you’ve missed catching this latest Cartoon Saloon work at earlier this year for one reason or another, now is the chance to see it at home. Available to stream is Tomm Moore‘s Wolfwalkers!

This beautifully rendered work sees man against beast. The wolf is feared throughout Ireland. But young Robyn sees beauty, and when she befriends a girl of the woods, Mebh, she discovers something else. The locals have a connection with the land and this lupine creature is not meant to be feared. It’s a glorious story about change and acceptance.

A full review can be read here.

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Tomm Moore’s Secret of Kells Lands in the USA Proper!

This humble re-release to the United States may well pave the way for a box set which will add Song of the Seas and Wolfwalkers to the mix.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

GKIDS & Shout! Factory

Available in the USA

Those who haven’t seen Cartoon Saloon‘s Irish mythology trilogy can now see how it all began with The Secret of Kells (2009)! One of the problems was with early home video distribution. It’s limited availability in certain markets made this film generally unavailable in other countries.

This humble re-release to the United States may well pave the way for a box set which will add Song of the Seas and Wolfwalkers to the mix. With Shout! Factory and GKIDS behind this distribution, I hope that they are listening. Hopefully, Universal Studios Home Entertainment rights for Song is soon ending or can be transferred so one distributor can offer a compendium with an art folio to celebrate all three films.

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[TIFF2020] Walk, Don’t Run for Wolfwalkers Debut!

This latest film is not too different from the previous two tales–all using shape shifting as a metaphor on how it changes society. The talents at this studio have certainly one-upped themselves with this latest work.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Toronto International
Film Festival 2020

North American Debut

GKIDS

MILD SPOILER ALERT

Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers is a sweetly engaging animated tale about the winds of change not only within the Goodfellowe family but also with Ireland as a whole. No, we’re not necessarily talking about revolution, but instead in how to let the past be what it must, and see little sparrows grow.

Robyn’s (Honor Kneafsey) coming of age tale is key to this heroine’s journey into adulthood. Bill (Sean Bean) can’t bear to see her grow up. He promised (the wife is presumably deceased) to keep this wee darling daughter safe, but she’s ready to kill wolves like her father. He’s been hired by the puritanical Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell to hunt down the wolves of Kilkenny. This film is historically correct when they are considered a threat to business (mostly the loss of sheep) but there are other ways to handle a dire situation..

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Sing Street is Not About Getting the Girl

sing-street-poster By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Sing Street is a wholesome and fun coming of age film where new student Conor Lalor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) needs to form a band so he can win the heart of Raphina (Lucy Boynton). This girl hangs out in front of a boarding home, waiting for a knight in shining armour to take her away, and who she’s dating now is hardly Lancelot.

Unlike musicals which I’ve come to adore in the past, namely Little Shop of Horrors about a nerd aspiring for success (and to win at love), and Grease about 50’s style romance, this tale explores the new wave post-punk sound which emerged mid-80’s. To explore the economic difficulties of the era, the story takes place in Dublin, Ireland.

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