''Song of the Sea'' ( ga, Amhrán na Mara) is a 2014 animated

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed and co-produced by

Tomm Moore Thomas "Tomm" Moore (born 7 January 1977) is an Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist. He co-founded Cartoon Saloon with Nora Twomey and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company based in Kilkenny, Ireland. His ...

, co-produced by Ross Murray,

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...

, Stephen Roelants, Serge and Marc Ume, Isabelle Truc, Clement Calvet, Jeremie Fajner, Frederik Villumsen, and Claus Toksvig Kjaer, and written by Will Collins from Moore's story. An

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture between two or more different production companies for the purpose of film production, television production, video game development, and so on. In the case of an international co-production, production companies ...

between the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Luxembourg, it is the second feature film by

Cartoon Saloon Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films '' The Secret of Kells'', ''Song of the Sea'', ...

. The film is the second installment in Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy", following his previous film ''

The Secret of Kells ''The Secret of Kells'' is a 2009 animated fantasy film about the making of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript from the 9th Century. The film is an Irish-French-Belgian co-production animated by Cartoon Saloon, which premiered on 8 F ...

'' (2009) and preceding the film ''

Wolfwalkers ''Wolfwalkers'' is a 2020 animated fantasy adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The film is the third and final installment in Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy", following his previous films '' The Secret of Kells'' (2009) and ...

'' (2020). It is also the only one to be set in contemporary times, as the previously mentioned two movies take place during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and the 17th century respectively. ''Song of the Sea'' follows the story of a 10-year-old Irish boy named Ben (

David Rawle David Rawle (born 16 October 2000) is an Irish actor from Carrigallen, County Leitrim. He is best known for starring in the Irish sitcom ''Moone Boy'', co-written by and co-starring Chris O'Dowd. His first audition for acting was for Santa Cl ...

) who discovers that his mute sister Saoirse, whom he blames for the apparent death of his mother, is a

selkie In Celtic and Norse mythology, selkies (also spelled ', ', ') or selkie folk ( sco, selkie fowk) meaning 'seal folk' are mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. They are found ...

who has to free

faerie Fairyland (''Faerie'', Scottish ''Elfame'', c.f. Old Norse '' Álfheimr'') in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchantment, the land ...

creatures from the Celtic goddess

Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A His ...

. Like other Saloon films, the film was hand-drawn. The film began production soon after the release of ''

'', premiered at the

2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...

on 6 September in the "TIFF Kids" programme. The film had a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

in certain countries, but received critical acclaim and won the

Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature The Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature is an annual Satellite Award given by the International Press Academy. Winners and nominees 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Directors with multiple wins ;2 wins *Wes Anderson *Br ...

and

European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film has been awarded annually since 2009 by the European Film Academy. Winners and nominees 2009 2010s 2020s Notes * ± Oscar nominee * ≠ Annie Award winner * ° Annie Award nominee Directors ...

, as well as the nominations for Best Animated Feature at the

87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2014 in film, films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

and 42nd Annie Awards. The Irish-language version has been produced by Macalla with funding from

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

and the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann). The BAI is ...

, with selected cinemas in Ireland screening it from 10 July 2015.

Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award and four times for ...

and

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known f ...

reprised their respective roles in this version. The DVD with the Irish audio can be bought in Cartoon Saloon's online store.

Plot

Conor, a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

keeper, lives on an island with his son Ben, his pregnant wife Bronagh, and their Old English Sheepdog Cú at the coast of Ireland. Bronagh disappears late one night, presumably dying after giving birth to a daughter named Saoirse. Six years later, Conor is broken, Saoirse is

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

, and Ben is hostile toward Saoirse, blaming her for Bronagh's disappearance. On Saoirse's birthday, they are visited by their grandmother, who regards the lighthouse as an unfit place to raise the children. That night, Ben scares Saoirse with a story of Mac Lir and his mother

, the Owl Witch, who stole his feelings and turned him to stone. Later, Saoirse plays a seashell horn given to Ben by their mother, leading her to a white sealskin coat in Conor's closet. She puts on the coat and walks to a group of seals in the sea, revealing herself as a

. After swimming, she is found by Granny on the seashore, who insists upon taking the children to her home on the Mainland. Conor reluctantly agrees despite Ben's protests, locks the coat in a chest, and throws it into the sea. On

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

, Saoirse plays Ben's seashell, alerting the

Faeries A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

called " Na Daoine Sídhe" to her. She and Ben attempt to go home, but encounter the Faeries, who hope she will allow them to return to the

Tír na nÓg In Irish mythology Tír na nÓg (; "Land of the Young") or Tír na hÓige ("Land of Youth") is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld, or perhaps for a part of it. Tír na nÓg is best known from the tale of Oisín and Niamh. Other Old Iri ...

. However, they are attacked by Macha's owls, turning the Faeries to stone. The siblings flee the spot and take a country bus, and run into Cú, who had followed them. However, Saoirse is growing ill, due to not having her seal coat and being away from the ocean. They come across a

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...

, which Saoirse dives into. Ben follows her and meets the Great Seanachaí: they learn Saoirse was kidnapped by Macha, and she is mute because she needs the coat and will soon die if she does not get it back. He gives Ben one of his hairs that will lead him to Macha. As he follows the hair, it shows him that Bronagh – a selkie herself – was forced to return to the ocean on the night of Saoirse's birth, leaving her husband and children behind. Since Ben found the truth, the walls of hair open, showing him a way out and to the house. The Faeries who turned to stone speak out to warn Ben to avoid the jars, tell him to be careful and brave, and wish him good luck. Ben then meets Macha, who explains that when Mac Lir suffered from a broken heart, she turned him into an island near their home. She is determined to do likewise for everyone, even herself, to spare them pain. Ben manages to rescue Saoirse, giving Macha back her feelings and allowing her to recognize that taking away feelings doesn't help. She helps to fly them back home along with two Faerie dogs, and Conor attempts to take Saoirse to a hospital. Ben dives into the sea in search of Saoirse's coat and recovers it with the seals’ help. After Conor brings him on the boat, Saoirse's coat is put on her, and her voice surprises Ben and Conor. Saoirse's coat changes her into a little seal. Ben rides on her back and his father rides on another seal's back to Mac Lir's island. The group is then washed up on Mac Lir's island, but Saoirse's health is not fully restored. Ben tries to get Saoirse to sing, and she eventually sings the Song of the Sea. The song causes Saoirse's health to be fully restored, along with the faeries and spirits whom Macha had turned to stone, and opens the way to Tír na nÓg. Bronagh appears to take Saoirse to Tír na nÓg with her, but Ben and Conor plead to let Saoirse stay with them, because she's all they have. Since she is half-human, the choice rests with Saoirse, who elects to remain behind with her father and brother, even though it means giving up her selkie powers and becoming fully human, if Bronagh takes Saoirse's coat to untangle their worlds. Accepting her daughter's decision, Bronagh takes her coat. Conor tells Bronagh that he loves her so much, and they kiss. Ben asks Bronagh to stay as well, but she is unable to and tells him to remember her in his stories and songs and that she'll always love him, before kissing her son's forehead. After a tearful farewell, Ben and his family happily return home to their island, where Granny finally arrives, and Conor tells her he's now well enough to take care of the children. In a mid-credits scene, the family is shown happily painting a mural of their home, Bronagh, and the Faeries and celebrating Ben's birthday, and Ben and Saoirse, now closer than ever, go swimming with Cú and the seals in the ocean.

Voice cast

English

as Ben *

as Conor and the Mac Lir *

as Granny and

Lisa Hannigan Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: ''Se ...

as Bronagh;Her name is spelt as "Bronach" in the credits. Ben and Saoirse's mother * Lucy O'Connell as Saoirse *

Jon Kenny Jonathan Kenny (born 12 December 1957) is an Irish comedian and actor who lives in Lough Gur and is one half of the famous Irish comic duo d'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt.

as Ferry Dan and The Great Seanachaí *

Pat Shortt Patrick Shortt (born 12 December 1967) is an Irish actor, comedian, writer and entertainer. His role in the 2007 film '' Garage'' led to him receiving the IFTA for Best Actor. Career Shortt toured alongside Jon Kenny as comedy duo D'Unbelieva ...

as Lug *

Colm Ó Snodaigh Colm Ó Snodaigh (born 22 May 1966) is a member of the traditional Irish folk group Kíla. He is also a writer and a former sportsman, winning honours in football, hurling and tennis. Personal life Ó Snodaigh was born in Dublin and reared ...

as Mossy *

Liam Hourican Liam Hourican is an Irish actor, best known for his roles in BBC Three comedy ''Murder in Successville''. As well being on television, he is also a voice actor. Hourican has worked as a stand-up comedian. Hourican appeared in various comedy r ...

as Spud and Bus Driver * Kevin Swierszcz as Young Ben * Will Collins as Additional voices *

as Additional voices

Irish

* James Ó Floinn as Ben *

as Conor and the Mac Lir *

as Granny and

*Gráinne Bleasdale as Bronagh *Fionán Farley Nolan as Saoirse *

Maurice O'Donoghue Maurice Cornelius O'Donoghue (born 1950) is an Irish people, Irish actor best known for his role as Father Ted minor characters, Father Dick Byrne on ''Father Ted''. His character in ''Father Ted'' is well known for his long running feud with Fa ...

as the Great Seanchaí *Donncha Crowley as Lug *Niall McDonagh as Mossy, Ferry Dan, and Rock Shee *

Tomás Ó Súilleabháin Tomás Ó Súilleabháin (born 1973 in Dublin) is an Irish actor. He regularly appears on Irish television and in film roles. Ó Súilleabháin regularly contributes to the Irish Language arts. Selected filmography Film *''Arracht'' (2019) - Di ...

as Spud and Bus Driver *Ríona Farley Nolan as Young Ben

Scottish Gaelic

* Kathleen NicAonghais as Ben * Dàibhidh Walker as Conor, Mac Lir and Rock Shee * Donna Nic 'Ille Mhoire as Macha * Catherine Tinney as Saoirse and Young Ben * Màiri Nic 'Ille Mhoire as Bronagh * Ailig Dòmhnallach as Ferry Dan and Lug * Anna Mhoireach as Granny * Iain MacFhionghain as Mossy and Bus Driver * Iain MacRath as Spud and the Great Seanchaí

French

* Jean-Stan DuPac as Ben * Patrick Béthune as Connor *

Nolwenn Leroy Nolwenn Le Magueresse (; born 28 September 1982), known by her stage name Nolwenn Leroy (), is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally classically trained (violin and opera singing), she rose to fame after winning the second ...

as Bruna * Nathalie Homs as Granny and Macha * Cyrille Artaux as Lug * Pascal Sellem as Spud * Thisbée Vidal-Lefebvre as Young Ben * Marc Perez as Mossy

Music

The original music for the film was composed by

Bruno Coulais Bruno Coulais (born 13 January 1954) is a French composer, most widely known for his music on film soundtracks. Life and career Coulais was born in Paris; his father, Farth Coulais, is from Vendée, and his mother, Bernsy Coulais, was born in ...

, in collaboration with the Irish group

Kíla Kíla is a 1987 Irish folk music/world music group from the Gaelscoil, Irish language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin, Coláiste Eóin in County Dublin. Band History Kíla began in 1987 in the secondary in Coláiste Eoin, in the first year they ...

. "The Derry Tune" originally featured on Kíla's 2010 album ''Soisín''. The film also features the voice of

and songs by

. A soundtrack album, consisting of 25 songs from the film, was released digitally on 9 December 2014 by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. ; Track listing

Release

''Song of the Sea''

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

d at the

on 6 September 2014 in the TIFF Kids program. Theatrically, it was released in France, Belgium and Luxembourg on 10 December 2014. It received a limited release in North America on 19 December 2014, which qualified it for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nomination. It was released in Ireland on 10 July 2015.

Reception

Box office

The film has grossed in China and in the United States and Canada.

Critical response

Early reviews were universally positive. Todd Brown, founder and editor of ''

Twitch Film Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

'', gave a highly positive review of the film, saying that "a tale that weds absolutely gorgeous artwork with beautifully nuanced characters and a deep but natural rooting in ancient folk tales and magic, ''Song of the Sea'' has an assured and timeless quality to it. It is the sort of story that feels as though it always existed somewhere, just waiting until now to be told". "''Song of the Sea'' is not about selling units, it's about story and heart and emotion and wonder and craftsmanship and because of that it becomes timeless, a beautiful piece of art that will delight audiences old and young and confirms what many suspected of Moore after '' Kells'': The man's a master storyteller, and we can only hope he has many, many more stories to tell." On review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has a Certified Fresh approval rating of 99% based on 97 reviews, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "''Song of the Sea'' boasts narrative depth commensurate with its visual beauty, adding up to an animated saga overflowing with family-friendly riches." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

the film has a score of 85 out of 100, from 24 reviews indicating "universal acclaim". Writing in the Toronto Review, Carlos Aguilar said of the film: "Watching ''Song of the Sea'' it is easy to assert that this is one of the most blissfully beautiful animated films ever made. It is a gem beaming with awe-inspiring, heartwarming magic". Sara Stewart from the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' said "If you want some real cinematic magic this holiday season, don’t miss this enchanting Irish film about a pair of siblings and a piece of Celtic folklore that turns out to be true". Animator Ken Priebe compared the film to the works of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...

, such as ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distrib ...

''.

Accolades

Home media

''Song of the Sea'' was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Region 1 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on 17 March 2015. It was later included in the ''Irish Folklore Trilogy'' Blu-Ray box set in the US and UK/Ireland along with ''The Secret of Kells'' and ''Wolfwalkers''.

GKIDS GKIDS is an American film distributor based in New York with, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'', a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS releases critically acclaimed, mostly hand-drawn, international films—such as the works o ...

and

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

released the Region A box set in North America on December 14, 2021, while StudioCanal released the Region B box set in the UK and Ireland on December 20.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Song Of The Sea 2014 films 2014 animated films Animated adventure films European Film Awards winners (films) Belgian animated films Danish animated films French animated films Films set in the 1980s Irish animated films Irish animated fantasy films Luxembourgian animated films English-language Irish films English-language Belgian films English-language Danish films English-language French films English-language Luxembourgian films Irish-language films 2010s children's fantasy films French animated feature films Films about Halloween Films about siblings Films set in Ireland Irish independent films Magic realism films Films about mermaids Films about fairies and sprites Belgian independent films French independent films Animated films based on Celtic mythology Films directed by Tomm Moore Anime-influenced Western animation 2010s children's animated films StudioCanal films StudioCanal animated films Cartoon Saloon films Irish Film Board films Films scored by Bruno Coulais Saint Patrick's Day fiction 2010s English-language films Irish children's films 2010s French animated films