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Song of the Sea (2014)

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Ratings: 8.2/10 from 15,681 users   Metascore: 86/100
Reviews: 62 user | 116 critic | 23 from Metacritic.com

Ben, a young Irish boy, and his little sister Saoirse, a girl who can turn into a seal, go on an adventure to free the faeries and save the spirit world.

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(as William Collins) , (story)
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Title: Song of the Sea (2014)

Song of the Sea (2014) on IMDb 8.2/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 15 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview:
David Rawle ...
Ben (voice)
...
Conor / Mac Lir (voice)
Lisa Hannigan ...
Bronach (voice)
...
Granny / Macha (voice)
...
Saoirse (voice)
Jon Kenny ...
Ferry Dan / The Great Seanachaí (voice)
Pat Shortt ...
Lug (voice)
Colm Ó'Snodaigh ...
Mossy (voice)
Liam Hourican ...
Spud / Bus Driver (voice)
Kevin Swierszcz ...
Young Ben (voice)
Will Collins ...
Additional Voices (voice) (as William Collins)
...
Additional Voices (voice)
Edit

Storyline

Saoirse is a child who is the last of the selkies, women in Irish and Scottish legends who transform from seals into people. She escapes from her grandmother's home to journey to the sea and free fairy creatures trapped in the modern world. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild peril, language and pipe smoking images | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

10 December 2014 (Belgium)  »

Also Known As:

Le chant de la mer  »

Box Office

Budget:

€5,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$21,910 (USA) (19 December 2014)

Gross:

$850,043 (USA) (8 May 2015)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

'Cú' literally means "dog or hound" in Irish Gaelic, while more specifically he is an Old English Sheepdog. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Saoirse: Ben
[last lines]
Saoirse: Granny
See more »

Crazy Credits

"Behind the scenes" wireframes and animatics from the production are shown beside the credits as they roll. See more »

Connections

References Into the West (1992) See more »

Soundtracks

Baidin Fheidhlimi
Performed by Kila, Liam Hourican, and Karl Odlum
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Simply beautiful: I defy you not to love it!
1 February 2015 | by (Columbus, Ohio) – See all my reviews

"My son, remember me in your stories and in your songs. Know that I will always love you, always." Mother Bronagh

A good kids' animation will usually include some well-known motifs such as in Hansel and Gretel and The Wizard of Oz; Tomm Moore's Song of the Sea does. However, this is no ordinary animation: It swirls with pastels that morph into imaginative lines capturing humans and faeries as if the world supported both in their glory and despair--a phantasmagoric hot mess if you will. As he did in his first spectacular animation, the Secret of Kells, Moore hand draws (without the aid of computer) a maritime story about Ireland, not some nebulous Neverland.

Despite the imaginative, albeit almost primitive visuals, the story hammers home some important themes, especially for kids: the challenges of an older brother with a younger sister and the loss of a parent inducing depression to cause muteness. In addition, the interaction of a domineering grandma with small children plays a part as the filmmakers accurately target the challenges of growing up for any child.

In this Oscar-nominated tale set in 1987, Saoirse (voice of Lucy O'Connell), a mute child living in a lighthouse with her tormenting older brother, suffers the loss of mother, who is actually one of the Selkies (women in Scottish and Irish legend who change from seals to people while hiding their sealness). So, too, little Selkie Saoirse, who struggles to bring back mother from the sea and deal with grumpy grandma at the same time.

Saoirse's responsibility is to save all the fairy creatures from the modern world. Besides meeting an array of eccentric characters, she helps her bro learn to love her, and dad to accept the loss of his wife. If the story is not new enough for you, then relax with visuals that will hypnotize in their simplicity of execution and complexity of theme.

Then you can also consider how this 6 million dollar movie beats the heck out of major studio productions costing twenty times that.


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