Song of the Sea (2014 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Song of the Sea
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tomm Moore
Produced by	Tomm Moore Ross Murray Paul Young Stephan Roelants Serge Ume Marc Ume Isabelle Truc Clement Calvet Jeremie Fajner Frederik Villumsen Claus Toksvig Kjaer
Screenplay by	Will Collins
Story by	Tomm Moore
Starring	David Rawle Brendan Gleeson Fionnula Flanagan Lisa Hannigan Lucy O'Connell Jon Kenny Pat Shortt Colm Ó Snodaigh Liam Hourican Kevin Swierszcz
Music by	Bruno Coulais Kíla
Editing by	Darragh Byrne Darren T. Holmes (consulting editor)
Studio	Cartoon Saloon Mélusine Productions Big Farm Super Productions Noerlum Studios Irish Film Board Film Fund Luxembourg Eurimages Fund of the Council of Europe Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Film and Audiovisual Centre of Wallonia Brussels Federation Inver Invest Versus Productions Magellan Films Tax Shelter Programme of the Federal Government of Belgium Belgacom Centre National de la Cinématographie Danish Film Institute West Danish Film Fund
Distributed by	StudioCanal (Ireland) O'Brother Distribution (Belgium) Haut et Court (France)
Release date(s)	6 September 2014 (2014-09-06) (TIFF) 10 December 2014 (2014-12-10) (France/Belgium/Luxembourg) 19 February 2015 (2015-02-19) (Denmark) 10 July 2015 (2015-07-10) (Ireland) 20 July 2016 (2016-07-20) (United States)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	Ireland Belgium Denmark France
Language	English Irish French
Budget	US$7.5 million
Money made	US$4.4 million

Song of the Sea (Irish: Amhrán na Mara) is a 2014 animated fantasy film directed and co-produced by Tomm Moore, co-produced by Ross Murray, Paul Young, 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. It was an international co-production from Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, and is the second feature film by Cartoon Saloon. The film is the second installment in Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy", following his previous film The Secret of Kells (2009) and preceding the film Wolfwalkers (2020).

Song of the Sea follows the story of a 10-year-old Irish boy named Ben (David Rawle) who discovers that his mute sister Saoirse, whom he blames for the apparent death of his mother, is a selkie who has to free faerie creatures from the Celtic goddess Macha.

Like other Saloon films, the film was hand-drawn. The film began production soon after the release of The Secret of Kells, premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September in the "TIFF Kids" programme. The film had a limited release in certain countries, but received acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

The Irish-language version has been produced by Macalla with funding from TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, with selected cinemas in Ireland screening it from 10 July 2015. Brendan Gleeson and Fionnula Flanagan 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 keeper, lives on an island with his son Ben, his pregnant wife Bronagh, and their Old English Sheepdog Cú in 1980s Ireland. Bronagh disappears late one night, presumably dying after her delightful "childbirth". leaving behind a mute daughter named Saoirse.

Six years later, Conor is broken, Saoirse is still mute, and Ben is hostile toward Saoirse, blaming her for Bronagh's disappearance. On Saoirse's birthday, they are visited by their grandmother, "Granny," 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 Macha, 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 selkie. After swimming, she is found by Granny, who insists upon taking the children to the city. Conor reluctantly agrees despite Ben's protests and locks the coat in a chest, then throwing it into the sea.

On Halloween, Saoirse plays Ben's seashell, alerting the Færies called "Na Daoine Sídhe" to her. She and Ben attempt to go home, but encounter the Færies, hoping she will allow them to return to the Tír na nÓg. However, they are attacked by Macha's owls, turning the Færies to stone. They take a country bus, and run into Cú, who had followed them. However, Saoirse is growing ill. They come across a holy well into which Saoirse dives. 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 the child behind. Since Ben found the truth, the walls of hair open, showing him a way out and to the house. The Færies who turned to stone come alive and 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, believing it will spare everyone of the 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, and Conor attempts to take Saoirse to a hospital; simultaneously, Granny is nearing the island to find them. Ben dives into the sea in search of Saoirse's coat and recovers it with Conor and the seals’ help. Saoirse's coat is put on her, and her voice surprises Ben and Conor. Mac Lir's dogs come to push the boat over, and Conor and Ben are happy with how 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, making the magical golden lights which cause the spirits and the Færies to rise out of the stone and travel to Mac Lir. Mac Lir is transformed back into his original form out of the stone and continues with Macha, his dogs, the Great Seanachaí and the Faeries back home to Tír na nÓg.

Bronagh appears to take Saoirse to Tír na nÓg with her, but Ben pleads 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.

Voice cast

English

• David Rawle as Ben
• Brendan Gleeson as Conor and the Mac Lir
• Fionnula Flanagan as Granny and Macha
• Lisa Hannigan as Bronagh; Ben and Saoirse's mother
• Lucy O'Connell as Saoirse
• Jon Kenny as Ferry Dan and The Great Seanachaí
• Pat Shortt as Lug
• Colm Ó Snodaigh as Mossy
• Liam Hourican as Spud and Bus Driver
• Kevin Swierszcz as Young Ben
• Will Collins as Additional voices
• Paul Young as Additional voices

Irish

• James Ó Floinn as Ben
• Brendan Gleeson as Conor and the Mac Lir
• Fionnula Flanagan as Granny and Macha
• Gráinne Bleasdale as Bronagh
• Fionán Farley Nolan as Saoirse
• Maurice O'Donoghue as the Great Seanchaí
• Donncha Crowley as Lug
• Niall McDonagh as Mossy, Ferry Dan, and Rock Shee
• Tomás Ó Súilleabháin 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 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, in collaboration with the Irish group Kíla. "The Derry Tune" originally featured on Kíla's 2010 album Soisín. The film also features the voice of Lisa Hannigan and songs by Nolwenn Leroy. A soundtrack album, consisting of 25 songs from the film, was released digitally on 9 December 2014 by Decca Records.

DVD

Song of the Sea was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Region 1 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on March 17, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: La canción del mar para niños