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 beautiful animated fantasy film from 2014. It was directed by Tomm Moore. This movie is a special international project. It brought together animation studios from Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, and France.

The film is the second part of Tomm Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy." This series of movies explores old Irish stories and myths. The first film was The Secret of Kells (2009), and the third was Wolfwalkers (2020).

Song of the Sea tells the story of a 10-year-old Irish boy named Ben. He lives with his quiet younger sister, Saoirse. Ben blames Saoirse for their mother's disappearance. He soon discovers that Saoirse is a selkie. A selkie is a mythical creature that can change from a seal into a human. Saoirse must use her special powers to help magical creatures. She needs to free them from an ancient Celtic goddess named Macha.

Like other films from Cartoon Saloon, this movie was drawn by hand. It first showed at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2014. The film was praised by critics. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2015. An Irish-language version of the film was also made.

The Story of Song of the Sea

Life on the Island

The story begins in 1980s Ireland. Conor, a lighthouse keeper, lives on an island. He lives with his son Ben, his pregnant wife Bronagh, and their dog Cú. One night, Bronagh disappears after giving birth to their daughter, Saoirse. Everyone believes she is gone forever. Saoirse is born unable to speak.

Six years later, Conor is very sad. Saoirse still cannot speak. Ben is angry with Saoirse. He thinks she caused their mother to disappear. On Saoirse's birthday, their grandmother, "Granny," visits. She thinks the lighthouse is not a good place for children.

That night, Ben tells Saoirse a scary story. It's about Mac Lir and his mother, Macha, the Owl Witch. He says Macha stole Mac Lir's feelings and turned him to stone. Later, Saoirse finds a seashell horn. Their mother had given it to Ben. Saoirse plays the horn. It leads her to a white sealskin coat hidden in Conor's closet.

Saoirse's Secret and the Journey

Saoirse puts on the coat. She walks to the sea and joins a group of seals. This shows that she is a selkie. After swimming, Granny finds her. Granny decides to take the children to the city. Conor sadly agrees. He locks the sealskin coat in a chest and throws it into the sea.

On Halloween, Saoirse plays Ben's seashell again. This alerts magical beings called Na Daoine Sídhe (Færies). Saoirse and Ben try to go home. But they meet the Færies. The Færies hope Saoirse will help them return to their magical home, Tír na nÓg. However, Macha's owls attack them. The owls turn the Færies into stone.

Saoirse and Ben take a bus. Their dog, Cú, has followed them! Saoirse starts to feel very sick. They find a holy well. Saoirse dives into it, and Ben follows. He meets the Great Seanachaí, a wise storyteller. Ben learns that Macha kidnapped Saoirse. He also learns that Saoirse cannot speak because she needs her sealskin coat. If she doesn't get it back soon, she will die.

The Great Seanachaí gives Ben a magical hair. It shows Ben the truth about his mother. Bronagh was also a selkie. She had to return to the ocean the night Saoirse was born. The Færies, now alive again, warn Ben to be careful.

Facing Macha and Saving the Day

Ben finally meets Macha. She explains that she turns people's feelings into stone. She believes this stops them from feeling pain. She even turned her own son, Mac Lir, into an island. Ben bravely rescues Saoirse. He helps Macha get her feelings back. Macha realizes that taking away feelings doesn't help. She helps them fly back home.

Conor tries to take Saoirse to the hospital. Granny is also on her way to the island. Ben dives into the sea to find Saoirse's coat. With help from Conor and the seals, he gets it back. Saoirse puts on her coat. Her voice returns, surprising Ben and Conor!

Mac Lir's dogs help push their boat. Saoirse changes into a little seal. Ben rides on her back, and Conor rides on another seal. They travel to Mac Lir's island. Saoirse is still not fully well. Ben encourages her to sing. She finally sings the "Song of the Sea."

The song makes Saoirse completely healthy again. Golden lights appear, and the stone spirits and Færies come alive. They travel to Mac Lir. Mac Lir changes back into his human form. He, Macha, his dogs, the Great Seanachaí, and the Færies all return to Tír na nÓg.

A Family's Choice

Bronagh appears. She wants to take Saoirse to Tír na nÓg with her. But Ben begs her to let Saoirse stay. Saoirse is half-human, so she gets to choose. She decides to stay with her father and brother. This means she must give up her selkie powers and become fully human. Bronagh takes Saoirse's coat to separate their worlds.

Conor tells Bronagh he loves her. Ben asks her to stay too. But she cannot. She tells him to remember her in his stories and songs. She kisses his forehead and says she will always love him. After a sad goodbye, Ben and his family happily return home. Granny finally arrives. Conor tells her he can now take care of the children.

Voice Actors

English Voices

• David Rawle as Ben
• Brendan Gleeson as Conor and 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

Irish Voices

• James Ó Floinn as Ben
• Brendan Gleeson as Conor and Mac Lir
• Fionnula Flanagan as Granny and Macha
• Gráinne Bleasdale as Bronagh
• Fionán Farley Nolan as Saoirse
• Maurice O'Donoghue as the Great Seanchaí

Scottish Gaelic Voices

• 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

French Voices

• Jean-Stan DuPac as Ben
• Patrick Béthune as Connor
• Nolwenn Leroy as Bruna
• Nathalie Homs as Granny and Macha

Music from the Film

The music for Song of the Sea was created by Bruno Coulais. He worked with the Irish band Kíla. One song, "The Derry Tune," was actually on Kíla's album Soisín before the movie. The film also features the voices of Lisa Hannigan and Nolwenn Leroy singing.

A soundtrack album with 25 songs from the movie was released online. It came out on December 9, 2014.

DVD and Blu-Ray Release

Song of the Sea was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in North America on March 17, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: La canción del mar para niños