Song of the Sea

"Let the song of the sea sway your heart..."

2014 1h 34m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1,635

FamilyAnimationFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

“Let the song of the sea sway your heart...”

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Cast

David Rawle
Ben (voice)
Brendan Gleeson
Conor / Mac Lir (voice)
Lisa Hannigan
Bronach (voice)
Fionnula Flanagan
Granny / Macha (voice)
Lucy O'Connell
Saoirse (voice)
Jon Kenny
Ferry Dan / The Great Seanachaí (voice)
Pat Shortt
Lug (voice)
Colm Ó'Snodaigh
Mossy (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tomm Moore
Writers: Will Collins, Tomm Moore, Alessandra Sorrentino
Languages: Irish, English, Galician, French
Countries: Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Irish, English, Galician, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 6 countries: Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Darragh Byrne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Rawle and Brendan Gleeson and Lisa Hannigan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Let the song of the sea sway your heart...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1865505 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tomm Moore directs. Bruno Coulais scores. Darragh Byrne cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France. Dialogue in Irish, English, Galician, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 12 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Irish, English, Galician, French.
3International production across 6 countries: Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France.
4Original score by Bruno Coulais. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Darragh Byrne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6David Rawle and Brendan Gleeson and Lisa Hannigan carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Let the song of the sea sway your heart...".
8IMDB entry: tt1865505 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "fairy tale", "lighthouse", "folk music", "lighthouse keeper ".
10Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Original score: Bruno Coulais
Editing: Darragh Byrne
Production design: Maya Merigeau
VFX supervisor: Eric Dupont
Sound: Nostradine Benguezzou
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $857,522
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Song of the Sea (2014)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Tomm Moore

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2015-04-03
★ 9/10
If you ever watched 'The Secret of Kells', you will never think of skipping it. Though, people watch it in the interest of the Oscar connection. From all the nominees it is the clear winner according to me, even far better than the real winner 'Big Hero 6'. The American Academy Awards had failed to recognise the true ingenuity. That does not stop win the heart the of millions of children around the world. As for the adults, it makes you feel young again for a while. Lots of humour in it with faint emotions at the end along the kids favoured flavour throughout. Far East and far West film industries ruling the animation production, but Tomm Moore from Ireland is trying to open the new gate from the European division. Not many people are aware of him, one more movie and its success may lead to the greater heights for sure. This animation technics are very unique, but not the first time in the use. The character illustrations were cuter to enchant the young kids. Watching the movie is like reading a children's storybook with the large pictures everywhere and a couple of lines of words in the corner of the page. Like the anime in Japan and 3D animation in Hollywood, this would mark the Euro on the map. There are many animations are made and still making in Europe, but this one is the new perspective of hope to reach all the major and remote places of the Earth. Wish it moves in the right direction. If you had known how all the fairy tales work, you would feel you can predict this story because, you know defeating evil, breaking curses, the happy endings are the usual part. So what matters is the storytelling, how well the stories are presented on the screen. This film excels in that point, and the music is the another highlight of the movie. Whoever the music director/composer I must praise him. Almost a year ago I saw the trailer for the first time and I felt like I already loved the movie, mainly because of the music. ''Hold this shell to your ear and listen carefully. You will hear the song of the sea.'' In his earlier movie the director told a simple and short story extraordinarily, and still I hum that beautiful 'Aisling song' sometime. This movie had a wonderful adventure story of a boy called Ben and his little sister Saoirse. In the journey of running away from an owl witch, the magical creatures and an ancient seashell guide them a path. On the right time the title song makes the way to delight next 10 minutes of the crucial segment in the narration. I love the original version, in Irish even though I don't understand. It was good and catchy, even for the grown ups as well. Feels like, want to visit those places from the movie, but sadly our only option is Disneyland, huh. Disney and Studio Ghibli are the king and queen of fairy tale movies. No one would, but if you are mildly fed up of those, here the new dimensional fresh tales from the Ireland's folklore. Though, it sets in the modern world, but does not abandon to bring the key factors. Like the ancient meet the modern world with the same intensity. Kind of new to hear the words like Selkie, Macha etc., but, brand new for the people who live thousands of kilometers away in the different continents. Animation movie fanatics would love it, but if there are any children like niece and nephew in your home or visits you, watch it with them on that occasion and you would feel differently. 9/10
Kamurai2020-08-03
★ 8/10
Great watch, would watch again, and do recommend. The animation in this beautiful, and some of it reminds me (vaguely) of "Spirited Away", but makes more sense. I'm sure the relation is the sense that "Spirited Away" is Miyazaki's display of the Japanese fey, though it is apparently in several other movies (e.g. "My Neighbor Totoro", "Ponyo"). This is a movie of great tragedy and powerful feelings, but ultimately is about appreciating your family and people while they are there. There is charm and uplifting feelings to the entire situation: you're not just going to be depressed or moved. As the introduction of the fey start, it is very unclear what is real and what is magic, or if the magic is real. That surreal attitude to this child's adventure seemed to add to the charm of dealing with the situation. The only problem I have with the movie is this ambiguity, there are so many parallels (that often occur in fey stories) to reality that you can't tell if this is a story of how a boy imagined an adventure, or if it's a fey story full of hidden magic. The details they go into are amazing if you look. Even the tears shared between fey and human are different. The details go on, and while I'm not sure if the quality is better, worse, or just different to a Miyazaki film, I feel it was made with the same consideration for how the audience is supposed to feel as they watch in the same way he created.
CinemaSerf2023-06-19
★ 7/10
This is a gorgeously told tale from Celtic mythology that follows the adventures of the young "Ben" and his sister "Saoirse". Their mother died whilst giving birth to the girl - who is unable to speak - and they lived in an isolated lighthouse (I'd love that!) with their widowed dad "Conor" until being sent to live in the big city with the grandmother. The colourful narrative now follows the pair as they determine to get back home to their dad. Along the way, we discover that "Saoirse" is no ordinary girl, and that her powers, thanks to "Ben" and his fairytales, might enable both of them to engage in a challenge to free some magical creatures trapped in the realm of the humans. The animation is charming, the characterisations likewise - they are well developed and retain their innocence and childishness throughout. The soundtrack is also a thing to enjoy - a typically Gaelic affair with haunting melodies and jaunty themes that all add richness to this simple but intriguing story. This is a fascinating vein of legend that is really underdeveloped by cinema internationally. Here we have a delightful introduction to those stories and this really is well worth and hour and half of anyone's time.