Sign In / Sign Up

Song of the Sea

Song of the Sea
Release date: 2014-06-23
Rating: 8
Votes: 1519
Genres: Family, Animation, Fantasy
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.

Reviews

Reno

Reno

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

Kamurai

Kamurai

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.

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

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.

Movie Recommendation

  • The Secret of Kells
    The Secret of Kells
    2009-02-09
    Adventure awaits 12 year old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. In order to finish Brother Aiden's book, Brendan must overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him beyond the abbey walls and into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. Will Brendan succeed in his quest?
    More...
  • My Father's Dragon
    My Father's Dragon
    2022-11-04
    Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.
    More...
  • The Survivalist
    The Survivalist
    2015-04-15
    In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.
    More...
  • The Breadwinner
    The Breadwinner
    2017-11-17
    A headstrong young girl in Afghanistan, ruled by the Taliban, disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family.
    More...
  • Wolfwalkers
    Wolfwalkers
    2020-10-26
    In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
    More...
  • Dark Woods II
    Dark Woods II
    2015-10-09
    An old sanatorium is deteriorating in an isolated forest in the mountains. Five contract workers have taken on the task of tracking the huge building for hazardous waste before it's demolished. They realize that the job is more than a search for asbestos and mercury when they encounter the building's frightening past. You can demolish a building, but never remove the past.
    More...
  • Reaching for the Moon
    Reaching for the Moon
    2013-02-09
    In 1951, New York poet Elizabeth Bishop travels to Rio de Janeiro to visit Mary, a college friend. The shy Elizabeth is overwhelmed by Brazilian sensuality. She is the antithesis to Mary’s dashing partner, architect Lota de Macedo Soares. Mary is jealous, but unconventional Lota is determined to have both women at all costs. This eternal triangle plays out against the backdrop of the military coup of 1964. Bishop’s moving poems are at the core of a film which lushly illustrates a crucial phase in the life of this influential Pulitzer prize-winning poet.
    More...
  • Andaz Apna Apna
    Andaz Apna Apna
    1994-04-11
    Two slackers competing for the affections of an heiress inadvertently become her protectors from an evil criminal.
    More...
  • Ethel & Ernest
    Ethel & Ernest
    2016-10-15
    This hand drawn animated film, based on the award winning graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, is an intimate and affectionate depiction of the life and times of his parents, two ordinary Londoners living through extraordinary events.
    More...
  • The Show
    The Show
    2017-09-21
    An unsettling look at reality television, where a disturbing game show has its contestants ending their lives for the public's enjoyment.
    More...
  • In July
    In July
    2000-08-23
    Daniel’s drab existence as a physics teacher takes an adventurous turn when he falls in love with a Turkish girl named Melek. He spontaneously decides to follow her to Instanbul by car. On the road across Europe, he picks up his free-spirited friend Juli, who is secretly in love with him.
    More...
  • Cub
    Cub
    2014-10-29
    Over-imaginative 12 year-old Sam heads off to the woods to summer scout camp with his pack convinced that he will encounter a monster...
    More...
  • The Levelling
    The Levelling
    2017-05-12
    Clover is finishing a veterinary course when her brother dies and she is called home to her family's struggling Somerset farm.
    More...
  • Sharkwater
    Sharkwater
    2006-09-11
    Driven by passion fed from a life-long fascination with sharks, Rob Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas.
    More...
  • The Great Hypnotist
    The Great Hypnotist
    2014-04-29
    The famous psychologist Xu Ruining has a raising career, when he met the troublesome patient Ren Xiaoyan. The meeting is not easy as feeble-looking Ren is point by point against him.
    More...
  • Tim's Vermeer
    Tim's Vermeer
    2013-12-06
    Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography? Spanning a decade, Jenison's adventure takes him to Holland, on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artista David Hockney, and eventually even to Buckingham Palace. The epic research project Jenison embarques on is as extraordinary as what he discovers.
    More...
  • Performance
    Performance
    1970-08-03
    In underworld terms, Chas Devlin is a 'performer,' a gangster with a talent for violence and intimidation. Turner is a reclusive rock superstar. When Chas and Turner meet, their worlds collide—and the impact is both exotic and explosive.
    More...
  • Fate/Grand Order: First Order
    Fate/Grand Order: First Order
    2016-12-31
    The year 2015 CE. The last era in which magecraft still thrived. The Chaldea Security Organization was founded to focus on preserving the continuation of human history. They observe a world which magecraft couldn't observe and science couldn't measure all to prevent the certain extinction of humanity. But one day, the future that Chaldea continued to observe disappears and humanity's extinction in 2017 becomes clear. Rather, it had already happened. The cause seems to be related to Fuyuki, a provincial town in Japan, in the year 2004 CE. There, an "unobservable region" that had not existed before appears. Based on the assumption that Fuyuki is the reason for humanity's extinction, Chaldea issues an order to explore, investigate, and possibly destroy this singularity – a quest for the Holy Grail, the Grand Order.
    More...
  • Dilili in Paris
    Dilili in Paris
    2018-10-10
    With the help of her delivery-boy friend, Dilili, a young Kanak, investigates a spate of mysterious kidnappings of young girls that is plaguing Belle Epoque Paris. In the course of her investigation she encounters a series of extraordinary characters, each of whom provides her with clues that will help her in her quest.
    More...
  • Frankie & Alice
    Frankie & Alice
    2010-12-10
    A drama centered on a go-go dancer with multiple personality disorder who struggles to remain her true self and begins working with a psychotherapist to uncover the mystery of the inner ghosts that haunt her.
    More...

Similar Movies