Song of the Sea

Name: Song of the Sea
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Family
Released: December 19, 2014
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 85

2014

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 24 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 185 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 185 Ratings

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Song Of The Sea

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Movie Details & Credits

GKIDS | Release Date: December 19, 2014 | PG

Summary: Ben and his little sister Saoirse, the last Seal-child, embark on a fantastic journey across a fading world of ancient legend and magic in an attempt to return to their home by the sea. [GKIDS]

Director: Tomm Moore

Genre(s): Fantasy, Animation, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Empire Will Lawrence

Jul 6, 2015

Visually, this is an exquisitely composed film, and it teems with curiosities and compassion. If on occasion the story seems to wander, it arrives at an enchanting destination. Read full review

100

Kenneth Turan

Jan 8, 2015

Song of the Sea is a wonder to behold. This visually stunning animation masterwork, steeped in Irish myth, folklore and legend, so adroitly mixes the magical and the everyday that to watch it is to be wholly immersed in an enchanted world. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

Feb 7, 2015

Moore makes no attempt at visual reality. The colors and drawings employ the flat design of a handsomely decorated book, and the children have the huge eyes, disproportionately large heads and small bodies you sometimes see in Japanese animation. Read full review

Sherilyn Connelly

Dec 16, 2014

The picture is beautifully rendered in pencils and watercolors, with some CG, giving it an appropriately timeless storybook look, even though it's set in a mostly modern world of buses and 3-D glasses. Read full review

The Guardian Leslie Felperin

Oct 25, 2015

Folky music and Studio Ghibli-level flights of eerie fancy are obvious pleasures, but even more subtle and entrancing is the way Moore and his team use echoed shapes to suggest hidden patterns in nature and parallels between the real and the mythical. Read full review

Tom Russo

Feb 26, 2015

Director Tomm Moore (the 2009 Oscar contender “The Secret of Kells”) crafts a traditionally rendered feature whose doe-eyed characters faintly echo Miyazaki yet offer a beauty all their own. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Simon Abrams

Dec 19, 2014

Visually splendid, but generically flat-footed, Song of the Sea is an animated fantasy that comes close to greatness, but is rarely as clever as it is comforting. Read full review

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User Reviews

calmckeon

Dec 28, 2015

One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), and this is the only animation I have ever seen that is an equal in terms of heart and soulfulness, the story is enchanting, the characters ones you fall deeply in loveOne of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, I love the work of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle), and this is the only animation I have ever seen that is an equal in terms of heart and soulfulness, the story is enchanting, the characters ones you fall deeply in love with, I wanted to watch it again the moment it ended, I haven't felt that way in a long time, it reminded me of why I first fell in love with the art of cinema and story telling.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Shez_Asif

Mar 30, 2016

Song of the Sea is a fine example of an animated feature which makes no compromises. Adults and kids will enjoy this epic adventure.

The art-style is unique. Some have likened it to Miyazaki's Spirited Away. It's less classical anime, like Miyazaki's works, and more Gaelic. The climacticSong of the Sea is a fine example of an animated feature which makes no compromises. Adults and kids will enjoy this epic adventure.

The art-style is unique. Some have likened it to Miyazaki's Spirited Away. It's less classical anime, like Miyazaki's works, and more Gaelic. The climactic scene is where the art-style comes to the fore and will leave your jaw hanging.

The voice work is great and the humour is spot on.

Make no mistake about it, Song of the Sea is a masterpiece.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gavinb215

May 1, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The second best movie by Cartoon Saloon which showed us how good of a movie they can create. The symbolism of the movie is great and the music is the second best of the Irish Mythology Trilogy behind Wolfwalkers. Deserved the Academy Award in 2014.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

dc203

Feb 20, 2016

Some of the most beautiful animation ever to grace the screen, with a rich atmosphere enhanced even further by superb music and sound. Song of the Sea uses this unforgettable art style to tell a wonderful, heartwarming story, which climaxes with a spectacular yet tear-jerking final sequence.Some of the most beautiful animation ever to grace the screen, with a rich atmosphere enhanced even further by superb music and sound. Song of the Sea uses this unforgettable art style to tell a wonderful, heartwarming story, which climaxes with a spectacular yet tear-jerking final sequence. In an age when 3D films dominate western animation, it is refreshing to see the medium portrayed with gorgeous hand-drawn visuals.

The pacing can be slow, but this opens the opportunity to display some truly breathtaking art. My only slight niggle is that the characters, whilst very enjoyable, are not terribly deep and are quite predictable. But I am only disappointed in the fact that I did not watch Song of the Sea on the big screen. To everyone else that missed it in cinemas, I recommend you check out the Blu-Ray or DVD, experience this masterpiece for yourself and support the incredibly talented Tomm Moore, his team and hand-drawn, western animation.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RaduA

Mar 24, 2019

93/100

Among the most beautiful animations ... no ... among the most beautiful movies I saw! An interesting story with cute characters. The animation is gorgeous. Yesterday I saw Loving Vincent and today Song Of The Sea. In my opinion, this movie is more charming. The score is very93/100

Among the most beautiful animations ... no ... among the most beautiful movies I saw!
An interesting story with cute characters. The animation is gorgeous. Yesterday I saw Loving Vincent and today Song Of The Sea. In my opinion, this movie is more charming. The score is very beautiful, I could read with these songs in the background.
If it had made me cry, I think I'd give it 100% .… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nutterjr

Dec 31, 2015

A visually stunning animation masterpiece that will take you on a magical colourful journey with mythical creatures, folklore and legends.The kind of fairy-tale I'd imagine Celtic grandmas would read as bed time stories to children on a cold winter's night in Ireland and for moments in thatA visually stunning animation masterpiece that will take you on a magical colourful journey with mythical creatures, folklore and legends.The kind of fairy-tale I'd imagine Celtic grandmas would read as bed time stories to children on a cold winter's night in Ireland and for moments in that film I felt as if I was cast under it's spell.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

scrimpledimples

Nov 28, 2015

First of all, I would like to qualify the rest of this review by first explaining that I enjoy sleepy films about nothing; I'm a massive fan of the films of Bill Forsyth, Wes Anderson, Raymond Briggs and perhaps more appropriate as a comparison here, Sylvain Chomet. I was drawn to this byFirst of all, I would like to qualify the rest of this review by first explaining that I enjoy sleepy films about nothing; I'm a massive fan of the films of Bill Forsyth, Wes Anderson, Raymond Briggs and perhaps more appropriate as a comparison here, Sylvain Chomet. I was drawn to this by its aesthetic, and came to it really wanting to enjoy it.

The inlay of the DVD box carried the weight of a hundred stars, from a number of respectable publications, but as I only happened upon this by chance in the supermarket and wasn't even aware of it until today, despite its academy award nominations et al. With this in mind, it isn't like I had massive expectations or been subjected to hype it couldn't possibly live up to.

The film is indeed visually appealing, as expected, with fluid animation and nicely stylised characters and environments. Unfortunately, and quite unexpectedly, that is where the enjoyment ended. The pacing is atrocious, and the film seems directionless as it meanders to a... conclusion, I... guess? Contrary to what other reviewers have said, I fail to see much in the way of empathy or compassion exhibited in the characters, the 'jealous bratty brother who eventually comes good' is over-done to the point of being largely unlikeable and the few 'touching' scenes seem tokenistic. The Illusionist manages to convey a lot of emotion, character and unspoken back-story in a few on-screen seconds, even without dialogue; and our relationship with the elderly couple of When The Wind Blows are built by their keenly detailed semi-detached bungalow, family photo mantles and the cherry tobacco familiarity of a grandparent. The characters are puddle deep and storytelling in general is vague, and feels largely like Spirited Away rewritten based on Celtic folklore. Using "largely" in that last sentence is a lot kinder than the "blatantly" I felt it deserved. It feels almost as making the story vague and leaving deliberately large gaps between the lines is not to create healthy ambiguity for your imagination to fill, but a cynical attempt at seeming more interesting than it actually is; creating the illusion that still waters run deep and all that.

This film is visually pleasant, but there are a lot of titles out there that manage to be pretty as well as genuinely warm and charming. I really feel that this is being held in higher regard than it should be, perhaps due to a fiercely loyal geographic thing or a desire to support the underdog, which I would usually be all for but this time, sadly not. I fail to see any good in this beyond its visual appeal and I fail to see an audience for this beyond emperor's new clothes hipsters, as it is pretending to be too cryptic for children and it doesn't wear its heart on its sleeve enough for adults.… Expand

0 of 10 users found this helpful010

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