The beautifully illustrated Song of the Sea is about a brother (Ben) and sister Saoirse with live with their father, a lighthouse keeper, on a small island. Ben blames Saoirse for the death of their mother. Things change when Ben discovers that his sister, like their mother, is a Celtic mythical sea creature called a Selkie. Selkies transform from seals into people. Song of the Sea is ultimately about Saoirse’s journey to free the fairy creatures who are trapped in the modern world.
Song of the Sea is nominated for an Animated Feature Film Oscar. Directed by Irishman Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells), Song of the Sea cost €5,300,000 ($6 million) to make. In its first two months, the film grossed $320,000. Disney’s Big Hero 6, which is also nominated for an Oscar, grossed $219 million in its first three months. That said, Song of the Sea is “an impressive feat of animation, made all the more enjoyable by the fact that it’s not trying to sell anything (here’s looking at you, Lego Movie).”
