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Of Myth and Men: Moore Dons Skin of the Irish Selkies To Craft Stunning Children’s Tale of Family Heritage

You can probably count the number of independent animation studios still making successful culturally specific feature films on a pair of hands, and Studio Ghibli, Aardman Animations, and the Irish production company Cartoon Saloon can be tallied among them. Melding Irish myth with a wash of cinematic reference points that pay homage and inspire in equal measure, director Tomm Moore and his army of inventive artists and animators at Cartoon Saloon have crafted a wonderously imaginative film in Song of the Sea, which lifts from folk stories of the legendary ‘selkies’ that live as humans on land and seals at sea to form a sensorially stunning commentary on the importance of storytelling and unified kinship.

Much like the devastating prologue of Up or the moment of heartbreaking truth in Bambi,...

Tomm Moore follows up his Oscar-nominated "The Secret of Kells" with an even more ambitious Irish folk tale, "Song of the Sea," which plays Toronto on Saturday. Produced by the Ireland-based animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, and distributed by Gkids, "Song of the Sea" (opening December 19th) looks to be a sure Oscar contender for its exquisite hand-drawn beauty and stirring story about the last Seal-child trapped between two worlds. Ben and his enchanted little sister Saoirse (a Selkie) are hurled into a fading world of ancient legend and magic as they attempt to return to their home by the sea. The film takes inspiration from the mythological Selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become humans on land. "Song of the Sea" features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, and Jon Kenny. The score is composed by Bruno Coulais and Irish band Kíla,...

Gkids has signed on to be the North American distributor for Oscar-nominated Irish director Tomm Moore’s second animated feature "Song of the Sea." For this much-anticipated follow-up to 2009’s The Secret of Kells," Moore has re-teamed with composer Bruno Coulais and the Irish band Kíla. The film will feature the voices of Brendan Gleeson, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, and Jon Kenny. Regarding partnering once again with animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Moore, Gkids founder and president Eric Beckman said, “We are absolutely thrilled to renew our collaboration with Cartoon Saloon for Song of the Sea. Tomm brings an unprecedented level of artistry and passion to his filmmaking and he and the team at Cartoon Saloon have created something truly incredible with this film. Us audiences have a very, very special treat in store for them.” Moore continues exploring his fascination with Irish folklore with a story that...

Exclusive: The Secret of Kells director’s sophomore animation gets sales company.

WestEnd Films has signed on to sell Tom Moore’s anticipated animation Song of the Sea, the director’s follow up to Oscar-nominated animation The Secret of Kells.

Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny are among the voice cast in the Cartoon Saloon-produced family-animation, due for release late this year.

Like Moore’s previous film, Song of the Sea takes inspiration from Irish folklore, centring on the legend of the Selkies, mythological creatures that are part seal, part human.

The storyline revolves around brother and sister Ben and Saoirse, who are forced to leave their coastal home to live with their grandmother following their mother’s mysterious disappearance.

Oscar-nominated composer Bruno Coulais again joined forces with Irish Band Kíla to create the score after their collaboration on 2009 feature Kells.

Previous deals done with producers include StudioCanal for the...