SONG OF THE SEA (PG, 94 mins)
NOMINATED As Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards, Newry film-maker Tomm Moore's enchanting fantasy centres on a young boy who discovers that his mute younger sibling possesses a magical gift.
Ben (voiced by David Rawle) blames his little sister Saoirse (Lucy O'Connell) for the loss of their mother Bronagh (Lisa Hannigan), who vanished without trace shortly after the girl's birth. Late one night, Saoirse blows into a horn-shaped shell and she is led to a white sealskin coat.
Putting on the garment, Saoirse becomes a mythical creature of the sea called a Selkie and heads into the water to swim with the seals. The next morning, the children's grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) discovers little Saoirse washed up on the shore and the old woman entreats Ben to hide the sealskin coat in order to protect his sister from harm.
Moore and his Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon first made a splash on the international stage in 1999 with The Secret of Kells (co-directed with Nora Twomey), a hand-drawn animated film that earned multiple award nominations including an Oscar nod for Best Animated Feature and several wins.
Five years in the making, Song of the Sea also includes the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny.
THE CHOIR (PG, 103 mins)
AN INSPIRATIONAL teacher attempts to coax a troubled boy out of his shell in this predictable yet heart-warming human drama directed by Francois Girard. Eleven-year-old Stet (Garrett Wareing) is left to fend for himself when his alcoholic mother dies in a car accident.
The boy's father (Josh Lucas) has a new family and would prefer to hide wastrel Stet from the world so he agrees to pack off the boy to the National Boychoir Academy, where Stet's singing voice can be honed by head conductor Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) and his assistants Drake (Eddie Izzard) and Wooly (Kevin McHale).
Stet struggles to fit into his regimented new surroundings and his flawless voice sparks a rivalry with one of the other boys. However, with close guidance and nurturing from Carvelle, Stet embraces his natural gift and realises that he is not alone in the world after all.
