Song of the Sea screens at The Smith

GENEVA, NEW YORK – A hand-drawn masterpiece nominated for an Academy Award, the animated film “Song of the Sea” screens at The Smith Opera House on Sunday, February 16th at 2pm and 7:30pm. SONG OF THE SEA is an animated fantasy film based on the ancient Celtic myth of the selkies, beings who live on land as women but who transform into seals underwater. Saoirse, the last of the selkies, and her brother Ben go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and free the faery creatures trapped in the modern world. Along the way, their sibling rivalry dissolves as they ban together to confront the secrets of their past. Pursued by the owl witch Macha and a host of fearsome mythical foes, Saoirse and Ben race against time to awaken Saoirse’s powers and keep the spirit world from disappearing forever. Uniting a poignant family tale with powerful metaphors for loss, adaptation, and ecological change, SONG moves delicately from pain to contentment and from anger to love. Adroitly mixing the quotidian and the magical, the universal and the particular, this film provides a respite from the usual animated fare that nevertheless feels as nourishing as it is visually stimulating and inviting to audiences of all ages.This film represents yet another award-winning offering from Irish director Tomm Moore. Like his previous animated feature, THE SECRET OF THE KELLS (2009), SONG was met with critical acclaim and earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Inspired by craftsmanship and storytelling of Japanese animators Miyazaki and Takahata, Moore has founded his own animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, to create films that present timeless narratives drawing on Celtic culture the way Miyazaki and Takahata’s Studio Ghibli films mined Japanese mythology to create classics like SPIRITED AWAY and PRINCESS KAGUYA (the latter of which is also nominated this year). Like these, SONG is thoroughly conceived and executed: entwining excellent story and voice work with a beautiful musical score and scenery to enchant on every level. Destined to become a classic, SONG OF THE SEA is a wonder of magical storytelling and visual splendor.This film is rated PG and has a runtime of 93 minutes. All Matinee Tickets are just $3! Evening screening admission is $6 general admission, $5 students and seniors.The Smith Opera House is located at 82 Seneca Street, Geneva. Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 2pmPhone: 315-781-5483. Email: [email protected] event listing and more information about The Smith and The Smith Center For The Arts, visit our website thesmith.org