The mother really died.
- There's another way of looking at the film. If the mother dies (during childbirth) at the beginning of the film and the faerie aspects of the picture are just metaphors and non-literal, then the whole thing is just a symbolic journey of two children coping with the loss and absence of their mother which they eventually come to terms with. This theory is largely supported by the entire movie's use of the And You Were There trope. In the beginning, the mother disappearing into the ocean while giving birth obviously symbolizes her death. Ben is resentful towards Saoirse since he blames her for their mother's death, and her silence symbolizes how Ben doesn't want to talk to her or treat her like his sister due to this resentment. Conor is deeply depressed and their grandmother wants them to move out because she doesn't think this is a good environment for the children, and she wants them to forget about their mother's death. The crying giant Mac Lir represents Conor, as both of them lose their wife and fall into a deep sadness. Macha represents the grandmother, as both of them are mothers who want to try and help their sons not to feel so sorrowful. The grandmother taking the two kids to live with her away from their home, and trying to get her son to not think about his wife, coincides with Macha's misguided attempt to erase everyone's sadness by bottling up feelings and turning everyone to stone in response to her own son's terrible sorrow. The great Seanchai and his stories are representative of the eccentric ferryman, and when he shows Ben his past it likely represents him explaining to Ben what really happened and helping him come to terms with it. When Ben convinces Macha to stop bottling the feelings, it represents how he convinces his grandmother not to try and keep them away. When Saoirse gets sick without her Selkie coat, it's symbolic of her dealing with a literal sickness and the family's emotional sickness as they try to deal with her death. When Ben goes into the ocean to save Saoirse, it represents how he's finally getting over his past fears surrounding his mother's death. When Saoirse finally gets better and sings, it represents her getting better physically but also the family finally coming to terms with Bronagh's death. When Bronagh comes back and they get a proper goodbye, it represents how all of them are finally able to accept her death and move on. When Conor tells his mother that they're alright now, it shows how they are all finally better. Saoirse's ability to speak at the end represents how Ben has forgiven her and learned to love her.
Aisling or a descendant of Pangur Bán from The Secret of Kells will make a cameo.
- Song of the Sea will be about Ben and Saoirse encountering other mystical beings, right? Maybe Aisling would make a passing-by cameo, probably in her wolf form or she could be mentioned by the Bearded Man as an aside reference. Or, a cat who just happens to look like Pangur Ban could show up as an alley cat or something that's just as subtle.
- Confirmed! Aisling has a cameo as one of the passengers on a bus in one scene.
The movie will have a Bittersweet Ending.
- The Secret of Kells didn't have a super-happy ending, so this troper has a gut feeling that the same will apply for Song of the Sea. Somehow.
- Bronagh will Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence.
- Saoirse will ascend to a higher plane of existence.
- Bronagh and Saoirse both ascend to a higher plane of existence.
- Confirmed. The Magic Goes Away, and Bronagh goes with it, but Saoirse decides to get rid of her selkie half so she can stay
Bronagh (the mother) is a Walking Spoiler.
- What she might do in the movie is so impactful that mentioning her presence is a spoiler. It could explain why she was barely mentioned in the movie's sneak preview in the CTN Animation Expo.
The movie is a Stealth Sequel to The Secret of Kells.
- The statues seen here
◊ look a lot like the statues seen near the lair of Crom Curach, so it's possible that this movie takes place centuries after the events of TSOK.- As someone says above, Aisling is just hanging around Ireland so this is probably confirmed.
The sídhe adopt A Form You Are Comfortable With.
- To explain why they resemble humans Ben and Saoirse know.
After the events of the movie, Conor remarried to a british woman who was not only a Wolfwalker but was also a descendant of Robyn Goodfellowe.
- It happened in a dream I had last night.
