Bill Whelan’s Riverdance takes to the animated screen
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, a new film version of the dance phenomenon that has toured the world, is released on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW on 28 May 2021
Bill Whelan’s music for Riverdance takes on fresh form in a new animated film, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, receiving its screen premiere this month. The Riverdance phenomenon is celebrated by millions globally for its Grammy Award winning music and its thrilling energy and passion of Irish and International dance. Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, a Sky Original – brings the spirit and excitement of Irish dance to a new family audience this year. The film is co-produced by Aniventure and River Productions and will be available in the UK & Ireland exclusively on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW from 28 May 2021.
Directed by Eamonn Butler and Dave Rosenbaum and featuring an original score from Grammy Award winning composer Bill Whelan, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure stars an impressive Irish voice cast, including Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day, Mamma Mia!), John Kavanagh (Vikings, Alexander), Brendan Gleeson (Calvary, the Harry Potter series) and Aisling Bea (This Way Up, Living with Yourself).
The animated film follows an Irish boy named Keegan (Sam Hardy) and a Spanish girl named Moya (Hannah Herman Cortes) as they journey into the mythical world of the legendary Megaloceros Giganteus, who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life. The film also stars Lilly Singh (Bad Moms, Ice Age: Collision Course), Jermaine Fowler (Coming 2 America, Friends of the People) and Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, The Young Offenders) and features a brand-new single by Ireland’s musical sensation, Lyra.
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure will be released on Sky Cinema on 28 May. The film will also be available on streaming service NOW via the Sky Cinema Membership. The movie’s website includes an augmented reality filter allowing audiences to join Patrick the Megaloceros Giganteus in a virtual Riverdance line:
> Join a virtual dance with Patrick
Orchestral works by Bill Whelan published by Boosey & Hawkes include the Riverdance Symphonic Suite, Inishlacken – a double concerto for violin and fiddle, and the flute concerto Linen and Lace, premiered by James Galway in 2014.
A selection of Riverdance music is available from The Shop at Boosey.com and other good music shops, including a range of recent publications:
> Riverdance Selections
> Riverdance Choral
> Further information on Work: Riverdance: A Symphonic Suite
