Riverdance has been one of Ireland's finest and most iconic exports for over a quarter of a century now. The Irish dancing phenomenon, co-created by the legendary Michael Flatley, had the whole world watching after its premiere performance during the intermission of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.
An audience of 4,000 people in Dublin's Point Theatre (now the 3Arena) took to their feet to give Flatley and co a standing ovation following a mesmerising seven-minute-long spectacle of traditional Irish dancing and music. The rest, as they say, was history.
Fast forward through decades of world tours, TV specials and even a Grammy Award, we find ourselves on the precipice of what feels in many ways like something of an inevitability - a full-length, animated Riverdance feature film with a truly star-studded cast will premiere on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW later this month.
The film tells the story of a young 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 - a lesson that will surely resonate any Irish person since 1994?
As well as from shining a light on this apex of Irish culture, the film also boasts an impressive voice cast featuring the crème-de-la-crème of Irish film and television. Viewers can expect to hear the dulcet tones of stars like film legend Brendan Gleeson, John Kavanagh of Vikings fame, comedienne and star of Channel 4's hilarious This Way Up Aisling Bea and even Mrs. Doyle herself, Father Ted icon Pauline McLynn!
And, of course, a film of this significance to our culture would not be complete without an appearance from everyone's favourite Irish heartthrob Mr. Pierce Brosnan. Never one to miss an opportunity to get his dancing shoes on, the 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' hitmaker joins the all-star line up here which also includes appearances from US YouTube sensation Lilly Singh and Coming 2 America star Jermaine Fowler.
The film's director Dave Rosenbaum claims the animated feature 'illustrates the richness of Ireland's history, nature and people'. We'll have to be the judge of that ourselves but we're sure that at the very least this will be a hilarious romp for all the family to enjoy. And sure look, it can't be a worse representation of Irish culture and society than Wild Mountain Thyme, right?
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. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
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Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: Ireland