At the 77th Academy Awards, The Chorus was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song (the latter for "Vois sur ton chemin", listed as "Look to Your Path", composed by Bruno Coulais).

In 2004, Pierre Morhange (Jacques Perrin), a French conductor performing in the United States, is informed before a concert that his mother has died.

In 1949, fifty-four years earlier, Clément Mathieu (Gérard Jugnot), a failed musician, arrives at Fond de l'Étang ("Bottom of the Pond"), a French boarding school for troubled boys of all ages, to work as a supervisor and teacher.

Mathieu discovers the boys being ruthlessly punished by the very strict headmaster, Rachin (François Berléand) and attempts to use humour and kindness to win them over.

Meanwhile, a cruel, uncontrollable boy named Mondain (Grégory Gatignol [fr]) arrives and begins causing trouble by bullying the others, influencing others to be like him and generally being rebellious.

The choir is improving rapidly with Morhange as its lead soloist; the children are happier, and the faculty less strict — even Rachin begins to loosen up, playing football with the boys and making a paper aeroplane.

Back in the present, the adult Morhange finishes reading the diary and recounts what happened afterwards: he won his scholarship to the conservatory, and Rachin was fired after his fellow teachers exposed his abuse towards the students.

The themes of childhood and music made him think of the film La Cage aux rossignols, which he had seen on television at a young age and which "touched [him] profoundly".

While touring large French choirs to choose the one to record the film's soundtrack, they discovered the 12-year-old Jean-Baptiste Maunier of Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc: Barratier described his voice as "exceptional and very moving", and composer Bruno Coulais said it was "incredible".

Foam and salt were used as artificial snow and green leaves were removed from the grounds, since the beginning of the movie was filmed in the summer, but set in the winter.

Fog machines were also used around the castle, and walls were deliberately scorched and stripped of paint to give the surroundings a "dilapidated" look, since boarding schools at the time often suffered from poor funding and management.

The children who played the choir described how their singing improved through the duration of the shoot; Nicolas Porte, the choirmaster of Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc, said that this "means that the story we tell is credible".

It features the film's original score, which was composed by Bruno Coulais and performed by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Deyan Pavlov) and the choir Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc.

Filmtracks summed it up by saying "for enthusiasts of boys' choirs and heartwarming, sentimental choral performances in general, The Chorus translates into a strong, albeit repetitive album.

"[6] The soundtrack topped the albums chart in France for 11 weeks and reached number three in Belgium, before its United States release in early 2005.

[20] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star commended the film's "credible acting and outstanding score", saying they allowed it to "[rise] above feelgood status".

[22] Of the title characters, critic Roger Ebert said: "Their influence will forever change the lives of their students, and we can see that coming from the opening frame", and that The Chorus "should have added something new and unexpected".

"[23] New York Times' Manohla Dargis wrote: "Like so many films ostensibly about children, 'The Chorus' isn't really interested in what kids think or what they want and why; the real point here is the adults, their passions, dreams and redemption.

"[10] At the 77th Academy Awards, The Chorus was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Song (the latter for "Vois sur ton chemin", listed as "Look to Your Path").