Cartoon Saloon is the name of the animated studio for the Company.
History and Milestones[]
Cartoon Saloon was established in Kilkenny during 1999 by Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey,[1] and Paul Young.[2] The three were all alumni of the Ballyfermot College of Further Education’s animation degree course.[3] Cartoon Saloon began working on a trailer for its first feature film, The Secret of Kells, that same year.[4] However, the film did not enter full production until 2005; the company animated corporate work such as advertisements as they searched for funding.[4] Meanwhile, the studio of 12 animators relied on commercial and corporate work including web-site design and CD-ROM production with Paul Young focusing on illustration whilst Tomm Moore undertook the animation.[5]
Both The Secret of Kells and the studio’s second feature Song of the Sea were inspired by the Thief and the Cobbler and Mulan while the founders were in university.[6] Tomm Moore, the director of both films, said "Some friends in college and I were inspired by Richard Williams' unfinished masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler and the Disney movie Mulan, which took indigenous traditional art as the starting point for a beautiful style of 2D animation. I felt that something similar could be done with Irish art."[7] A 2001 meeting with Les Armateurs proved instrumental in the effort to secure funding for The Secret of Kells, and the company helped in the production of the final film.[8]
The success and Oscar nomination of the film in 2009 led to major offers for Cartoon Saloon, but the studio chose to remain independent.[9] This led to a difficult time financially for the company for a few years with the partners having to take out personal loans to keep the studio afloat.[10]
Since its founding, Cartoon Saloon has grown into a multi-award-winning animation and illustration design studio.[11]
Latest film by Cartoon Saloon is Puffin Rock and the New Friends, released in 2023 is Puffin Rock and the New Friends, directed by Jeremy Purcell and Loraine Lordan.
Filmography[]
- The Secret of Kells (2009)
- Song of the Sea (2014)
- The Breadwinner (2017)
- Wolfwalkers (2020)
- My Father's Dragon (2022)
- Puffin Rock and the New Friends (2023)
Upcoming films[]
- Julián (2026)
References[]
- ↑ O’Connell, Mark. Cartoon Saloon and the New Golden Age of Animation (en-us).
- ↑ Strike, Joe (29 May 2008). The Smell of Success: 'Skunk Fu!' Conquers the World. Animation World Network. Retrieved on August 17, 2019.
- ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (9 January 2015). Animator Tomm Moore lives the dream with a ‘Song’ in his heart. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on August 17, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cohen, Karl (16 March 2010). 'The Secret of Kells' - What is this Remarkable Animated Feature?. Animation World Network. Retrieved on August 17, 2019.
- ↑ Template:Cite book
- ↑ Desowitz, Bill (15 December 2009). Moore Illuminates 'The Secret of Kells'. Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019.
- ↑ Cohen, Karl (16 March 2010). The Secret of Kells – What is this Remarkable Animated Feature?. Animation World Network. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012.
- ↑ Clarke, Donald (7 March 2009). Book of Kells hits the big screen. The Irish Times. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019.
- ↑ Brady, Tara (10 July 2015). Tomm Moore, Celtic cartoonist with two Oscar nods. The Irish Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015.
- ↑ EY Entrepreneur of the Year industry finalist: Paul Young, Cartoon Saloon
- ↑ Who We Are. cartoonsaloon.ie.