Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Media Entertainment |
Founded | 1999 |
Founder | Paul Young Tomm Moore Nora Twomey |
Headquarters | , Ireland |
Products | Animated feature films TV series Short films |
Number of employees | 300 (2020) [1] |
Divisions | Lighthouse Studios (50% with Mercury Filmworks) |
Website | cartoonsaloon |
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells , Song of the Sea , The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers . Their works have received five Academy Award nominations, their first four feature length works all received nominations for Best Animated Feature [2] [3] [4] [5] and one for Best Animated Short Film ( Late Afternoon ). [6] [7] The company also developed the cartoon series Skunk Fu! , Puffin Rock , Dorg Van Dango and Vikingskool. As of 2020, the studio employs 300 animators.
Cartoon Saloon was established in Kilkenny during 1999 by Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, [8] and Paul Young. [9] The three were all alumni of the Ballyfermot College of Further Education’s animation degree course. [10] Cartoon Saloon began working on a trailer for its first feature film, The Secret of Kells , that same year. [11] However, the film did not enter full production until 2005; the company animated corporate work such as advertisements as they searched for funding. [11] 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. [12]
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. [13] 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." [14] 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. [15]
The success and Oscar nomination of the film in 2009 led to major offers for Cartoon Saloon, but the studio chose to remain independent. [16] 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. [17]
As of 2021, Cartoon Saloon is in production of its TV series, Vikingskool and Nora Twomey's second feature for Netflix, My Father's Dragon . [18]
The studio provides animation, illustration and design services for clients ranging from Disney to BBC to Cartoon Network. [19]
Cartoon Saloon also provided the graphics for the successful Emperor of the Irish exhibition at Trinity College Dublin, in 2014. [20]
Title | Release date | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Secret of Kells [lower-alpha 1] | 3 March 2009 19 March 2010 (US) | $8 million [21] | $3.5 million [21] | 90% [22] | 81 [23] |
Song of the Sea [lower-alpha 1] | 19 December 2014 (US) 10 July 2015 (UK & Ireland) | $7.5 million | $4.4 million [24] | 99% [25] | 85 [26] |
The Breadwinner [lower-alpha 1] | 17 November 2017 (US) 25 May 2018 (UK & Ireland) | $10 million[ citation needed ] | $4.4 million [27] | 95% [28] | 78 [29] |
Wolfwalkers [lower-alpha 1] [30] [31] [32] | 30 October 2020 (UK Limited) 13 November 2020 (US Limited) 4 December 2020 (Ireland Limited) 11 December 2020 (Apple TV+) [33] | €10 million [34] | $1.3 million [35] | 99% [36] | 87 [37] |
My Father's Dragon | 4 November 2022 (UK US and Ireland Limited) 11 November 2022 (Netflix) [38] | TBA | TBA | 87% [39] | 73% [40] |
Puffin Rock and the New Friends | 14 July 2023 (Ireland Limited) 11 August 2023 (UK Limited) 16 April 2024 | TBA | $51K [41] | 100% [42] | TBA |
Title | Release | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Julián | 2025 | [43] [44] [45] |
# | Title | Release date |
---|---|---|
1 | From Darkness [46] | 13 July 2002 |
2 | Cúilín Dualach [47] | 16 October 2004 |
3 | Old Fangs [48] | 1 July 2009 |
4 | Somewhere Down the Line [49] | 12 July 2014 |
5 | The Ledge End of Phil: From Accounting | 15 November 2014 |
6 | Late Afternoon [lower-alpha 1] [50] | 2018 |
7 | There's a Monster In My Kitchen [51] | 22 October 2020 |
8 | Star Wars: Visions: Screecher's Reach | 4 May 2023 |
# | Title | Premiere date | End date | Network |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Skunk Fu! | 2007 | 2008 | CBBC |
2 | Anam an Amhráin | 2009 | 2010 | TG4 |
3 | Puffin Rock | 2015 [52] | 2016 | RTÉjr/Nick Jr./Netflix |
4 | Cúl an Tí | 2018 | 2018 | TG4 |
5 | Dorg Van Dango [53] [54] [55] | 2020 | 2021 | RTÉ Nickelodeon/Family Channel, co-produced with WildBrain |
6 | Vikingskool [56] | 2022 | present | Disney EMEA (Disney+), France Televisions, NRK, RTE |
7 | Silly Sundays | 2023 | present | RTÉjr/Cartoon Network |
8 | Ellie the Ace [57] | TBA | TBA | |
9 | Untitled Cartoon Saloon series [58] | Apple TV+ |
Title | Note |
---|---|
Eddie of the Realms Eternal [59] | Pitched to Amazon |
The World According to Winnie the Pooh [60] |
|
Title | Note |
---|---|
Skunk Fu! [61] | Based on the TV series of the same name. |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Santa's Apprentice [62] | Co-production | Animation production by Gaumont Alphanim |
2011 | Top Cat: The Movie [63] | Co-production | Animation production by Ánima Estudios, as well as Illusion Studios |
2012 | Moon Man [64] [65] | Co-production | Animation production by Schesch Filmkreation |
2014 | The Prophet | Segment (On Love) | Animation production by Ventanarosa |
2017 | If You Give a Mouse a Cookie | Co-production | under Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture with Mercury Filmworks |
2019 | The Bug Diaries [66] | Co-production | under Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture with Mercury Filmworks |
2021 | Belle [67] [68] | Background work | Animation production by Studio Chizu |
2021 | Little Ellen | Co-production | under Lighthouse Studios |
2022 | The Cuphead Show! | Co-production | under Lighthouse Studios |
2022 | The Bob's Burgers Movie | Co-production | under and with Lighthouse Studios, as well as with Bento Box, Golden Wolf, Mercury Filmworks, and Tonic DNA, among others |
2022 | El Deafo [69] | Co-production | under Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture with Mercury Filmworks |
2023 | Rick and Morty (season 7) [70] | Co-production | under and with Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture with Mercury Filmworks, as well as with Williams Street, and Justin Roiland's Solo Vanity Card Productions!, among others |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2024) |
Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Festival International des Voix du Cinéma d'Animation (Port Leucate, France) [75] | Prix Spécial du Jury | Song of the Sea | Won |
2015 | 42nd Annual Annie Awards [76] | Best Animated Feature | Tomm Moore, Paul Young | Nominated |
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Tomm Moore, Marie Thorhauge, Sandra Anderson, Rosa Ballester Cabo | Nominated | ||
Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Tomm Moore | Nominated | ||
Music in a Feature Production | Bruno Coulais & Kíla | Nominated | ||
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Adrien Merigeau | Nominated | ||
Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Will Collins | Nominated | ||
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production | Darragh Byrne | Nominated | ||
19th Satellite Awards [77] | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Song of the Sea | Won | |
40th César Awards [78] | Best Animated Feature Film | Song of the Sea | Nominated | |
87th Academy Awards [79] | Best Animated Feature | Tomm Moore and Paul Young | Nominated [3] | |
12th Irish Film & Television Awards [80] | Best Film | Song of the Sea | Won | |
Best Film Script | Will Collins | Nominated | ||
28th European Film Awards [81] | Best Animated Feature Film | Song of the Sea | Won | |
2016 | 6th Magritte Awards [82] | Best Foreign Film in Coproduction | Song of the Sea | Nominated |
21st Empire Awards [83] [84] | Best Animated Film | Song of the Sea | Nominated | |
2017 | 2nd Irish Animation Awards [85] | Best Irish Feature Film or Special | Song of the Sea | Won |
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animation is Film Festival | 22 October 2022 | Special Jury Prize Award | My Father's Dragon | Won | [144] [145] |
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 16, 2022 | Best Original Song in an Animated Film | Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna, Frank Danna, Nora Twomey, Meg LeFauve ("Lift Your Wings") | Nominated | [146] |
Annie Awards | February 25, 2023 | Best Animated Feature – Independent | My Father's Dragon | Nominated | [147] |
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production | Nora Twomey | Nominated |
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kidscreen Awards | 9 February 2016 | Best New Series, preschool | Won | [151] [152] | |
Best Animated Series, preschool | Won | ||||
Annie Awards | February 4, 2017 | Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children | Puffin Rock - The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | [153] |
Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production | Lily Bernard for The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production | Davey Moore for The First Snow - Episode: 59 | Nominated | |||
International Emmy Kids Awards | 10 April 2018 | Best preschool program | Nominated | [154] [155] |
The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for the best animated film. An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first awarded in 2002 for films released in 2001.
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931–32, to the present.
The term independent animation refers to animated shorts, web series, and feature films produced outside a major national animation industry.
Kíla is an Irish folk music group, formed in 1987 in Irish language secondary school Coláiste Eoin in County Dublin.
The Irish film industry has grown somewhat in recent years thanks partly to the promotion of the sector by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and the introduction of heavy tax breaks. According to the Irish Audiovisual Content Production Sector Review carried out by the Irish Film Board and PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008 this sector, has gone from 1,000 people employed six or seven years ago, to well over 6,000 people in that sector now and is valued at over €557.3 million and represents 0.3% of GDP. Most films are produced in English as Ireland is largely Anglophone, though some productions are made in Irish either wholly or partially.
The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature is an Annie Award introduced in 1992, awarded annually to the best animated feature film.
The Secret of Kells is a 2009 animated fantasy drama film about the making of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript from the 9th century.
Thomas "Tomm" Moore is an Irish filmmaker, animator, illustrator and comics artist. He co-founded Cartoon Saloon with Nora Twomey and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company based in Kilkenny, Ireland. His first three feature films, The Secret of Kells (2009), co-directed with Nora Twomey, Song of the Sea (2014) and Wolfwalkers (2020), co-directed with Ross Stewart, have received critical acclaim and were all nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Nora Twomey is an Irish animator, director, screenwriter, producer and voice actress. She is best known as the co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, alongside Tomm Moore and Paul Young, an animation studio and production company, based in Kilkenny City, Ireland. She is best known for co-directing The Secret of Kells and directing The Breadwinner. Her work on both films earned Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature.
Song of the Sea is a 2014 animated fantasy film directed and co-produced by Tomm Moore, co-produced by Ross Murray, Paul Young, Stephen Roelants, Serge and Marc Ume, Isabelle Truc, Clement Calvet, Jeremie Fajner, Frederik Villumsen, and Claus Toksvig Kjaer, and written by Will Collins based on Moore's original story.
The Breadwinner is a 2017 animated drama film from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon directed by Nora Twomey. Based on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, the film was an international co-production among Canada, the Republic of Ireland and Luxembourg, and received a limited release on 17 November 2017.
The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent is an Annie Award introduced in 2015, awarded annually.
TVPaint Animation is a 2D paint and digital animation software package developed by TVPaint Developpement SARL based in Lorraine, France. Originally released for Amiga in 1991, version 3.0 (1994) introduced support for other platforms. In 1999, the last Amiga version 3.59 was released as free download. TVPaint Animation currently runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android operating systems.
Wolfwalkers is a 2020 independent animated fantasy adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The film is the third and final installment in Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy", following his previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). An international co-production led by Cartoon Saloon and Mélusine Productions, the film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 26 October, in the United States and Canada on 13 November, and in Ireland on 2 December. It was released digitally on Apple TV+ on 11 December 2020, to critical acclaim.
My Father's Dragon is a 2022 animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Nora Twomey with a screenplay by Meg LeFauve who co-wrote the story with John Morgan. It is based on the 1948 children's novel of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett. The film is also dedicated to Morgan who had since died. It stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O'Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ian McShane.
Paul Young is an Irish animator, illustrator, cartoonist, producer, and director. He is the CEO of Cartoon Saloon, a four-times Academy Award nominated and BAFTA nominated Irish animation studio. He co-founded the studio in 1999 with Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. In 2015 he was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He has been a board member of Animation Ireland.
Burrow is a 2020 American animated short film written and directed by Madeline Sharafian, produced by Michael Capbarat at Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The plot features a young rabbit as she tries to build the burrow of her dreams, becoming embarrassed each time she accidentally digs into a neighbor's home. The eighth short film in the SparkShorts series, the short was released on Disney+ on December 25, 2020, and later in theaters on January 12, 2024 alongside Soul. The short was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.
If Anything Happens I Love You is an American 2D animated short film written and directed by Will McCormack and Michael Govier. Its story follows two grieving parents as they struggle to confront the death of their daughter, who was killed in a school shooting. From Gilbert Films and Oh Good Productions, the film was released on Netflix on November 20, 2020.
Dorg van Dango is an animated television series that first aired on RTÉ in Ireland on March 3, 2020, and on Family Channel in Canada on August 1, 2020. The series is created by Fabian Erlinghäuser and Nora Twomey and is produced by Cartoon Saloon and WildBrain Studios, and is made in association with Family Channel and RTÉ.
Arthouse animation is a combination of art film and animated film.
We're coming out of nowhere; we're in the middle of Ireland, we made a movie for €10 million...