The world-renowned Irish animation studio with five Academy Award® and two Golden Globe® nominations and many award wins including BAFTA® and Emmy® took its first steps at an Irish art college where Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey and Paul Young met and began working together.
After finishing their studies, they established Cartoon Saloon in 1999 in Tomm’s hometown of Kilkenny. Originally, they were based rent free, sharing a space with a group called Young Irish Filmmakers, that Tomm had been a part of as a teenager, like a youth club for filmmakers. At that time, Tomm was already developing a story which later became the movie The Secret of Kells.
Fast forward ten years and this movie was nominated for an Academy Award®, the first of a series of nominations for Cartoon Saloon, and the first step towards a success that continues today. Although this first nomination was a surprise for the studio, behind the scenes they had built up a following of admirers of their work and art style, many of whom came to work with them at the studio.
The passion for the project and the quality standards of the studio came through in the film. This small group of people worked passionately to bring European animation to the United States and through their hard work, the film was released to incredible reviews. That really was the beginning of an endurable and massively enjoyable period for Cartoon Saloon, despite the challenges of independent filmmaking.
The second movie release from the studio was Song of the Sea, financed in 2012, followed by The Breadwinner, the short film Late Afternoon and the final of Tomm Moore’s trilogy WolfWalkers, all of which were nominated for an Academy Award®.
Over the years, the animation studio has grown to over 100 people based in their Kilkenny studios.
Integrity and creativity are two keywords for Cartoon Saloon. As the budgets are limited, a particular issue when independently financing both TV series and feature films, it requires the creatives to continue to be really inventive and passionate in how they tell stories.
These high standards feed into every stage of Cartoon Saloon’s operations from the preproduction phase right through to the final visuals audiences see on screen. This hard work pays off when they get to see the audience’s reactions and receive recognition for their work from their peers. An important philosophy of the studio is to create a nice and fair place to work and that comes from compassion for the people who work there and also for the experience of the final audience.
These philosophies run through everything the studio does including their licensing and merchandising department. In fact, beyond animation, Cartoon Saloon is currently developing a rich L&M programme around their shows, creating licensed products they are very proud of due to being sustainably produced with the highest fair-trade models that are possible today. Cartoon Saloon works very closely with the people creating the merchandise and artwork, which allows for the studio’s philosophy to flow seamlessly through the process.
Read the full article on the first issue of The European Animation Journal.
