Some of the most striking hand-drawn animation of the last two decades has come from Kilkenny, Ireland. Cartoon Saloon makes films that look like nothing else: flat, ornate and full of Irish folklore, with stories that work for children and adults alike. If you have only seen one of its films, or none, here is where to start.
The studio
According to Cartoon Saloon's own history, the studio was established in 1999 by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. It describes itself as a world-renowned animation studio with five Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and wins including a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award and an Emmy. Based in Kilkenny, it produces short films, feature films and television series, and it founded and hosts Kilkenny Animated, an annual festival of visual storytelling. In 2024 the studio celebrated its 25th anniversary. Its short films get attention too: Cartoon Saloon earned its first Academy Award nomination for a short in 2019 with Late Afternoon, written and directed by Louise Bagnall.
The Secret of Kells
The Secret of Kells was Cartoon Saloon's first feature film, directed by Tomm Moore with Nora Twomey as co-director. The studio calls it a spirited retelling of the origin of Ireland's most cherished artifact, the Book of Kells. In the remote Irish woods, the abbot Cellach, voiced by Brendan Gleeson, builds a fortress against an approaching Viking war party, while his young nephew Brendan secretly apprentices in the monastery's scriptorium. When the illuminator Aidan arrives, he recruits Brendan for a series of dangerous, magical tasks.
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for best animated feature in 2010. Cartoon Saloon says it won the 2009 Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the first animated film ever to do so, as well as the audience award at the 2009 Annecy festival. Its artwork draws on Irish medieval illustration, with a score by French composer Bruno Coulais and a collaboration with the Irish group Kíla.
Song of the Sea
Song of the Sea follows Ben and his little sister Saoirse, the last Seal-child, on a journey across a fading world of legend and magic as they try to return to their home by the sea. Cartoon Saloon says the film takes inspiration from the selkies of Irish folklore, who live as seals in the sea but become human on land. Tomm Moore directed, and the voice cast includes Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny. Bruno Coulais and Kíla returned for the music.
It was nominated for an Academy Award in 2015, and the studio says it was the first animated feature to win Best Picture at the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards.
The Breadwinner
Directed by Nora Twomey, The Breadwinner is based on the best-selling children's novel by Deborah Ellis. It tells the story of 11-year-old Parvana in Taliban-controlled Kabul in 2001. When her father is arrested, Parvana disguises herself to provide for her family and search for him, becoming a storyteller and forming a bond with another girl in disguise, Shauzia. The studio calls it a celebration of children, for children whatever their age and wherever they live.
The film was a co-production between Aircraft Pictures, Melusine Productions and Cartoon Saloon, with a screenplay by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017, was released in selected United States cinemas from November 17, 2017, and received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.
Wolfwalkers
Wolfwalkers, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, is set in a time of superstition and magic. Young apprentice hunter Robyn Goodfellowe travels to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack, then befriends Mebh, a free-spirited girl from a tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night. While they search for Mebh's missing mother, Robyn risks becoming the very thing her father was sent to destroy.
Cartoon Saloon describes Wolfwalkers as the final film in Moore's trilogy after The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. It was nominated for Golden Globe, Academy Award and BAFTA awards, became the studio's second feature to win Best Picture at the IFTA awards in 2021, and is available worldwide on Apple TV+.
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon is inspired by the Newbery-honored 1948 children's book by Ruth Stiles Gannett, with a script by Meg LeFauve and direction by Nora Twomey. Struggling after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon waiting to be rescued. It is streaming on Netflix.
Where to start
Start with Song of the Sea. It is the warmest of the films and the easiest way into the studio's style. Then watch The Secret of Kells and Wolfwalkers to complete Moore's trilogy, and save The Breadwinner for when you want something more serious. If you love hand-drawn animation, our Studio Ghibli starter guide is a natural next stop, and our Criterion Collection explainer and David Lynch starter guide cover more films worth seeking out.
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