Cartoon Saloon
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides illustration, design, film and TV services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner. Their works have received four Academy Award nominations, three for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Animated Short Film. The company also developed the cartoon series Skunk Fu! and Puffin Rock.
History
Cartoon Saloon was established in Kilkenny during 1999 by Tomm Moore and Paul Young, along with director Nora Twomey. The three were schoolmates at the Ballyfermot College of Further Education. Cartoon Saloon began working on its first feature film, The Secret of Kells, that same year.The Secret of Kells was inspired by the realization of The Thief and the Cobbler and Mulan while the founders were in university. However, the film did not enter full production until 2005; the company animated corporate work such as advertisements as they searched for funding.
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.
The success and Oscar nomination of the film in 2009 led to major offers for Cartoon Saloon, but the studio chose to remain independent.
Since its founding, Cartoon Saloon has grown into a multi-award-winning animation and illustration design studio.
Cartoon Saloon is currently in pre-production of its TV series, Dorg van Dango, Tomm Moore’s 3rd feature Wolfwalkers, and Nora Twomey's 2nd feature for Netflix, My Father's Dragon as well as working on a development slate of their own work.
Services
The studio provides animation, illustration and design services for clients ranging from Disney to BBC to Cartoon Network.Cartoon Saloon also provided the graphics for the successful Emperor of the Irish exhibition at Trinity College Dublin, in 2014.
Filmography
Feature films
Released films| # | Title | Release date | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
| 1 | The Secret of Kells | 3 March 2009 19 March 2010 | $8 million | $3.5 million | 91% | 81 |
| 2 | Song of the Sea | 19 December 2014 10 July 2015 | 7.5 million | $4.4 million | 99% | 85 |
| 3 | The Breadwinner | 17 November 2017 25 May 2018 | 10 million | $4.4 million | 94% | 76 |
Upcoming films
| Title | Release date | Refs. |
| Wolfwalkers | 2020 | |
| My Father's Dragon | 2021 |