CARTOON SALOON: ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE
Nora Twomey, director of The Breadwinner, tells the story of Cartoon Saloon and its unique place in the world of animation
The award-winning studio behind The Breadwinner talk their origins and exciting plans for the future
Ever since its inception in 1999, Cartoon Saloon has carved out a unique place for itself in the animation industry. The Kilkenny-based studio was the brainchild of three friends, united by their immense talent and creativity. “We were a bunch of friends with a lot of energy, naivety and nothing to lose,” recalls co-founder and creative director Nora Twomey.
Tomm Moore, Paul Young and Twomey met while attending Ballyfermot Animation College in the mid-nineties. “Tomm had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do when he left college: to make a film, in Ireland, about The Book Of Kells,” explains Twomey. The trio’s peers began contributing their sketches, paintings and story ideas while still in college. “I think what made the most lasting impression on me was the seriousness with which Tomm took the whole thing,” she adds.
The early days of Cartoon Saloon were characterised by an ‘anything’s possible’ attitude as they turned out everything from internet greeting cards to website content, commercials and short films. A teaser for
The Secret Of Kells would help them find co-producers and set them on the path to completing their first feature. “The film
boards of Ireland, France and Belgium were really supportive,” Twomey adds. “We worked really hard and made Kells alongside a 52-episode TV series. We expanded from 15 to 75 people in the space of a few months. It was a huge learning curve and stretched us all far beyond our comfort zones.”
The Secret Of Kells was released in 2009, winning acclaim across the world. however, when the film was nominated for an Academy Award in early 2010, things weren’t looking good for the studio. “Cartoon Saloon was in a bad state financially and creatively,” admits Twomey. “We’d put all our efforts into those projects without leaving time and space to develop new works, so it took a lot of toil and sacrifice to pull ourselves out of the hole we’d dug, while appearing very successful on the outside.”
With an Academy Award nomination to their name, some financial advice and a little restructuring, it wasn’t long before Cartoon Saloon were in production on their second feature Song Of The Sea and another TV series in Puffin Rock. These days the studio works with the likes of Netflix and Apple to reach more eyes than ever before, without compromising on their vision. Twomey adds: “We’re a creatively led team who are always looking to find new challenges through story and art. We’re motivated by the same ‘anything’s possible’ attitude I saw in my college friends 25 years ago.”
Much of the studio’s acclaim is a result of their distinctive visual style, which evokes traditional, hand-drawn animation. “The creative leads in the studio share a design sensibility, and the one thing we don’t compromise on is visual beauty,” says Twomey. “every year new artists join us and go on to inform how we treat the stories we tell, but really I think we’re seen for far more visual cohesion than we can perceive from inside the studio. Personally, I try to work everything outward from the character we’re portraying.” Cartoon Saloon’s latest feature, The
Breadwinner, directed by Twomey, proved another huge success for the studio. The project began when Paul Young and managing director gerry Shirren were given a copy of Deborah ellis’ book by Canada’s Aircraft Pictures. The company had seen
The Secret Of Kells and were keen to collaborate with the studio.
“I read the book that night and the following day,” Twomey remembers. “Tomm, Paul, gerry and I met and I started talking about the story, about Parvana, the young girl at its heart. I realised I wanted to direct it, to push it into production.” The film follows the story of an 11-year-old girl who gives up her identity to provide for her family and try to save her father’s life.
“I hadn’t been looking for a film to direct, I’d been helping get the TV series Puffin
Rock off the ground, but I just really wanted to make The Breadwinner. To make a film with this subject matter, to put it in front of an audience, it isn’t an opportunity that comes along very often. Being part of an international creative effort like this was something very special and the personal stories imbedded in the film’s sensibility are a credit to the whole team.”
The journey hasn’t always been easy, but a belief that anything is possible has seen Cartoon Saloon become a vital and beloved presence in the animation industry. “every day is new a challenge and the only thing I’ve really learned is that there are always new mistakes to make,” concludes Twomey. “I’ve had personal challenges too with a cancer diagnosis in the middle of production on The Breadwinner, but I have my college friends still and many more new ones, who support me when I need it and let me immerse myself in animation when I want to. I am extremely lucky to love what I do and am surrounded by people who feel the same.” Find out more about the studio at www.cartoonsaloon.ie
“Being part of an international creative effort like this was something very special and the personal stories imbedded in the film’s sensibility are a credit to the whole team” Nora Twomey, co-founder and creative director, Cartoon Saloon