Cartoon Saloon

Cartoon Saloon
	Logo used since 2018
	Cartoon Saloon building in Kilkenny
Company type	Private company
Industry	Animation
Founded	1999
Founders	Paul Young; Tomm Moore; Nora Twomey
Headquarters	Kilkenny, Ireland
Products	Animated films; Television series; Short films
Number of employees	about 300 (2020)
Website	cartoonsaloon.ie

Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation studio. It is based in Kilkenny, Ireland. The studio makes animated movies, television shows, and short movies.

Cartoon Saloon is best known for its animated movies The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, and Wolfwalkers. These movies were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

The studio has received five Academy Award nominations. Four were for feature movies, and one was for the short movie Late Afternoon.

History

Cartoon Saloon was founded in 1999 by Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, and Paul Young. The founders studied animation at the Ballyfermot College of Further Education in Dublin.

The studio first worked on a trailer for The Secret of Kells. The full movie was not made until several years later because the company needed funding. During this time, Cartoon Saloon worked on advertisements and other commercial projects.

The Secret of Kells was released in 2009 and was nominated for an Academy Award. After this success, the studio decided to stay independent instead of joining a larger company.

Work

Cartoon Saloon makes hand-drawn style animation inspired by Irish art and folklore. The studio also works with international companies such as Disney, the BBC, and Cartoon Network.

In addition to movies, Cartoon Saloon has produced television series such as:

As of 2020, the studio had about 300 employees.