Cartoon Saloon
- Open roles
- 1
- Founded
- 1999
- Employees
- 51-200
- Offices
- 1
About Cartoon Saloon
Cartoon Saloon is an independent Irish animation studio founded in 1999 by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. Its work combines hand-drawn 2D animation, expressive line work and folk-art influences with digital production tools, creating films and series rooted in mythology, history, literature and original world-building.
The studio is particularly associated with feature animation. Tomm Moore’s Irish Folklore Trilogy—The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers—helped establish its international profile, while Nora Twomey directed The Breadwinner and My Father's Dragon. The studio has also produced shorts including Late Afternoon and Paul Young’s Screecher's Reach for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2.
Screen storytelling
Alongside feature films, Cartoon Saloon develops and produces television and preschool animation for international audiences. Its series work includes Puffin Rock, Skunk Fu!, Dorg Van Dango, Vikingskool and Silly Sundays. The feature Puffin Rock and the New Friends extended the world of its preschool series to cinemas.
Capabilities
- End-to-end 2D animation production, from development and pre-production through post-production
- Animation directing, writing and creative showrunning
- Storyboarding, animatics, visual development and character, prop, background and colour design
- Traditional and digital 2D animation, including vector and cutout integration, multiplane compositing, FX and tonal animation
- International co-production, production servicing, IP licensing, publishing development and exhibition curation
The company’s films have earned significant awards recognition, including Academy Award nominations for each film in the Irish Folklore Trilogy, The Breadwinner and the short Late Afternoon. Screecher's Reach received Emmy and Annie awards, while Wolfwalkers won multiple Annie Awards. With a practice centred on authored storytelling and crafted visual design, Cartoon Saloon continues to work across feature films, television, shorts and related creative projects.
More about Cartoon Saloon
Leadership and studio practice
- Paul Young is Co-Founder, CEO and Creative Director; Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey are Co-Founders and Creative Directors. Catherine Hehir Roycroft is Chief Operations Officer, and Catherine Keane leads Business & Legal Affairs as General Legal Counsel.
- The founders met while studying classical animation at Ballyfermot College of Further Education in Dublin.
- The studio combines traditional folk-art influences with digital 2D tools including TVPaint, Toon Boom Harmony and Moho, using vector/cutout integration, multiplane compositing, custom lighting, shadows and textural line work.
Milestones and initiatives
Cartoon Saloon co-founded the annual Kilkenny Animated festival and marked its 25th anniversary in 2024. In 2026 it released the visual retrospective The Art of Cartoon Saloon: 25 Years and advanced Julián, a feature directed by Louise Bagnall.
Notable credits
12 creditsOffices
Where Cartoon Saloon is based
- Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Kilkenny offices
HeadquartersAbout this office
**Main Headquarters & Registered Office** Status: active Headquarters Address: The Maltings, Tilbury Place, James' Street, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland, R95 T97W Phone: +353 56 776 4481 Main production studio, management, business affairs, and primary studio facility. --- **Secondary Production Facility & Exhibition Space** Status: active Address: Glebe Hall, Barrack Street, Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland, R95 WK60 Phone: +353 56 776 4481 In-house production annex, technical check/FX suites, and studio tour/exhibition venue.
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