I’ve been meaning to do a post on animation studio Cartoon Saloon for a while now, as their films are truly some of my absolute favourites – yet still woefully undiscovered by mainstream audiences. It drives me nuts that Pixar takes home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature every year, when Cartoon Saloon’s offerings are substantially and undeniably superior (somehow Big Hero 6 won out over Song of the Sea in 2014, and that Soul beat Wolfwalkers this year is just absurd).
The studio is based in Kilkenny, Ireland, and has managed to remain independent despite several offers to buy it out since 2009, which mercifully means their distinctive style and hand-drawn artistry remains untampered with. As of this post, they’ve released four feature films, seven short films, and worked on five television series, all of which have been wonderful. (If you haven’t seen Puffin Rock on Netflix yet, then what are you waiting for? It’s adorable).
I could have discussed The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea years ago, but knowing that writer/director Tomm Moore was always planning to release a third film called Wolfwalkers to complete what’s unofficially known as his “Irish triptych,” I’ve been holding off in order to comment on all of them together.
The three films are referred to as a triptych rather than a trilogy because they aren’t related to each other in regards to story; they’re not prequels or sequels to each other. But they all speak the same cinematic language, and are all of one artistic vision. The human figures have distinctly round heads and bodies, and exist within deeply stylized settings with recurring patterns and motifs: for example, circles denote safety and beauty, angles suggest danger and strife.
Each film is set in Ireland. All draw heavily from the mythology and folklore of that land. Each one features two children as its protagonists, one from the ordinary world and one that's more supernatural in origin. Also present is a stern father figure who isn’t really so bad. All have reconnection and reconciliation between two people (and by extension, two belief systems) as a central theme.
This is largely captured in the presence of both Christianity and paganism in each of the films, not necessarily in conflict with one another, but existing side-by-side – in practice, in symbolism, and in the way each one influences and illuminates the storylines.
All are directed by Tomm Moore, all are rendered in beautiful hand-drawn animation, and each one is extremely uplifting, thought-provoking and visually stunning. Like all good fairy tales, they touch on ancient truths and rhythms, but contain a freshness and originality that set them apart from anything you’ve seen before.
Oh, and though they can be watched in any order, the latter two films contain little Easter eggs that reference their predecessors (Aisling can be spotted on the bus in Song of the Sea, and Mebh casually pulls the Eye of Crom out of Robyn’s bag in Wolfwalkers).
SPOILERS BELOW
