Art of Cartoon Saloon: 25 Years

The official visual retrospective of the first 25 years of Cartoon Saloon, the award-winning, internationally renowned Irish animation studio behind The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Puffin Rock, and WolfwalkersThe Art of Cartoon Saloon: 25 Years takes fans on a gorgeous illustrated journey through the first 25 years of the award-winning animation studio. Cofounded in 1999 by Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, and Paul Young in Kilkenny, Ireland, Cartoon Saloon has garnered countless accolades for their stunning hand-drawn animation, including four Academy Award nominations. Their body of work encompasses feature film releases including The Secret of the Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, WolfWalkers, and My Father’s Dragon, and the beloved children’s series Puffin Rock, as well as short films and commercial work. The studio’s 2D films, which have persisted and thrived in a cinematic landscape that increasingly favors computer-generated imagery, are vibrant, engaging, and wholly unique. This book illuminates the history of the animation studio and the creative processes that have created a timeless aesthetic distinct to Cartoon Saloon.

Charles Solomon is an internationally respected critic, animation historian, and lecturer at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. He is the author of more than a dozen books on the art and making of animated films and television specials, and his recent credits include The Man Who Leapt Through Film: The Art of Mamoru Hosoda, The Art of Frozen, The Art of WolfWalkers, and the Song of the Sea Artbook, which he wrote in collaboration with Cartoon Saloon cofounder Tomm Moore. He lives in Los Angeles.