March 4, 2026
First animations for Kindred Spirits by Irish Cartoon Saloon
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Our colleagues at CartoonBrew have released the first teaser for the new feature film in development at the award-winning Irish studios. Find info and a video below.
The next project from director Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, WolfWalkers) and award-winning Irish studio Cartoon Saloon will be about... Native Americans.
Once upon a time, during the Great Famine in Ireland, a deep bond was forged between the island nation and the First Nations of the United States and Canada, who donated money to help the Irish people in that time of dire need. More than 160 years later, as the pandemic severely affected nations around the world, and the First Nations even more so, this bond was strengthened on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kindred Spirits tells the tale of two children dealt a very bad hand. Mara, an Irish refugee child alone in New York in 1847, meets Tushka, a Choctaw Nation son far from the warmth of his family. When their paths align, the two journey across America through epic adventures and magical encounters, watched over by Mara’s brother Dan, who cannot accept his own passing into the spirit realm. Together, they search for people to call family and a place to call home.
"During the pandemic, I saw how deeply the bond between Irish and Choctaw nations was still engraved in Irish folk memory. That was the beginning of our journey", said Moore.
The project also involved Native American artists to better incorporate the visual style typical of each culture, Choctaw musicians, as well as Choctaw artist Shelley Dennis who wrote the screenplay and producer Folivari Thibaut Ruby from the French studios.
"I'm really curious about how our story resonates, especially in America", underlined Ruby. "I think for a lot of kids today, most migrants aren't white, but it's good to show them that it could be anybody. You can be a young white European girl in the U.S. and still be an immigrant. To be on the immigrant side, to be the one that doesn't matter, is a powerful aspect of this story".
Still in development, here are the first animations presented in these days at Cartoon Saloon:
[ Fra - source CartoonBrew ]
Once upon a time, during the Great Famine in Ireland, a deep bond was forged between the island nation and the First Nations of the United States and Canada, who donated money to help the Irish people in that time of dire need. More than 160 years later, as the pandemic severely affected nations around the world, and the First Nations even more so, this bond was strengthened on both sides of the Atlantic.
Kindred Spirits tells the tale of two children dealt a very bad hand. Mara, an Irish refugee child alone in New York in 1847, meets Tushka, a Choctaw Nation son far from the warmth of his family. When their paths align, the two journey across America through epic adventures and magical encounters, watched over by Mara’s brother Dan, who cannot accept his own passing into the spirit realm. Together, they search for people to call family and a place to call home.
"During the pandemic, I saw how deeply the bond between Irish and Choctaw nations was still engraved in Irish folk memory. That was the beginning of our journey", said Moore.
The project also involved Native American artists to better incorporate the visual style typical of each culture, Choctaw musicians, as well as Choctaw artist Shelley Dennis who wrote the screenplay and producer Folivari Thibaut Ruby from the French studios.
"I'm really curious about how our story resonates, especially in America", underlined Ruby. "I think for a lot of kids today, most migrants aren't white, but it's good to show them that it could be anybody. You can be a young white European girl in the U.S. and still be an immigrant. To be on the immigrant side, to be the one that doesn't matter, is a powerful aspect of this story".
Still in development, here are the first animations presented in these days at Cartoon Saloon:
[ Fra - source CartoonBrew ]
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