Weird, Wonderful
& Wildly Creative.
ABOUT US
Kilkenny Animated is where filmmakers, artists, students and audiences collide for a weekend of screenings, talks, workshops and downright brilliant animated experiences. It’s a celebration of animation and visual storytelling in all its weird, wonderful and wildly creative forms, dropped right into the middle of Kilkenny’s medieval streets.
It grew out of the city’s animation and creative communities and is shaped by collaboration between studios, artists, educators and cultural partners. We are guided by our belief in inclusive creativity, shared learning and the importance of cultural place-making in creating a thriving ecosystem for world-class animation to be made.
Shaping The Global
Animation Landscape.
The Studios
At the core of the festival are two studios who’ve helped shape the global animation landscape from their homes in this small Irish city
Cartoon Saloon
Lighthouse Studios
Schweppe Curtis Nunn, the team behind some of Ireland’s most distinctive festivals including Bram Stoker Festival, Electric Picnic, Body & Soul, The Irish Times Theatre Awards and Kilkenomics.
Kilkenny Animated is co-directed, with Paul Young of Cartoon Saloon, and produced by Naoise Nunn of Schweppe Curtis Nunn, which company is involved in some of Ireland’s leading festivals and events including the Bram Stoker Festival, Electric Picnic, Body&Soul, The Irish Times Theatre Awards, Kilkenomics and many more.
A Celebration
of Creativity in Animation
Kilkenny Animated
Kilkenny Animated Festival is a celebration of visual storytelling, bringing together cartoons, animation, and illustration through an exciting programme of exhibitions, talks, performances, workshops, and immersive experiences. The festival celebrates the creativity and craft of the visual image while making animation accessible and engaging for a wide public audience.
Hosted by five-time Academy Award®–nominated Cartoon Saloon and BAFTA Award–winning Lighthouse Studios, Kilkenny Animated is inspired by its unique setting amid the medieval streets and slipways of Kilkenny, in the heart of Ireland’s Ancient East. It is the first festival of its kind to unite such a broad range of visual storytelling disciplines in one place.
Kilkenny Animated
It grew out of the city’s animation and creative communities and is shaped by collaboration between studios, artists, educators and cultural partners. We are guided by our belief in inclusive creativity, shared learning and the importance of cultural place-making in creating a thriving ecosystem for world-class animation to be made.
Recent speakers include Maggie Kang and Chris Applehans (K-Pop Demon Hunters),
Brenda Chapman (Brave), and Lisa Hanawalt (BoJack Horseman), alongside
world-leading artists whose work spans
Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and major international publications.
We are Cartoon Saloon and we create award winning features.
Key Objective
Cartoon Saloon is a Kilkenny-based animation studio founded by Paul Young, Tomm Moore, and Nora Twomey. The studio has earned international recognition with multiple Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA, and Emmy nominations, establishing itself as one of the world’s leading creators of distinctive, hand-crafted animation across feature films, television series, and short films.
5+ Oscar® Nominations
Cartoon Saloon
The studio’s debut feature, The Secret of Kells (2010), received an Academy Award® nomination, marking Cartoon Saloon’s arrival on the global stage. This success was followed by Song of the Sea (2015), directed by Tomm Moore, which earned further Oscar® nominations and became the first animated feature to win Best Picture at the Irish IFTA Awards. In 2017, Cartoon Saloon released The Breadwinner, directed by Nora Twomey, to widespread critical acclaim. Based on the novel by Deborah Ellis, the film received both Golden Globe® and Academy Award® nominations.
More recent features include Wolfwalkers (2020), available on Apple TV, and My Father’s Dragon (2022), released worldwide on Netflix.
We are Lighthouse Studios and we create award winning features.
Key Objective
Lighthouse Studios is a BAFTA-winning animation studio based in Kilkenny, Ireland, led by Managing Director Claire Finn. Founded in 2017, the studio has quickly become a key player in contemporary 2D animation, providing high-quality animation services for some of the most recognisable titles in the industry.
From Amazon Prime to Apple TV+
Lighthouse Studios
Lighthouse has contributed animation to major international productions including The Bob’s Burgers Movie (20th Century Studios), The Cuphead Show! (Netflix), and Rick and Morty (Adult Swim). Alongside service work, the studio has built a strong reputation as a producer of original and co-produced content. Its credits include Bug Diaries for Amazon Prime and the multi-award-winning El Deafo for Apple TV+, which earned Lighthouse and Head of Creative Gilly Fogg the Content for Change award at the 2022 BAFTA Children and Young People Awards.
Lighthouse is currently animating the 2D feature Light of the World, the next season of Rick and Morty, and developing a slate of original projects for audiences ranging from young adults to adults.