Five-time Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy-nominated animation studio, Cartoon Saloon heads into the upcoming Licensing Expo in Las Vegas announcing a slate of new licensing partners for its Irish Folklore Trilogy, all created and directed by Tomm Moore, a co-founder of Cartoon Saloon. The Irish Folklore Trilogy includes Academy Award-nominated features WolfWalkers (directed by Ross Stewart), and Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells (co-directed by Nora Twomey). The announcement was made today by Brian Tyrrell, General Manager of Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, who will be attending Licensing Expo for in-person meetings.
Cartoon Saloon Brand Development debuted its Irish Folklore Trilogy brand at last year’s Brand Licensing Europe and has since appointed multiple licensees to develop branded merchandise. The company has signed global licenses with Little Brown Books for Young Readers for three graphic novels; Xist Publishing for three beginner books; Pinfinity for three AR Enamel Pin Sets; Cubles for three Origami puzzles; and Gallery Nucleus for three pin sets. The studio has also signed Trends International for posters in North America. Additionally, a special edition Blu-ray box set of the three films was launched in December in North American with partners GKids and Shout Factory and with Studio Canal Home Entertainment for Ireland and the U.K. The box set will launch in Japan in the summer. A special edition trilogy designed range of apparel has been produced and is exclusively on sale at the Cartoon Saloon online store, with a number of other Trilogy branded product licenses under discussion, to launch later in the year.
“The Irish Folklore Trilogy is truly a unique brand we are creating across our three multiple award-winning and Academy Award-nominated movies, which have achieved tremendous global awareness over the past few years,” commented Tyrrell. “With broad global awareness and demand from fans for more ways to engage with their favorite stories and characters, we are excited to work with our new partners to create fresh, engaging and immersive experiences. We’re looking forward to attending Licensing Expo to continue to build the retail offering, and in particular, we are looking to develop new categories including Games, Apps, Apparel and more.”
In addition to the Irish Folklore Trilogy, Cartoon Saloon Brand Development will also present to potential partners at Licensing Expo the preschool brand Silly Sundays and Puffin Rock – The Movie, as well as spearheading the global licensing and merchandising strategy for the Netflix Film, My Father’s Dragon, which was recently announced.