Kilkenny's Cartoon Saloon has been nominated for 19 Irish Animation Awards as this year's event goes virtual.
The categories the Kilkenny animation studio are shortlisted for includes: Best Animated Kids Series 6+, Best Animation Sequence (x3), Best Animated Short Film, Best Writer for an Animated Series (x2), Best Art Direction and Design (x2), Best Music (x2), Best Sound Design (x2), Best Irish Feature or Special, Best Storyboarding (x2), Best Editing (x3).
The biennial awards ceremony will take place virtually for the first time on Friday 21st May. And will once again highlight the brilliance and talent of the Irish animation sector. The 2021 Irish Animation Awards feature four new categories, including Best Storyboarding, Best Editing, Best Student Film and Best New Irish IP.
Among the nominations in the 20 categories this year is Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated film ‘Wolfwalkers’, which was nominated in all seven available categories. Giant Animation’s ‘Zog and the Flying Doctors’, which aired on BBC One on Christmas Day, racked up four nominations.
According to Animation Ireland’s Chief Executive, Ronan McCabe, the awards this year highlight the continued growth and creativity in the sector; ‘’It has been an unprecedented year for Irish animation, but the quality of the work produced here in Ireland has once again been world class.
"It’s really heartening to see that the sector has continued to produce outstanding work and that the future remains bright for Irish animation. As with every other year, the 2021 Irish Animation Awards is a time to celebrate the strength and vibrancy of the sector.’’
Ronan went on to say; ‘’We have four new award categories this year, and one which I am really looking forward to is Best Student Film. Animation Ireland has been working hard over the past five years to develop education opportunities in animation and to encourage more students to get involved in a great career choice. Given the current situation, this year’s event will be virtual, but we’re still going to be putting on a great show. It will be a half-day event, with two industry panels, in partnership with Animation Skillnet, Screen Skills Ireland and Women in Animation, followed by the awards ceremony in the evening.’’
The Irish Animation Awards are sponsored this year by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Northern Ireland Screen, BAI, Enterprise Ireland, Gorilla Post, Toon Boom Animation, Philip Lee, Brophy Gillespie and Laztech.
Winners of each category will receive a statuette designed by animator, film maker and teacher Eimhin McNamara. The statuette resembles a Phenakistoscope which was an early animation device used to create an illusion of motion.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for Ireland’s animation studios, representing 32 member studios, who employ more than 2,000 people nationwide. The sector has seen meteoric growth in recent years, with the sector now generating almost €200 million for the economy annually, as Irish animation projects are viewed in over 120 countries worldwide.
