Byrne in THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX and THE HORSE

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne lends his voice to the Oscar-winning THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX and THE HORSE. The film won best animated short film at the 95th Academy Awards and was nominated against other titles like MY YEAR OF DICKS, ICE MERCHANT, THE FLYING SAILOR, and AN OSTRICH TOLD ME THE WORLD WAS FAKE AND I BELIEVE IT. Directed by Peter Baynton and Charlie Mackesy based on a script written by Jon Croker and Mackesy, the film is an adaptation of the illustrated graphic novel of the same name by Charlie Mackesy. 

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Gleeson in A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL

Brendan Gleeson

Oscar nominee Brendan Gleeson and BAD SISTERS creator Sharon Horgan have teamed up for a new animated film that is set for future Oscar glory. Ireland is currently the talk of Hollywood, thanks to our record-breaking 14 Oscar nominations, including one for Gleeson himself in the Best Supporting actor category for his work in THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN. Following its premiere earlier in the month at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival, A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL will be hoping to follow the path of BANSHEES and THE QUIET GIRL at the 2024 awards.

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McKenna in A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL

Charline McKenna

Actress Charlene McKenna has said it was “so freeing” to take on an animated role in her latest project as she didn’t have to worry about hair and make-up. Written and directed by Italy’s Enzo d’Alo, she will co-star in A GREYHOUND OF A GIRL which will get its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, which begins on February 16. Based on the same novel as a 2012 release by Roddy Doyle, it tells the story of a young girl named Mary (12), who has a passion for cooking and is also trying to deal with the fact that her granny is dying.

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Byrne voices animated tale

Gabriel Byrne

An animated featuring the vocal talents of Irish actor Gabriel Byrne has proved a ratings hit for the BBC over the holidays, melting the hearts of viewers in the process. THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX and THE HORSE is a hand-drawn traditionally animated film based on Charlie Mackesy’s book. Byrne voices the Horse, while he is joined by stars Idris Elba (the Fox) and Tom Hollander (the Mole) with newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll voicing the Boy.

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MY FATHER’S DRAGON on Netflix

Made by the great Irish studio Cartoon Saloon (SONG OF THE SEA, WOLFWALKERS), Netflix’s new animated film adaptation MY FATHER’S DRAGON, keeps that top-level plot summary, some of the characters, and the indelible design of Boris the dragon (as illustrated by the author’s stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett). Boris is plump and puppyish, striped in blue and yellow, with floppy ears and little golden wings. Director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner, The Secret of Kells) weaves a surreal little parable into something that’s more like a conventionally structured kids’ movie, but they’ve also made it more exciting and resonant. It’s a lovely film.

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Animated RIVERDANCE on Netflix

RIVERDANCE: THE ANIMATED ADVENTURE is coming to Netflix beginning from January 14. The movie describes the essence of magic in singing and dancing in vastly different ways. It exemplifies Ireland’s heritage, natural beauty, and culture. And it delivers to the stage a unique universe filled with laughter and emotion that was created in their thoughts’.

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Embrace the Beauty of Cartoon Saloon

Start the new year with a beautiful box set from a group of creative souls who are keeping traditions alive. It’s not just that the geniuses of Cartoon Saloon embrace the increasingly lost art of hand-drawn animation, but that they draw on classic storytelling concepts, using mythology to fuel their original stories. They have only released four films, but each of them is a captivating work of art on their own while also achieving a remarkable cumulative power when appreciated as a whole piece – a sequence of studies in how our history and our mythology connects to universal themes of today.

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RIVERDANCE the (animated) movie

A full-length, animated RIVERDANCE feature film with a truly star-studded cast will premiere on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW later this month. The film tells the story of a young boy named Keegan (Sam Hardy) and a Spanish girl named Moya (Hannah Herman Cortes) as they journey into the mythical world of the legendary Megaloceros Giganteus, who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life – a lesson that will surely resonate any Irish person since 1994?

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