Exclusive Trailer: New Documentary About Irish Animation Industry

Irish animation production is booming right now, but the growth of the industry was set into motion many years ago. That contemporary history is the subject of an upcoming documentary, Animation, Inc.: Ireland’s Creative Industry.

Cartoon Brew exclusively debuts the trailer for the film below:

First-time director Darren Williams told Cartoon Brew that the country’s animation history may surprise people. “I knew about the exciting history here, with Murakami/Wolf and the Sullivan Bluth studios, but found that a lot of people had no idea some of their favorite childhood animation, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, All Dogs Go To Heaven and An American Tail where made in Ireland,” he said.

The 80-minute documentary traces not only the growth of the Irish animation industry, but the influence of Irish animators worldwide, like Greg Tiernan, the co-director of the newly released Sausage Party.

In addition to Tiernan, the documentary offers interviews with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Anastasia), Seamus Malone (Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep), Dean DeBlois (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch), and Richie Baneham (Avatar, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), as well as key figures from Irish studios like Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells), Brown Bag Films (Doc McStuffins), Giant Animation, and Barley Films, among others.

The film was funded and produced independently. The filmmakers are now awaiting a decision for completion funding from the Irish Film Board. Updates on the film can be found on the Facebook page for the production company Northern Atlantic.