Cartoon Saloon Returns To The World Of ‘Wolfwalkers’ With ‘Mebh And The Wolf Pups’

For the first time in its 26-year history, Cartoon Saloon is returning to one of its established worlds.

The iconic Irish studio pitched Mebh and the Wolf Pups at Cartoon Forum on Thursday morning, unveiling a preschool spin-off centered on the breakout character from its Oscar-nominated 2020 feature Wolfwalkers.

The 52 x seven-minute series follows Mebh and four wolf pups as they explore the forest, cause trouble, and help the animals that live there. Directed by Jeremy Purcell and written by Cian McGarrigle, it’s produced by Cartoon Saloon with longtime Luxembourg collaborator Mélusine Studio.

Wolfwalkers co-director Tomm Moore admitted that he initially resisted the idea of revisiting the film.

“We hadn’t really done anything like prequels or sequels or spin-offs before, and I was a little bit pure about it,” he told Cartoon Brew ahead of the pitch.

What changed his mind was the audience response to Mebh, particularly from children much younger than the film’s intended audience. Moore’s granddaughter Mara was three or four when Wolfwalkers was released and became fascinated by the character. He shared an adorable picture of the two of them together at the time, sharing playtime with a Mebh plushy.

“She would go out into the woods whenever we were walking the dogs, and she would howl and growl and snarl and put leaves and flowers in her hair,” Moore recalled during the pitch. “She really wanted to be a Wolfwalker.”

As similar stories began arriving from other families, Moore and his colleagues realized that Mebh could carry a series of her own. For studio founder and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), Mebh’s appeal comes from the freedom she represents.

“She’s wildness itself,” Twomey said during the pitch. “She’s like the impulse to take your shoes off when you see a beautiful meadow of green grass and see what that feels like under your feet, or to raise your face up when it’s raining and feel those droplets on your skin. She’s the invitation to be wild.”

Each episode begins during Mebh’s free time with the pups and introduces a simple problem that the pack must solve together. At some point in every story, Mebh transforms into a wolf pup, gaining heightened speed, hearing, and smell. The transformation will be accompanied by a recurring musical cue that children can anticipate.

“It’s running out into your back garden, and you’re a wolf, and you’re howling,” lead producer Jason Tammemägi explained. “It’s freedom. For me, this is the infinite playtime of youth.”

That freedom became increasingly important as the series took shape.

“Kids’ lives are so scheduled, they’re so fixed,” Tammemägi said. “It seems weird to say it, but I think in 2026, the freedom to just be able to go out and play feels aspirational.”

Mebh learns something during each adventure, although Twomey emphasized that those lessons will grow naturally from the stories. The series, like the film on which it is based, will continue to celebrate her impulsiveness and independence.

“We never forget that Mebh is a free spirit and she’s a wild child,” Twomey said. “We celebrate that wildness, even if the only wildness that our audience can have access to is in their imaginations. That’s still a very beautiful place. It’s a place of power, creativity, and resilience.”

The €7.8 million ($9.25 million) series is already almost 85% financed, with Screen Ireland and Film Fund Luxembourg providing support. RTÉ and RTL Luxembourg have already acquired the show. Production is expected to run from late 2026 through early 2028.