Cartoon Saloon is an animation studio in Kilkenny, Ireland founded by
Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, and Paul Young. The studio's first feature
The Secret of Kells was released in 2009 and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2010. Aisling, the white-haired fairy, was an animated presenter on the Oscar broadcast. I read about the movie in the
ASIFA-SF newsletter written by Karl Cohen. I traveled one hour to see the movie in the city and loved it.
Nora Twomey was director for Cartoon Saloon's third feature film
The Breadwinner and came to San Francisco on a publicity tour with the late Jamie Kezlarian Bolio who I met at SDCC in 2014. I attended an intimate presentation at the Cartoon Art Museum. After the talk, I saw Nora sing the
Puffin Rock theme song and drew a sketch for a young fan. I deferred asking for a sketch or autograph. I took a photo of Nora and Jamie took a shot of the two of us. A couple days later, I returned to the city for a San Francisco Film Society screening. I was pleased to introduce ASIFA-SF president Karl Cohen to Nora and Jamie. There was a question and answer session following the movie. Cartoon Saloon’s fifth feature film
My Father’s Dragon was directed by Nora for Netflix. She made an appearance at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California. My friend John attended and picked up this Art of My Father’s Dragon for me. I’m thrilled to have this sketch.
