At a time when digital animation seems to be moving towards ever more perfect, realistic, fluid and spectacular images, there is one studio that has shown that a film does not need to resemble any other to win over audiences. Today I want to talk about Cartoon Saloon, the Irish animation studio that stands out not only for its stories, but also for having developed its own distinctive and recognisable visual language.
His work demonstrates that graphic style can be much more than just an aesthetic consideration. It becomes a tool for storytelling, conveying emotions, building worlds and ensuring that a work is recognisable almost from the very first frame.
From Kilkenny to international recognition
Cartoon Saloon was founded in 1999 in Kilkenny, Ireland, by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. From the outset, the studio was committed to developing original stories and championing the potential of 2D animation.
Its international recognition began to gain momentum with The Secret of Kells, released in 2009 and co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. The film secured an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, putting Cartoon Saloon on the map and establishing its reputation on the international stage.
From that point onwards, the studio developed an increasingly recognisable identity, based on a blend of animation, illustration, mythology, Irish culture and traditional techniques. The result has been a track record marked by numerous nominations and the studio’s establishment as one of the leading lights of contemporary European animation.
But perhaps most interestingly, Cartoon Saloon managed to forge its own distinct identity in an industry dominated for decades by major American companies and production houses.
The Secret of Kells
If we want to understand Cartoon Saloon’s visual style, we must start with The Secret of Kells. This film tells the story of Brendan, a young man who lives in a medieval abbey and helps to create an extraordinary manuscript.
The key reference for this work is the Book of Kells, one of the finest examples of medieval Irish illumination from the 8th century AD. The studio does not merely use this historical reference in the plot; rather, it transforms the visual characteristics of medieval manuscripts into the film’s visual language. Ornamental lines, geometric shapes, decorative patterns, flat forms, vivid colours and compositions appear, all of which are directly reminiscent of medieval illustration.
I remember perfectly the impact this film had on me the first time I saw it. The result is simply fascinating. At certain points in the film, it feels as though we are watching an illustration from an ancient manuscript move and come to life.
For a graphic designer, the lesson is clear: a cultural reference can be turned into a visual system. But don’t get me wrong – it’s not simply a matter of using Celtic motifs because they look attractive. It’s about exploring a visual language and transforming it into a coherent narrative tool.
Song of the Sea
In 2014, Song of the Sea, directed by Tomm Moore, was released. The film tells the story of Ben and Saoirse, a girl who belongs to the world of the selkies (creatures from Irish mythology capable of transforming between humans and seals). Here, Cartoon Saloon continues to explore its interest in Irish folklore, whilst considerably expanding its visual research.
The result is once again built around stylised characters, geometric shapes, expressive lines, backgrounds that could easily stand on their own as illustrations, and a carefully crafted colour palette.
One of the most interesting features of Song of the Sea is its ability to demonstrate that simplifying an image does not mean making it any less expressive. Quite the opposite. Rather than depicting every detail realistically, Cartoon Saloon selects only those elements it considers essential to convey a particular feeling: a line can suggest movement, a particular colour can create an atmosphere, a silhouette can define a character, and a geometric shape can become a narrative element.
Because in graphic design, an image does not always communicate better the more information it contains.
The Breadwinner
In 2017, Cartoon Saloon demonstrated that its visual identity did not depend exclusively on Irish mythology. The Breadwinner, directed by Nora Twomey, tells the story of Parvana, an eleven-year-old girl living in Kabul under the Taliban regime.
The film, based on the novel by Deborah Ellis, presents a historical, social and cultural reality very different from the studio’s previous productions. But then, how does one maintain a recognisable visual identity when the narrative universe changes so radically? The studio’s solution was to adapt the visual language to the needs of the story by combining different visual styles. Parvana’s reality has a specific visual language, whilst the stories she imagines introduce a more symbolic and fantastical dimension.
It could be said, then, that having a visual style does not mean always using the same elements. A strong visual identity is not a collection of graphic elements that are constantly repeated. It is a set of principles that can be adapted to different situations.
Wolfwalkers
In 2020, Wolfwalkers was released, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The film tells the story of Robyn, a young apprentice hunter who arrives in Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack of wolves.
Visually, Wolfwalkers could be seen as a synthesis of much of the research that Cartoon Saloon had been developing over the years. Its visual language plays with geometry, lines, textures and organic forms. But there is one particularly interesting stylistic choice: the distinction in visual language between the city and the forest.
The city is associated with rigid, orderly and geometric structures. The forest, by contrast, employs organic, curved forms and freer compositions. In this way, the visual design helps to construct the visual narrative itself. We are not simply looking at two different settings. We are looking at two ways of understanding the world, represented through two different graphic languages.
For a graphic designer, this technique is particularly interesting as it demonstrates how composition and form can communicate concepts without the need for words.
** In addition to these works, his films My Father’s Dragon and Julián are also worth mentioning. Television series such as Puffin Rock, Anam an Amhráin and his forthcoming My Brother the Minotaur, as well as a number of short films.
The key elements of Cartoon Saloon’s visual style
I couldn’t say exactly what it is that makes Cartoon Saloon so recognisable, or what creates the distinctive atmosphere that pervades their works. I don’t see a single answer, but we can certainly identify several recurring elements.
- The influence of illustration: Drawing plays a major role in their productions. Their films retain the character of the line work and make no attempt to hide their nature as animated illustrations.
- Simplification: Shapes are often reduced to primary elements. This allows them to construct visually powerful images without resorting to realism.
- Expressive use of colour: Colour does not function merely as decoration. It helps to create atmospheres, differentiate spaces and convey sensations.
- Geometry: Circles, lines, patterns, modular structures and geometric shapes are a constant feature. Geometry is used to construct settings, characters and compositions.
- Cultural influence: Mythology, folklore, history and artistic tradition carry fundamental weight and significance. Culture thus becomes visual raw material.
- The combination of traditional techniques and digital tools: Whilst it is true that Cartoon Saloon uses digital technology, it does not sacrifice the expressiveness associated with traditional illustration. The aim is not to achieve an artificially perfect image, but to harness technology to expand the possibilities of drawing.
Why has Cartoon Saloon been so successful?
Cartoon Saloon’s success can be explained from various perspectives:
On the one hand, there is a clear commitment to original and culturally specific stories. Rather than attempting to construct universal or global narratives by stripping away any local characteristics, the studio has done precisely the opposite. It has used its cultural references as a source of identity.
On the other hand, there is an extraordinary coherence between story and aesthetics. The look or visual style of one of its films does not appear to be decided independently of the plot. The visual design helps to explain the world we are seeing.
And finally, there is one particularly important element: how it sets itself apart from other animation studios through its own distinctive visual style. Cartoon Saloon does not need to place its logo on a frame for us to recognise its work. The combination of illustration, composition, colour, geometry, culture and visual storytelling creates a unique identity.
What can a graphic designer learn from Cartoon Saloon?
PFor those of us who work in graphic design, Cartoon Saloon’s work offers several lessons well worth bearing in mind:
- Research as a creative tool:
Researching a culture, an era, a technique or an artistic movement can provide far more interesting visual resources than simply consulting graphic references. - Visual language requires coherence:
When a visual identity works, its elements do not appear arbitrarily. There are relationships between them that make it a cohesive whole. - Less can be more:
Simplifying an image forces you to make decisions. It is precisely these decisions that can make a composition clearer and more memorable. - Style must not take precedence over concept:
A spectacular aesthetic may grab attention for a few seconds. But when style and concept work together, the image acquires a far greater capacity to communicate.
Ultimately, his films show us the difference between creating attractive images and constructing a visual system capable of communicating. Designing, for example, a charismatic character is one thing. Designing that character, their environment, their colour palette, their shapes, their textures, their special relationships and their narrative development – and ensuring that all of this speaks the same visual language – is something entirely different. The latter requires design thinking, which is exactly what we find at Cartoon Saloon.
Conclusion
Behind Cartoon Saloon’s films lie illustration, art direction, composition, colour, visual narrative, pacing, research and concept. All of these elements operate within a single ecosystem. This studio has achieved something very difficult in the world of animation: it has developed its own visual voice.
In a digital age that allows us to generate images ever more quickly and with ever greater sophistication, Cartoon Saloon reminds us that technology is no substitute for the idea. Whilst a good tool can help us produce an image, it is the concept, the research and the ability to construct a coherent visual language that transforms that image into communication.
Hi, I’m Roberto Vidiella.
I am the founder and Creative Director of VIDI. I’m passionate about graphic design, and through this blog, I aim to deepen my knowledge and share what I’ve learnt throughout my career. If you leave me a comment, you’ll help me to keep learning and improving – and it really makes me happy!