Irish Animation in the Spotlight at the World Famous Annecy International Animation Festival

The animated TV series’ The Wildernuts directed by Andrew Kavanagh and The Octonauts directed by Nicky Phelan are both selected for Official Competition at the prestigious festival. The award winning short film The Missing Scarf will screen out of competition at the world’s leading animation festival which takes place from June 9th-14th June 2014.

The Academy Award® nominated company Cartoon Saloon will give a presentation on their much anticipated animated feature film Song of the Sea which is set to complete later this year and the company will also launch their upcoming book called Designing The Secret Of Kells which is an in depth look into the creation of their Oscar nominated feature The Secret Of Kells.

The Wildernuts is produced by Kavaleer Productionsand is focused on a lively crew led by the intrepid leader, Cap’n Quilty, This fun-loving crew navigate the skies above their island home on their flying ship, the Cloudhopper.  The episode “A Purse for Scrunch”  is selected for Official competition which see the characters exploring a new habitat in search of fun and adventure, while also discovering secrets of the environment and learning about the amazing animals and plants who live there.

The Octonauts episode “The Octonauts and the Mariana Trench Adventure” directed by Irish director and Academy Award nominee Nicky Phelan has also been selected for official competition. The series is based around a crew of eight adorable animals who explore the ocean in search of adventure and fun. The Octonauts is produced in Ireland by Brown Bag Films for Chorion and premiered on CBeebies in October 2010 where it became an instant hit with pre-school audiences. The show, which is both Emmy and BAFTA nominated is now in its second season. Director Nicky Phelan previously directed the multi ward winning short film ‘Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty’.

The Missing Scarf narrated by Star Trek’s George Takei, is a black comedy that explores some of life’s common fears: the fear of the unknown, of failure, rejection and finally of death. The Missing Scarf won Best Animation at the New Hampshire Film Festival in the US and Best European Short Film at the Seminci Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain. It is also officially nominated for Best European Short Film at the European Film Awards 2014.