Cartoon Saloon reveal 'Puffin Rock' Movie Details

You may already be aware that we are seriously big fans of Cartoon Saloon. And as the Kilkenny, Ireland-based studio continues to grow they have been ramping up production.  As such we shouldn't have to wait quite so long between their films.

Puffin Rock and The New Friends is the big screen spin-off of their TV preschool series Puffin Rock. The feature was first announced back in 2019, but new details have just been announced.

The film will follow the stars of the series including Oona, Baba, May, and Mossy who will be joined by newcomers to the island Isabelle, Phoenix, and Marvin. When the last little egg of the season disappears in mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends must race to bring it home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock.

It's described as "an action-packed story which celebrates our magnificent natural environment, and features themes of belonging, courage and friendship."

The voice cast will be led by Chris O'Dowd and Amy Huberman who will be joined by Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker.

The film is currently in post-production and is produced by WestEnd Films in association with Cartoon Saloon. Northern Ireland's Dog Ears and China Nebula Group. Wildcard Distribution will release the film theatrically in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The director is Jeremy Purcell, whose credits include both the original Puffin Rock series and Cartoon Saloon's movies. The script is written by Sara Daddy, head writer on the series. Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey and Paul Young are producers, along with John McDaid and Fionnuala Deane from Dog Ears. Lorraine Lordan is the assistant director.

Puffin Rock is the first animated feature to be (partially) produced in Northern Ireland and is co-funded by Screen Northern Ireland, Screen Ireland, RTE and BBC Alba.

"Puffin Rock is a wonderful place to live, but what if it just doesn’t feel like your home?"Purcell said. "Sadly in the world we live in more and more children are being forced to leave all they have known and move somewhere new. Puffin Rock and the New Friends is a story of one little puffin’s journey to making friends, finding happiness and, most importantly, making a new place a home."

The original series ran for 79 episodes, was nominated for an International Emmy and won a Royal Television Award and two Kidscreen Awards. It streams internationally on Netflix.

No release date has been announced just yet.

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