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Pictured are Minister Humphreys and Paul Young of Cartoon Saloon at the Cartoon Saloon studio in Kilkenny

Arts Minister Heather Humphreys today wished Cartoon Saloon the best of luck ahead of this weekend’s Academy Awards. Cartoon Saloon is nominated for an Academy Award for their film ‘Song of the Sea’ in the ‘Best Animated Feature Film’ category. It is the second Oscar nomination for the Kilkenny-based company; they previously received a nomination for ‘The Secret of Kells’ in 2009.

Minister Humphreys said:

Being nominated for an Oscar is, in itself, recognition from your peers in the entertainment and film industry of enormous talent and ability. Cartoon Saloon is an excellent example of the wealth of talent that exists within the Irish animation industry. I recently visited Cartoon Saloon and I am delighted that the company intends to grow its workforce in the year ahead, as work starts on the new feature film, The Breadwinner.

The Government is committed to supporting the animation sector through direct funding and through tax incentives. The Irish animation sector is highly dynamic and has significant growth potential in the years ahead. It accounts for about a third of all jobs in the audio-visual sector here and production activity is consistently increasing year on year.

I wish Cartoon Saloon all the very best with their Oscar bid and no doubt the entire country will be rooting for them on Sunday night.

Through the Irish Film Board, funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, direct financial support is given to the animation sector. Since 2006, the IFB has provided almost €11 million in funding for the sector; this includes €4 million on animated feature films and €7 million on animated TV content.