Kulturotwórcza rola „Irish Folklore Trilogy” Cartoon Saloon w kontekście historii irlandzkiej animacji

Marta Maciejewska

doi:10.36744/k.3843

The Cultural Role of the “Irish Folklore Trilogy” by Cartoon Saloon in the Context of the History of Irish Animation

Peer-reviewed article, Submitted 15.10.2024, Accepted 10.06.2025

Marta Maciejewska

marta.maciejewska@ug.edu.pl
Uniwersity of Gdańsk (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-9903

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36744/k.3843

Abstract

The topic of this article is a brief analysis of the work of the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, with particular emphasis on the so-called Irish Folklore Trilogy – The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020). These films, both visually and plot-wise, are broadly representative of Irish culture, referencing historical events (e.g. the creation of the Book of Kells, the history of the town of Kilkenny), folk tales and beliefs (e.g. characters such as the selkies and werewolves of Ossory), and traditional design. By telling the story of Irish culture in a way that is visually and narratively appealing, as well as comprehensible to a wide audience (by explaining history and folklore through a contemporary perspective, as well as by narrating from the perspective of child characters), these films become a sui generis promotion of the Green Isle. Additionally, in order to fully situate Cartoon Saloon’s work in a historical and production studies context, and to draw attention to its incredible importance to the art of animation, the author examines the history of Irish animated film.

Keywords:

Irish animation, animated film, Cartoon Saloon, Irish Folklore Trilogy, cinema

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Published

2025-09-10

Cited by

Maciejewska, M. (2025) “The Cultural Role of the ‘Irish Folklore Trilogy’ by Cartoon Saloon in the Context of the History of Irish Animation”, Konteksty, 349(2), pp. 47–54. doi: 10.36744/k.3843.

Authors

Marta Maciejewska
marta.maciejewska@ug.edu.pl
Uniwersity of Gdańsk Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-9903

Marta Maciejewska – filmoznawczyni, polonistka, anglistka, menedżerka kultury. Absolwentka UG i SGH w Warszawie. Współredagowała książki: Orson Welles. Twórczość – recepcja – dziedzictwo (2016), Racism and Trauma (2018) oraz Censorship, Politics and Oppression (2018), jest także autorką monografii Dialektyka formy. Pełnometrażowe filmy fabularne Jana Švankmajera (2023). Jej artykuły ukazały się między innymi w „Ekranach”, „Panoptikum”, „Kulturze Popularnej”, „Literaturze i Kulturze Popularnej” oraz w licznych tomach zbiorowych. Pracuje w Zakładzie Filmu i Mediów oraz Akademickim Centrum Języka Polskiego i Kultury Polskiej dla Cudzoziemców na Uniwersytecie Gdańskim.