Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 24, 2021

To celebrate the enormous artistic and storytelling achievements of Cartoon Saloon, Shout Factory brings “Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy” to Blu-ray, which features “The Secret of Kells,” “Song of the Sea,” and “Wolfwalkers,” which makes its BD debut in this box set.

Click here for a review of The Secret of Kells

Click here for a review of Song of the Sea

Click here for a review of Wolfwalkers

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

See above for reviews.

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

See above for reviews.

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Irish Folklore Trilogy

• Booklet (38 pages) contains an essay by film critic Andy Crump, and character and environment breakdowns.

• "The Secret of Kells" Animatic (88:48) features commentary from director Thom Moore and members of the production team.

• "Song of the Sea" Animatic (70:43) features commentary from director Thom Moore and members of the production team.

• "Wolfwalkers" Animatic (101:54) features commentary from director Thom Moore and members of the production team.

• "Reading of 'Pangur Ban'" (1:05, HD) features Mick Lally.

• "Splanc!" (27:05, SD) is a 2001 television special on Cartoon Saloon.

• "The Two Worlds of "Wolfwalkers'" (15:59, HD) is a video essay by Queline Meadows.

• And a U.S. Trailer (2:16, HD) for the "Irish Folklore Trilogy" is included.

The Secret of Kells

• Commentary features director Tomm Moore, co-director Nora Twomey, and art director Ross Stewart.

• "Voices of Ireland" (10:49, SD) is a BTS clip of the actors recording their lines. Surprisingly, many worked together in the same recording area, capturing a natural flow to their performances. As always, an opportunity to see such a technical and dramatic display is most valuable.

• "Director's Presentation" (26:59, SD) is making-of for "The Secret of Kells," tracking the picture's lengthy development period, with pages dating back to 1999. An explanation of early inspirations, concept art, and a walkthrough of color choices are also presented. The whole featurette is narrated by director Thom Moore, who excitedly describes the process of putting "The Secret of Kells" together, working intimately with the creative team to replicate the specific look of Gaelic art that was originally envisioned years before animation work had begun.

• "Pencil-to-Picture" (8:40, SD) compares early animation work to the final product.

• "Aisling at the Oscars" (:19, SD) is a short clip of the character sharing her excitement about the Academy Awards, also delighted to meet Steve Martin and his "silver" hair.

• Concept Trailer (4:07, SD) is offered with or without commentary from director Thom Moore. It offers an early look at the production approach to "The Secret of Kells."

• And a U.S. Theatrical Trailer (2:02, HD) is included.

Song of the Sea

• Commentary features director Thom Moore.

• Behind the Scenes (2:50, HD) is a frustratingly brief look at the creation of "Song of the Sea," speeding through production achievements and video footage. Commentary features director Thom Moore.

• Animation Tests (7:48, HD) provide a look at the stages of production on "Song of the Sea." Commentary features director Thom Moore.

• "The Art of 'Song of the Sea'" (7:25, HD) collects pre-production and animation images from the film.

• And a Conceptual Trailer (:56, HD), Theatrical Trailer #1 (1:06, HD), and Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:55, HD) are included.

Wolfwalkers

• Commentary features director Tomm Moore and screenwriter Will Collins.

• Interviews (24:19, HD) discusses dramatic challenges and character creation with voice actors Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Sean Bean, Jon Kenny, and Tommy Tiernan.

• "The Art of Voicing 'Wolfwalkers'" (3:57, HD) pays a visit to Grouse Lodge in 2018, watching the actors bring their characters to life in front of microphones.

• "Behind 'Running with the Wolves'" (3:00, HD) tracks the development of a key scene from the film, with commentary from the creative team.

• "How to Draw: Wolf, Mebh, and Forest" (33:44, HD) offers a tutorial on the creation of characters and environments from "Wolfwalkers," with gifted artists Tatiana Mazzei, Maria Madelaire Forna, and Ross Stewart guiding viewers through various steps required to bring these images to life.

• "The Music of 'Wolfwalkers'" (1:48, HD) highlights the recording efforts of the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra.

• "Character Designs of 'Wolfwalkers'" (60:07, HD) is a video conference class with director Tomm Moore, who goes into the animation process, offering instruction on technique and detail as he creates various personalities from the film.

• "2020 Comic Con Panel" (26:37, HD) showcases the world of Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny, Ireland, providing a montage of creative efforts while audio interviews include assistant director Mark Mullery, co-director Thom Moore, co-director Ross Stewart, art director Maria Pareja, and lead posing artist Sandra Norup Andersen.

• Behind the Scenes (2:52, HD) is a brief look at the Cartoon Saloon creative process.

• And a Conceptual Trailer (1:51, HD) is included.

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The set is loaded with supplementary offerings, giving fans a chance to explore the production process at Cartoon Saloon, and get a better understanding of "The Secret of Kells," "Song of the Sea," and "Wolfwalkers," highlighting the details of their creative development.