Reworking Sound and Story: Animated Myth and Music in Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy

The interplay between music and animation in Cartoon Saloon’s folklore trilogy serves to construct, visually and sonically, mythological worlds that are rich in symbolic meaning and distinctively Irish in character. This paper critically engages with the animated myth and music of three feature films – The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020) – stories that combine hand-drawn Celtic-inspired artwork with music compositions that demonstrate the influence of Irish traditional music. A critical reflection on the artistic motifs and music that inspired these works demonstrates how the Irish-based company Cartoon Saloon has reworked folklore for modern audiences and reflects diverse influences on Irish art and music. Drawing from a variety of ancient and medieval styles, from megalithic iconography to illuminated manuscripts, the international team at Cartoon Saloon demonstrate the potential of animated film to visually construct fantastic worlds that maintain a sense of Irishness relevant to contemporary Ireland and an international audience. Similarly, in seeking to provide an affective soundtrack to stories of otherworldly beings, composers draw on contemporary musical practice in and beyond Irish traditional music. To this end, the involvement of Irish musicians informs the development of the soundtrack and indigenous developments in the music scene that reflect an increasingly diverse society. In exploring the relationship between music and animation, this paper demonstrates how creative innovation reflects and transforms traditional culture to appeal to a broad modern and international audience.