by Brian Hyland
NEWRY-born animator Tomm Moore said he is absolutely shocked after a film-length cartoon he directed was nominated for an Oscar.
The Secret of Kells will fight it out with Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fantastic Mr Fox and Up for Best Animated Feature Film at next month’s Academy Awards.
Mr Moore and staff at his Cartoon Saloon animation company in Kilkenny will travel to LA where they will rub shoulders with the stars and hopefully lift the most coveted prize in the filmmaking industry.
Speaking to The Vibe, a clearly shocked Mr Moore said: “It’s a big, big surprise and the nomination is down to the hard work and fantastic skill of the whole crew here at Cartoon Saloon.
“We really were not expecting this at all. Everyone is really excited about it and we hope people will now go out and buy the DVD!”
The Secret of Kells tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells.
The real-life Book of Kells is a manuscript containing the Four Gospels that is regarded as one of Ireland's most precious medieval artefact and considered by many to be the finest surviving illuminated manuscript produced in medieval Europe.
Last year the famous story was brought to life in full-length animated form and immediately received rave reviews.
It features the voices of Brendan Gleeson and Mick Lally and was named Best Irish Film by the Dublin Film Critics Circle at the Dublin Film Festival and was also nominated for an Annie Award – the equivalent of the Oscars in the animation world.
Mr Moore, who grew up in Kiln Street in Newry before his family relocated to Kilkenny when he was four-years-old, described the film as a Harry Potter-like fantasy tale.
“It’s definitely a family film,” he said.
“It is meant to have something for adults and for kids. It’s a fantasy, Harry-Potter type film.
“One of the biggest challenges in doing animation is that most people view animation as something that’s meant to be funny and for kids, but here we’re trying to do more of a fantasy tale akin to Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.
“We approached Disney five years ago with the first idea for the project. They were interested and put their marketing and distributing power behind the project.”
The film was illustrated by Cartoon Saloon, which Mr Moore co-founded in 1999 and is currently a director of.
He studied at Ballyfermot Senior College in Dublin, a training college set up by Disney in Paris and the Don Glinch Studio in Dublin.
Now he’s set for the filmmaking capital of the world on March 7 and hopes that when he returns back to Ireland he will be accompanied by a gold, 13.5 inch friend that weights just under nine pounds!