A Critical Examination of Otherness in Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy

Malone, Luke (2024) A Critical Examination of Otherness in Cartoon Saloon’s Irish Folklore Trilogy. Doctoral thesis, Dundalk Institute of Technology.

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Abstract

Old stories are repeatedly retold and reworked. They are used to explore social issues, represent political movements, and reconnect us with the past. This thesis critically examines how Irish mythology and folklore have been reworked by Irish filmmakers to tell new stories, focusing on Cartoon Saloon’s folklore trilogy. The Secret of Kells (2009), Song of the Sea (2014), and Wolfwalkers (2020) demonstrate how old myths can be effectively brought into the present to address modern issues. This process has multiple effects, enriching an audiences’ understanding of Irish identity and allowing filmmakers to explore Ireland’s past and present in new ways. The animated films by Cartoon Saloon are contextualised in relation to the development of the Irish animation industry and compared with other examples of Irish and international cinema to gain a sense of how the trilogy fits into the history and development of Irish film, as well as changing representations of Irishness. Divided into two parts, this interdisciplinary dissertation provides a theoretical underpinning that incorporates literature from beyond film studies, drawing from the perspectives offered by different disciplines, and a historical overview of Irish animation. The second part focuses on Cartoon Saloon, demonstrating the applicability of archetypal theory to the trilogy, and focusing on themes of nature, solitude, women characters, and queer identities. The dissertation demonstrates how the studios reworking of myth to explore otherness differentiates Cartoon Saloon’s films from the conservative and traditionalist Irish films of the past, firmly establishing the trilogy as an example of modern, post-nationalist Irish cinema.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Irish cinema, animation, Irish mythology, folklore, Cartoon Saloon, otherness
Subjects:	Arts and Humanities Arts and Humanities > Film and Media Studies
Research Centres:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	David Kearney
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2024 09:15
Last Modified:	22 Nov 2024 09:15
License:	Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0
URI:	https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/897

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