Ever since its founding in 2008, GKIDS has been the primary North American distributor of animation from around the world. From the traditionally-animated fantasy works of Cartoon Saloon to the magical, awe-inspiring anime films of Studio Ghibli, they've released many of the greatest animated movies ever made. 631a2b

Given the extreme popularity and success of both Disney and Studio Ghibli's animated movies, it can be hard to find something new to watch that doesn't come from one of the two studios. Despite how fantastic both company's films are, branching out provides audiences with stories that they'd otherwise miss.

The Cartoon Saloon animation studio has created three films since 2009, all of which have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In an industry dominated by the CGI of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and Illumination, Cartoon Saloon thrives on delivering films featuring a beautiful hand-drawn style paired with inspiring stories based in the folklore of the studio's home country of Ireland.

Few films manage to imbue a special kind of charm, strengthened by bold storytelling and visual poetry, weaved together to create a yarn of enchanting beauty. Animated narratives with a simple, yet profound premise seem to work best, much like Studio Ghibli’s oeuvre of classics, such as Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, which twine coming-of-age tropes with culturally-relevant concerns. Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animated studio, best known for The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, has come forth with their latest creation, Wolfwalkers, which is a stunning, stirring folk animation that delves into man’s innate ties with nature. Thematically rich and visually arresting, Wolfwalkers is an enchanting adventure into the very heart of nature, helmed by a classic, robust narrative that tugs at the heartstrings.

At this year's virtual New York Comic-Con, Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer for Wolfwalkers, an   animated film that will arrive on the streamer in December. Directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, with animations from The Secret of Kells studio, Cartoon Saloon, Wolfwakers first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2020.

New York Comic-Con is going virtual this year, but it still has a full slate of movie s to look forward to. Much like San Diego Comic-Con, which took place entirely online, New York Comic-Con is presenting an all-virtual convention with a mix of pre-recorded and live content available to watch on the NYCC YouTube page. Comic-Con 2020 will run from October 8th - October 11th, entirely online.

Apple has dropped a teaser for Wolfwalkers, the newest 2-D animated feature from Cartoon Saloon. Set to premiere at TIFF later this month, it will stream exclusively on Apple TV+ after its initial theatrical run. The Kilkenny-based studio has become a household name in animation, standing next to stop-motion masters Laika as perpetual dark horses during awards season. They've received best animated feature nominations at the Oscars for each of their first three films, and Wolfwalkers is slated to start Apple TV+ off strong with its expanding animation branch.