Once upon a time, during the Great Famine in Ireland, a deep bond was created between the island nation and the First Nations across the United States and Canada, who donated money to help the Irish people during their time of tremendous need. More than 160 years later, as the pandemic hit nations across the globe hard, and the First Nations even harder, this connection still held across time and space, through the spirits of these benevolent ancestors on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was during the pandemic, as he witnessed this effort, that Cartoon Saloon co-founder and Academy Award-nominated director Tomm Moore first conceived the idea of Kindred Spirits. Today, he officially unveiled the first images from his new feature in development in front of a packed Cartoon Movie screening room, where he shared the stage with new Cartoon Saloon CEO Anthony Leo, script writer and Choctaw artist Shelley Dennis, and longtime Folivari co-producer Thibaut Ruby.
Ahead of the pitch, Cartoon Brew spoke with Moore and Ruby and shared an exclusive extended trailer of their project, currently in development.
Kindred Spirits tells the tale of two children dealt a very bad hand. Mara, an Irish refugee child alone in New York in 1847, meets Tushka, a Choctaw Nation son far from the warmth of his family. When their paths align, the two journey across America through epic adventures and magical encounters, watched over by Mara’s brother Dan, who cannot accept his own passing into the spirit realm. Together, they search for people to call family and a place to call home.
“I knew about the bond between Irish and Choctaw nations, but I’d forgotten about it,” said Moore. “During the pandemic, I saw how deeply it was still engraved in folk memory in Ireland. In fact, as we researched the film, we discovered that not only the Choctaw but also other First Nations sent help during the Great Famine back then. That was the start of our journey.”
Both co-producer and director of this new feature, Moore underlined that he is now very comfortable wearing those two hats, even calling it a blessing. “I find it hard to direct a movie where I didn’t have some input as a producer as well. I’m also very lucky to be a producer among great producers, so there are plenty of talented people to lean on.”
For Folivari, which has been co-producing with Cartoon Saloon from the start, it felt natural to board this new and exciting project. “It’s true, we have a long history with the studio,” added Ruby. “But we’ve always cherished stories about outcasts, from Ernest & Celestine (a mouse and a bear living together) to The Big Bad Fox (a fox who raises chickens). Meeting these two new characters, who have to find out how to become a family, is definitely the kind of theme we’re interested in.”
Depending on talent availability, the two renowned studios aim for a 50/50 work split, as they did for the teaser trailer shared here. “Maya lives in Paris, and Tomm came for two weeks to work in Paris as well,” recalled Ruby. “A lot of the backgrounds were done here by Maya, and the rest was handled by the wonderful Cartoon Saloon team in Kilkenny, Ireland. They’re amazing.”
Beyond working with existing teams, Cartoon Saloon brought Native American artists on board for the project, finding ways to incorporate visuals from each nation and tribe. “As the characters journey across America, the landscape is affected by the artworks of that area,” explained Moore. “It was very important for us, and very interesting, to work with artists such as Waylon Whitedeer, a Choctaw visual artist, and Morgan Thompson, a Cherokee storyboard artist, as well as people we had already worked with, like Maya Merigeau. Until now, we had made a lot of Irish material. Adapting to a different style to bring in Native American influences was a new challenge.”
The team also aims to bring Choctaw musicians into the mix, along with Native American sounds that will create, just like the visuals, a blend of the two cultures. Bruno Coulais, longtime Cartoon Saloon composer, helms the soundtrack of this upcoming project, with traditional Irish music band Kíla returning as well after Wolfwalkers.
Opening the impressive Cartoon Movie 2026 slate, which boasts no fewer than 50 projects in the works, Cartoon Saloon and Folivari are still developing the story and fine-tuning the financing and production scheme for Kindred Spirits. The teams are currently looking for potential European co-producers, international sales agents, broadcasters, and regional distributors.
“I’m really curious about how our story resonates, especially in America,” underlined Ruby. “I think for a lot of kids today, most migrants aren’t white, but it’s good to show them that it could be anybody. You can be a young white European girl in the U.S. and still be an immigrant. To be on the immigrant side, to be the one that doesn’t matter, is a powerful aspect of this story.”
“For me, this movie is a departure,” concluded Moore. “It’s the start of a new cycle where I’m looking at the Irish diaspora elsewhere in the world and trying to find other stories that are yet to be told. This one is connected to a very vivid recent history in Ireland, and I think it’s a powerful tale to tell nowadays.”
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