Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Episode notes

Cartoon Saloon and Mélusine Productions

Filmmakers Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart on their mesmerizing film Wolfwalkers 

Filmmakers Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart create lush animated films with timeless stories that draw the audience in from the very first frame. 

Their 2009 film The Secret of Kells, directed by Moore with art direction from Stewart, is an Irish-French-Belgium fantasy about the 9th century illuminated manuscript of the same name. Inspired by early Christian tradition and utilizing hand-drawn animation, the beautiful film follows a young curious boy recruited by a monastery to complete a series of magical assignments while a Viking war party plans their attack on the town. 

Their follow up film, 2014’s Song of the Sea, is a heart-warming family tale told about a loyal boy and his young sister who team up to break the spell of a Celtic goddess. 

Completing the trilogy is their 2020 film Wolfwalkers. Set in 19th century Ireland in a small town called Kilkenny, an influx of wolves have overwhelmed the ecosystem. A father and his young daughter Robin have just moved to town for work remedying this perceived threat. The film deals with themes of oppression, colonization, religious freedoms and traditions as well as the delicate balance between nature and industrialization. The visuals, created with a unique combination of 2D woodblocking and line drawing, inform the narrative story and both transform you into a mystical world!

Tomm and Ross chat with Jesse Thorn about their breathtaking film, the films that inspired them as children and their own relationships to Irish folklore. Plus, they’ll tell us what cartoon they consider the perfect stoner movie.

Wolfwalkers is available now on Apple TV+