A new animated film featuring the voice of Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson has made the shortlist for next year's Academy Awards, along with a new film from Kilkenny studio Cartoon Saloon.
Retirement Plan, directed by Dublin-based film maker John Kelly, sees Gleeson voicing the lead character Ray, and is described as a "touching and funny examination of the beauty, curiosity and fears of our finite mortality".
Éiru, which is set in Iron Age Ireland, is the latest release from Cartoon Saloon, who already have an illustrious history at the Oscars, with their previous titles The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, WolfWalkers and The Breadwinner all having been previously nominated, with a fifth for short Late Afternoon.
Éiru and Retirement Plan have been officially Oscar-shortlisted in the Animated Short Film category and are hoping to secure a place among the final five movies to win a nomination, along with 13 other titles advancing in the 2026 awards race.
Retirement Plan has enjoyed a successful festival run, beginning with its world premiere at the Galway Film Festival. It went on to the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Animated Short Competition at SXSW in Texas, Best Animated Short at Bali International Film Festival, and the Best of the Festival Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest.
The synopsis for the film says, "In the throes of his overstimulated, energy-poor midlife, Ray fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the 'time.’
"Wow. What incredible news to have Retirement Plan shortlisted for an Oscar! Even typing this sentence feels unreal," said John Kelly, who co-wrote Retirement Plan with Tara Lawall.
"To be honest, we weren’t thinking about a wider audience when making this film, instead we told an esoteric personal story with the goal of making ourselves laugh, think and feel a bit wobbly.
"So to watch this animation meaningfully connect with so many people and now be shortlisted for an Oscar is unimaginable. We are so grateful for all the support we’ve had getting this far, and for the talented crew that made it happen."
The synopsis for Éiru reads, "When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan’s village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it.
"Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion".
Cartoon Saloon founding member and Éiru producer Nora Twomey said; "We are delighted to be one of two Irish Animated Shorts to be shortlisted for the Academy Awards.
"We have our fingers crossed for the next stage in January when 5 Oscar nominees are picked from the 15 shortlisted films, we hope Éiru will be one of them."
The other films in the Animated Short Film category are Autokar, Butterfly, Cardboard, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Hurikán, I Died in Irpin, The Night Boots, Playing God, The Quinta's Ghost, The Shyness of Trees, Snow Bear, The Three Sisters.
113 animated films qualified in the category for the 2026 Oscars and Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to vote for the final 15-strong shortlist.
