According to a new report published this afternoon, a deal could be near for the rights to an animated movie as part of its upcoming slate of original video offerings. Sources claim that Apple is in talks with Cartoon Saloon, an Ireland-based, Oscar-nominated animation studio, said the people, who asked not to be identified speaking about private negotiations.  

Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon is a three time Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio formed by Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey in 1999. From award-winning shorts to feature films and TV series, Cartoon Saloon has carved a special place in the international Animation industry.

The Bloomberg report added that "The animated movie has yet to be made and is more than a year from release, but Apple has been in talks to buy distribution rights for the U.S. and some other countries, said the people, who asked not to be identified speaking about private negotiations.

It's unclear how Apple plans to make the movie available, but a theatrical release, necessary to qualify for Academy Awards, is possible, one of the people said. Other potential movies are also in the works, the person noted.

The deal hasn't closed and could still fall apart, but the talks mark a new level of ambition for Apple's plan to take on Netflix Inc., Google and Amazon.com Inc. in the booming online video market."

Side Note: In 2015 Cartoon Studio delivered Irish Animation Stamps in 2015 that featured Augmented Reality that reportedly worked on the iPhone and Android phones.

At Apple's WWDC 2018, Apple interestingly introduced a new Open File Format for AR that was developed with Pixar. Could Apple be working with Cartoon Saloon to create the first film to use their new AR file format? Only time will tell.

Cartoon Saloon's Animation Film Trailer: The Breadwinner

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