Are you ready from some Puffin Rock! The animated series has a movie coming out from Shout! Studios in April. Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) headlines the voices of the animated animals cast in Puffin Rock and the New Friends. The movie is about the last egg of the season going missing. Can the animals locate the egg before it hatches? Here’s the press release from Shout! Studios with all the information about buying or renting the film:
| FROM CARTOON SALOON AND DOG EARS,KIDS’ TV FAVE PUFFIN ROCK MAKES NEW FRIENDS APRIL 16 WITH STREAMING OPTIONS IN NORTH AMERICAN MOVIE PREMIERE Available April 16 on Google TV, Amazon Prime Video & Apple TV For Rent or Purchase |
| Kilkenny, Ireland (March 6, 2024) — The North American home digital release of Puffin Rock and the New Friends’ adventure will debut on April 16, following its North American premiere March 17 at the New York International Children’s Film Festival. Film festival screenings in Annapolis, Winston-Salem, Washington D.C, and more are also planned. Shout! Studios is the home entertainment distributor of Puffin Rock and the New Friends and the related series in the U.S. and Canada. As of April 16, families can download the 90-minute movie on Google TV, Amazon Prime Video & Apple TV to rent or purchase. The international cast features Chris O’Dowd, Amy Huberman, Beth McCafferty, Eva Whitaker, Jo McDaid, James Henry, Anna McDaid, Euan McGrath and Aaron MacGregor. Principal Credits Director Jeremy Purcell; Producers Paul Young, Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, John McDaid; Creators Tomm Moore, Paul Young, Lily Bernard; and Screenplay Sara Daddy. Based on the award-winning animated series, the movie celebrates Ireland’s magnificent natural environment, and feature’s themes of belonging, courage and friendship. Audiences will see our family favorites, Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new cast of characters, as Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin arrive on the island. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring the Little Egg home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger. Puffin Rock and the New Friends movie is a brand new story from the Academy Award®-nominated Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells / Song of the Sea) and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears. Cartoon Saloon is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a studio in 2024. As part of its celebration, the studio is participating in film festivals coast to coast. Shout! Studios will be releasing the film digitally on April 16. Puffin Rock and the New Friends • Ages: 2+ • Suggested retail: $2.99 rent, $6.99 buy Animation/Adventure ‧ 1h 32m 2024 NAPPA Sustainability Winner The exciting adventure begins in Puffin Rock, a charming gem off of the coast of Ireland. It’s a warm community and beautiful habitat for all creatures big and small. It makes for an especially calm respite in the storm of migration, and it’s where we find puffin Oona, who looks after her baby brother, Baba, shielding him from any possible dangers the gorgeous flora or fauna may pose. When Puffin Isabelle and her stepbrother Phoenix arrive on the Rock, Oona knows all the things to do and games to play to help fend off their homesickness. But there are still serious matters at hand. With their pals Flynne the Fox, May the Rabbit, and Mossy the hard-working Shrew on the job, everyone pitches in — even when Isabelle makes a misstep and has a hard time coming clean. |
The National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA) got a sneak peek at the film and has already awarded it its 2024 Sustainability Product Award. “I like the concept that when new puffins come to the island, they are welcomed,” wrote one of the many intrigued reviewers. Echoed another NAPPA judge, “I like the overall message of helping each other and protecting our planet.”
NAPPA evaluators enthusiastically wrote:
• I like that the movie talks about climate change in a developmentally appropriate manner
• So many wonderful lessons are included: ecology, how to manage stressful situations like moving or a massive storm, friendship and feelings
• I like the songs that bring in these lessons
• I love the Irish accents and the voice over actors are easy to understand and to listen to.
Available on April 16 on Google TV, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
About Cartoon Saloon
Cartoon Saloon, established in 1999 by Paul Young, Tomm Moore, and Nora Twomey, is a world-renowned animation studio with five Academy Award® and two Golden Globe® nominations and many award wins including BAFTA® and Emmy®. Located in Kilkenny, Ireland, the studio produces brave and beautiful shorts, feature films, and TV series. Cartoon Saloon is the founder and host of Kilkenny Animated, an annual festival of visual storytelling incorporating exhibitions, talks and performances celebrating the creativity of the animation craft. https://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/
About Dog Ears
Dog Ears is an Emmy nominated children’s media company based in Derry, Northern Ireland, who create content for TV, publishing and digital. Alongside the Puffin Rock movie, they have co-produced two seasons of the TV show, and are in production on a major new animated series with partners Cartoon Saloon. Dog Ears is currently working on a slate of exciting new children’s IP, including Saturday Club (Hopster/Sandbox). www.cheersdogears.com
ABOUT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL (NYICFF)
Established in 1997, NYICFF’s mission is rooted in the belief of film as a path for young people to understand themselves and others. All programs are designed to celebrate the beauty and power of film, spark the inherent capacity of children to connect with complex, nuanced art, and encourage the creation of intelligent films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices. NYICFF serves children, students, families, educators, filmmakers, and media arts professionals through its three core activities: the annual, Oscar®-qualifying NYC film festival and national touring program; FilmEd, a media arts and literacy program; and Toward an Inclusive Future, an annual industry forum. NYICFF is 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support Kathy Hochul, and the New York State Legislature, and additional support from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
About Shout! Studios
Launched in 2003, Shout! Studios is a multiplatform media company specializing in film and TV distribution, development, and production. Shout! Studios owns and manages a large portfolio of contemporary and classic feature films, series, animation, and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including Aardman Animations, ALF, The Carol Burnett Show, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, The Johnny Carson Show, the Roger Corman New Horizons Pictures Library, GKIDS, ITV Studios, LAIKA Studios, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson), and Sesame Street, alongside many others. Shout! Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties including anime. Shout! Studios also produces, acquires, and distributes new films, and operates the acclaimed streaming service Shout! TV and its family of FAST channels. Shout! Studios is based in Los Angeles, California. https://www.shoutstudios.com/#1
