A NEW exhibition has opened in Dun Laoghaire that tells the story of the famous Emerald City Productions, an animation studio that was established in the town in the late 1980s.
The American company was set up from scratch in Dún Laoghaire, adjacent to the DART station and under what was then Restaurant na Mara, now Hartley’s.
Funded by a grant from the IDA, with the intention of creating jobs during a period of high unemployment, Ireland saw a number of animation studios springing up in Ireland. In 1985 Emerald City Productions was established in Dún Laoghaire and in 1986 Sullivan Bluth set up opposite the Phoenix Park on Park Gate Street. In 1989 Murakami Wolf was established in Montague Street in Dublin City.
Canadian Directors Al Guest and Jean Mathieson created a fully-serviced animation facility, recruiting 50 people from all walks of life in Dún Laoghaire. In five years, ten 50-minute feature-length television films based on classic books were produced.
Now, a new exhibition tells the story of Emerald City Productions, bringing us back to the early days of animation activity in Ireland.
Visitors can find out how they made 2D animated film for television and identify where the crew of Emerald City Productions are now, over 30 years later.
This fascinating exhibition about ‘The Wizards of Animation at Emerald City Productions’ is curated by Nicola Sedgwick who was one of the original animators in Dún Laoghaire in the 1980s.
It will continue on Level 3, dlr LexIcon, Moran Park, Dún Laoghaire until May 30.