New York International Children's Film Festival New York, NY
Jeremy Purcell
Director
andLorraine Lordan
Animation Director
Puffin Rock and the New Friends— Habitat chat!
Program Description
Join us for a truly green St Patrick's Day celebration exploring eco-science in kid-friendly terms, including the amazing habitats and biodiversity found on Ireland's Puffin Island, the real-life inspiration for Puffin Rock and the New Friends with the film's director Jeremy Purcell and animation director Lorraine Lordan. First we’ll discuss the glorious habitats and creatures of Puffin Isle and how they were translated to the big screen through the varied imaging techniques of contemporary animation. Next we’ll dig into the importance of supporting biodiversity through this young audience chat that demonstrates that creativity and caring for the planet go hand in hand!
Presented At
New York International Children's Film Festival New York, NY
Film Synopsis
Oona and her friends embark on a race against time before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the island in danger.
Based on the award-winning TV series, Puffin Rock and the New Friends sees our family favourites, Oona, Baba, May and Mossy joined by a new cast of characters, as Isabelle, Phoenix and Marvin arrive on the island. It’s an action-packed story which celebrates our magnificent natural environment, and features themes of belonging, courage and friendship.
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.
Photo credit: Puffin Rock 2023
About the Speaker
Jeremy Purcell, Director of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, has been working in the animation industry for over 20 years. After graduating from Ballyfermot Senior College in 1999, his start in the industry came with the then fledgling Cartoon Saloon. Many late nights were spent working on some of the early Cartoon Saloon pieces, such as From Darkness and Rebel—which later became Brendan and the Secret of Kells, the studio's first feature film and first Oscar Nomination, on which Jeremy worked as the Effects Supervisor.
In 2014 he returned to Cartoon Saloon to work on Song of the Sea as the Effects Supervisor. Two more feature films (The Breadwinner and The Prophet,) and another two TV series (Puffin Rock and Pete the) followed. In 2019 Jeremy started work as director on a project that over the next 3 years and 1 global pandemic would become the recent cinema release movie Puffin Rock and the New Friends.
Lorraine Lordan is the Animation Director on Puffin Rock and the New Friends. For much of her career Lorraine has worked at renowned Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, including as animation supervisor on the Annie-nominated TV Series Puffin Rock and sequence animation supervisor on Oscar-nominated THE BREADWINNER. Her work in animation has taken her around the world, to studios in the Czech Republic, Germany, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Cambodia and the UK.