Originally published at: https://geektherapy.org/academy-award-nominated-studio-cartoon-saloons-new-short-eiru-to-play-in-theaters-with-little-amelie-or-the-character-of-rain/
Author: Newsroom
NEW YORK (October 16, 2025) – Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor GKIDS announced today that ÉIRU, the new short film from Academy Award®-nominated studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) will play ahead of North American theatrical screenings of the upcoming feature LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN.
Written and Directed by Cartoon Saloon veteran Giovanna Ferrari, and produced by Academy Award®-nominee Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), the short film Éiru has played film festivals worldwide, and took home numerous prizes including the Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation (Best Short Film – Silver) at Fantasia International Film Festival. This pairing continues the longstanding creative and business partnership between Cartoon Saloon and GKIDS, who previously theatrically distributed the studio’s Academy Award®-nominated features The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, and Wolfwalkers, and gives North American audiences the unique opportunity to experience two of the best and most critically acclaimed animations from Europe this fall.
Prior to their theatrical release, both Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Éiru will bow at Los Angeles’ Animation is Film Festival, and the SCAD Savannah International Film Festival. Little Amélie or the Character of Rain comes to theaters nationwide starting November 7th. Prior to its nationwide expansion, the title will open in New York and other select cities starting October 31st. Éiru will play prior to Little Amélie or the Character of Rain for all theatrical screenings in the United States and Canada.
The feature directorial debut of Maïlys Vallade (The Lighthouse Keeper; layout and storyboard artist on I Lost My Body and Calamity) and Liane-Cho Han (animation director on Calamity and Long Way North) Little Amélie or the Character of Rain made its World Premiere in the 2025 Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in the Special Screenings section. The film went on to premiere as an Official Selection in Competition at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Festival, where it took home the prestigious Audience Award. The film held its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, before additionally screening as an Official Selection in the Perlak Section at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for Best European Film, and as an Official Selection at BFI London Film Festival.
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain Synopsis
The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family’s housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family’s idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan.
Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Amélie Nothomb and brought to life in the completely original animated style of directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN tells a tender, poignant and visually stunning story about the healing power of human connection.
Éiru Synopsis
Éiru is the smallest child of an Iron-Age clan. All she wants is to be a mighty warrior who is taken seriously by her kinfolk. But when the village’s well mysteriously dries up, only she is small enough to descend into the belly of the earth to investigate and bring the water of life back to her people. Éiru is the story of a child in search of a challenge, and a goddess in search of a champion.
LITTLE AMÉLIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN
Directors: Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
Producers: Nidia Santiago and Edwina Liard (for Ikki Films), Claire La Combe and Henri Magalon (for Maybe Movies)
Screenwriters: Liane-Cho Han, Aude Py, Maïlys Vallade, and Eddine Noël
Cast: Loïse Charpentier, Victoria Grobois, Laetitia Coryn, Yumi Fujimori, Marc Arnaud, and Emmylou Homs
Art Director: Eddine Noël
Editor: Ludovic Versace
ÉIRU
Writer and Director: Giovanna Ferrari
Producer: Nora Twomey
Cast: Coco Teehan Roche, Michael McGrath, Richie Cody, Niamh Moyles, Susie Lamb, Lydia Deegan, Lucy Philpott, David Bergin, Paul Young
Art Director: Áine Mc Guinness
Editors: Richie Cody (ACE, BFE), Nora Twomey