Apple Close to Inking Deal With Cartoon Saloon for Animated Movie

Apple is working on dozens of original television shows and may also expand into feature films, with the company said to be close to signing a deal for an animated movie.

According to Bloomberg, Apple may soon sign a deal with Cartoon Saloon, an animation studio based in Ireland. While Cartoon's Saloon's movie has yet to be made, Apple is aiming to secure distribution rights for the United States and other countries.

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. Apple and Cartoon Saloon had no immediate comment on Thursday.

Cartoon Saloon has previously produced Academy Award-nominated animated films including "The Secret of Kells," "The Song of the Sea," and "The Breadwinner."

Bloomberg warns that the talks have not yet finished and that the deal could still fall apart, but Apple's discussion with Cartoon Saloon suggests the company is interested in content beyond TV shows.


At the current point in time, Apple has established deals for at least 16 television shows, ranging from science fiction series "Amazing Stories" to podcast-based drama series "Are You Sleeping."

It is not yet clear how Apple's television shows (and potentially films) will be distributed, but it does have a TV app where it recently made one of its first shows, "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" available to watch.

The first of Apple's TV shows could see a debut as soon as 2019, though it's not known if the content will be free, available as part of Apple Music, or distributed through an as-of-yet unannounced video service.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone XX? 6 Features Rumored for Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further. We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...

Top Rated Comments

R2S2 Avatar
96 months ago
Who cares? I don't. I'm simply missing the time when Apple had something breathtaking to announce. Something that graphics and photo pros like me could not await to get their hands on, saving half of one's income to have it right in time when it's available. As far as I remember, thats a decade or two ago … Apple pros got lost - may it be Tim's fault, the iPhone generation's, or whatever. No Macbook capable of more than 16GB, no Mac Pro (pls forgive me when I say forget this iMac Pro crap with this f*** glossy display … have you ever worked on a Cinema Display hundreds years ago?), Aperture skipped, Final Cut crippled down to a "better" iMovie … But what's my option? Windows? NEVER! I've been on Mac for nearly 25 years for graphic design, illustration, photo editing and motion design. Either wait for another dozens of useless animojis, memojis, or whatever you call it, or get a cool Workstation – something like a Silicon Graphics … that was soooooo cooool (well I had one, YES!) … and trying to get macOS running somehow? Hmmm, on the other hand, maybe I should wait a little while longer - Federighi promised a new Mac Pro… Wow! Cool! That was 2017, no problem … I'm gonna wait for 2018 as it was stated. Oops, wrong - latest updated says it will be some launch point in 2019; well then it will be available in (late?) 2020. What the heck are approx. 123.000 employees doing SEVERAL YEARS? Creating new memojics I guess. Thank you, Apple
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alex00100 Avatar
96 months ago
Cartoon saloon makes amazing films, great to hear that this is what apple is after rather than Hollywood’s big budged mindless stuff.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dan110 Avatar
96 months ago
So ... Apple is a tv production company now? Ok.

Hello, Linux? Uh, I might need to meet up with you. I think we're going to need to become intimately acquainted with each other.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
96 months ago
Apple inking deal, Apple close to deal, Apple snagged "x" director.... Who cares until they start delivering these shows. Hot air until then.
I think you missed the fact that this is an Apple Rumors website... it means they report on Apple related things before they actually reach the level of being generally news worthy. There's a plausible reason to think something Apple related could happen, so that's good enough for it to go on MacRumors.

If you'd like only concrete news relating to Apple, I suggest you just visit Apple's press site. Anything that's completely solid that they're ready to talk about, they'll talk about there.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
96 months ago
Does Apple need to spread it's wings so far into all these markets?? When Steve Jobs came back to Apple he did the right thing in simplifying their lineup of products. Apple has gone back to the pre-Steve era and their product line shows it. Apple needs to return to what brought it to the dance (so to speak). Get rid of Cook! We need a new Steve Jobs.
It’s ridiculous to expect the same strategy which worked for Apple back when it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy to work on a modern-day Apple which is focused on growth and adding value to the whole ecosystem.

Just like how you don’t expect a millionaire to live the same way as a young teenager bumming around on his parent’s couch.

A video streaming service would help further differentiate Apple’s offerings. Being able to get news, music and video content via a single subscription fee would be an extremely compelling deal and entice more people to stay within the Apple ecosystem.

I’m convinced some people really do wish Apple was just a Mac company. Things will continue to get uncomfortable for this group given Apple’s product direction.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Newtons Apple Avatar
96 months ago
Just what the world needs is more liberal politically correct cartoons!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)