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

Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.0.1 With Fixes for Wi-Fi, Cellular, and Camera Issues on iPhone 17 Models

Monday September 29, 2025 10:12 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 26.0.1 and iPadOS 26.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out earlier this week. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes for the update, iOS 26.0.1 addresses a bug that could cause aberrations in...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...

Top Rated Comments

R2S2 Avatar
95 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
95 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
95 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
95 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
95 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
95 months ago
Just what the world needs is more liberal politically correct cartoons!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)