![\"Juli\u00e1n\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1481753_julian_926573.jpg\")
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Dir. Louise Bagnall. Ireland\/Luxembourg\/Canada\/Denmark. 2026. 85mins<\/p>\n
Warmth permeates Louise Bagnall\u2019s vibrant, joyful coming-of-age picture Juli\u00e1n,\u00a0the latest animation from Ireland\u2019s Cartoon Saloon. It radiates from the screen in the sunbaked pavements of summer time Brooklyn, where kids scrawl chalk drawings and grannies do battle with dominoes. And it is infused in the story of a little boy\u2019s self-discovery, his creative expression and the love and acceptance he encounters. Adapted from the acclaimed LGBTQ+ themed children\u2019s book Juli\u00e1n is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, this is a film whose message is delivered with an embrace rather than a lecture.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0Vividly connected to a place and community<\/p>\n
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Juli\u00e1n is the feature film debut of Bagnall, who is a creative director at Cartoon Saloon and whose previous work includes writing and directing the Oscar-nominated animated short\u00a0Late Afternoon, as well as character design for The Breadwinner. Premiering in Annecy, it is a delightful work which contains the wide-eyed sense of wonderr that tends to be something of a recurring theme for Cartoon Saloon pictures \u2013 which also include Wolfwalkers and Song Of The Sea \u2013 while also feeling visually distinctive and vividly connected to a place and community.<\/p>\n
The Cartoon Saloon name alone should ensure interest from family audiences and animation fans; the film\u2019s considerable charm could generate positive word of mouth within queer audiences. The picture has already sold to multiple territories, including UK, Ireland and Canada.<\/p>\n
The big-hearted spirit of the source material, Jessica Love\u2019s Stonewall Book Award-winning 36-page illustrated book, is central to the adaptation. But visually, the film departs from style of Love\u2019s watercolour, gouache and ink illustrations, taking its cue instead from the artistic endeavours of its eponymous protagonist (breezily\u00a0voiced by Knyght Darius Jack)\u00a0\u2013 there\u2019s a zingy palette of felt tip pen brights, with a generous sprinkle of glitter to top things off. We see the world through Juli\u00e1n\u2019s eyes. And Juli\u00e1n\u2019s eyes, drawn to things that shine and sparkle, see beauty and magic everywhere.<\/p>\n
Juli\u00e1n hardly knows his Dominican grandmother, or Abuela (Milcania Diaz-Rojas), as she prefers to be called. But he hopes that his drawing of her as a giant sunfish, not to mention his extensive knowledge of ocean fish varieties, will make a good impression. There\u2019s a bit of a rocky start \u2013 Juli\u00e1n rebels against her cooking, raids her jewellery box and creates havoc in the bathroom.<\/p>\n
But for curious Juli\u00e1n, Abuela\u2019s Brooklyn apartment is a kind of treasure box. There\u2019s a rich attention to detail in the interiors: everything from the tiles in Abuela\u2019s kitchen to the contents of her fridge and the choice of houseplants in her verdant, overcrowded sanctuary of a living room feels like an extension of her personality.\u00a0The flavours of the cultural heritage of Juli\u00e1n and his grandmother are also present in her cooking (they find common ground in a dish made from green plantains) as well as in the sunny, uplifting score by La-Nai Gabriel.<\/p>\n
The neighbourhood in which Abuela has made a home since she left the Dominican Republic years before is equally stuffed with loving details. Juli\u00e1n is fascinated by the tropical fish tank in the corner shop run by Fran (Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz), an affable character who hands out free ice-pops and nuggets of ocean-based folklore to the local kids. And he bonds with three local girls who tell him about the Coney Island mermaid parade.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, Juli\u00e1n knows with utter certainty that he must be a mermaid and take part in the ocean-front celebration. After an initial hesitation, Abuela does all she can to make his dream come true. And through her growing bond with her grandchild, with stars in his eyes (literally) and an imagination that knows no limits, she begins to reconnect with aspects of her own life that have become suppressed over the years.<\/p>\n
Production company: Cartoon Saloon<\/p>\n