Cartoon Saloon’s Louise Bagnall Makes Feature Debut with Mermaid Tale at Toronto
Louise Bagnall’s first feature, based on Jessica Love’s children’s book, follows a 7-year-old boy spending summer with his grandmother in Brooklyn. The story explores his dream of becoming a mermaid while uncovering his abuela’s past in the Dominican Republic. Zoe Saldaña serves as an executive producer, with international sales handled by Film New Europe.
Bagnall, a longtime Cartoon Saloon animator, takes on her first feature-length directing role with this project. The plot follows a young boy's summer with his grandmother, intertwining his imaginative mermaid aspirations with her untold personal history.
The film premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Zoe Saldaña serves as an executive producer, with Film New Europe managing international sales and CAA Film Sales handling U.S. distribution.
This narrative could expand animated storytelling by centering a child's gender-nonconforming dream within a rich cultural context. It may provide families with a gentle framework for discussing identity and heritage. Furthermore, Bagnall's debut could encourage studios to invest in more personal, culturally specific animated features, potentially diversifying the genre's typical subject matter.