Monster Entertainment owner Andrew Fitzpatrick has teamed up with director Paul Bolger to launch a new film studio in Waterford, Ireland that will produce CG-animated films with an Irish flavor. 

Outfoxed Films is a pre- and post-production hub that can handle the “architecture” of a project, including designs, storyboards and music, says Fitzpatrick. It will focus on creating original family-friendly films with Irish stories in the budget range of US$9 million to US$13 million, but it’s also open to working on third-party projects and co-productions. 

The studio was made possible by a lesser-known Screen Ireland tax scheme called the Nationwide Additional Production Fund, which benefits companies that are running productions at least 40 miles (65 kilometers) away from Dublin. Film and TV projects—including animated ones—with budgets greater than US$1.1 million can apply for a loan of up to roughly US$347,000. 

This two-year-old fund is part of the government agency’s goal to take a nationwide approach to developing skills and talent, says Libbie McQuillan, Screen Ireland’s director of industry and corporate affairs. 

Outfoxed is also able to make this leap into film production thanks to a recently enhanced tax credit. In May, the Irish government super-charged its Section 481 credit with something called the Scéál Uplift. (In English, “scéál” means “story”.) It’s an 8% boost, bringing the incentive up to 40% for feature films with budgets less than US$23 million (€20 million). To qualify, at least one of the project’s key creatives (director, screenwriter, editor, production designer or art director) has to be an Irish national.

The credit enhancement is aimed at supporting smaller-scale Irish cinema, and Outfoxed plans to take full advantage of it, says Fitzpatrick. 

Monster’s new studio already has two original films on its slate. First up is Outfoxed!, (pictured above) a US$9.5-million Irish/Belgium/Luxembourg co-pro in partnership with Walking the Dog and Doghouse Films. Pegged for an April 2027 delivery, it’s a comedy about a family of urban foxes who get culture shock when they return to the countryside home of their patriarch. Financing for the film is complete, and Monster has MK2 on board as a global distributor, except in Belgium and the Netherlands, which will be handled by Just For Kids. 

The other title that’s in the works is Eyeballed!, based on an Irish legend about a cyclops. This take positions the creature as a reluctant superhero worthy of sympathy, since his power is that he burns whatever he looks at. A script and teaser are already finished, and Outfoxed plans to start on pre-production in January. Veteran animator Bolger (Happily N’Ever After), who cut his teeth animating The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven, is directing both films. 

Outfoxed Films’ Eyeballed!. A teaser and script are completed.

Moving into theatrical work is a significant shift for Fitzpatrick, who has a background in films but has spent the last three decades focused on kids TV distribution. He’s excited to now have both the opportunity and the financial backing from government incentives to fill a market gap for CG-animated Irish films that can reach global audiences.

While Ireland has been lauded for its award-winning 2D-animated films, there’s demand—and not as much competition—for CG-animated features that tap into its domestic talent pool, Fitzpatrick adds. “There’s an opportunity to do something that hasn’t really been done before. We want to build something regional, CG-focused and that tells Irish stories.”