RTÉ is delighted to announce that the RTÉ and Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland supported short film Retirement Plan has been nominated for Best Animated Short at the 98th Academy Awards.
The animated film was funded by Frameworks, RTÉ and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland’s flagship animation short film scheme, which invests in new talent on the island of Ireland every year. It has produced global award-winning films to a consistently high standard. Each year RTÉ and Screen Ireland fund a number of short animations and Retirement Plan was chosen as one of the 2024 selections.
Retirement Plan, directed by Dublin-based filmmaker John Kelly, sees Domhnall Gleeson voicing the lead character Ray, who is dissatisfied with life, and dreams of everything he’ll be able to do in retirement, once he finally has the time. It was co-written by Kelly and Tara Lawall and commissioned by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and RTÉ.
Suzanne Kelly, RTÉ Group Head of Children’s and Young People’s Content said: “Retirement Plan was a part of the animation shorts scheme, Frameworks 2024, which is co funded by RTÉ and Screen Ireland to support the incredible talent working in the Irish animation sector today. Supporting animation via schemes like Frameworks is vitally important for the homegrown industry, and nurturing creativity and investing in new talent every year is what it’s all about. Congratulations to the entire team at Antidote, director John Kelly, writers John Kelly and Tara Lawall and producers Julie Murnaghan and Andrew Freedman on receiving your Oscar nomination. Voiced by Domhnall Gleeson, Retirement Plan is the most perfect short film. A tender, funny, poignant look at retirement and beyond. Animation can move and connect with the viewer in a very special way, and John and his team have harnessed this medium in an extraordinary way.”
Retirement Plan is now live on RTÉ Player and will air on RTÉ One on Oscar night, Sunday March 15.
-ENDS-
Date: Thursday 22 January 2026
For more information contact:
Maureen Catterson, Communications Manager
