More the Book of Kells, Less the Secret of Kells- Review

This oscar nominated animated film from Cartoon Saloon and first time director Tomm Moore is full of tragedy but it's also hopeful, full of color imagery and a stylistic sense of animation. This is a unique film, with an interesting premise and a beautiful surrounding fantastical world. Although the Vikings really get a bad reputation here.

The film begins with Brendan, an Abbot in training under his uncle Abbot Cellach (the fairly noticeable voice of Brendan Gleeson) chasing after a rooster (pretty funny). After having lived in the Abbey fortress of a place called Kells his entire life, he begins to feel contained inside of its walls. And so drops in Aidan of Iona, a illuminating wanderer who carries with him an unfinished but mythical book and a cat Pangur Bán (which is based on a poem that is very evident in the film). Aidan tempts Brendan to leave Kells and enter the forest, despite the fact that there is an evil dark force (actual black figures, pure evil) that is contained in the forest and a slowly approaching army of barbarians. The rest of the movie centers around Brendan's training as Aidan's apprentice and his friendship to a fairy/wolf spirit named Aisling (sounded like Ashley in the theater).

The animation is beautiful, shown through this sequence of war:


and this portrait shot of Brendan meeting with Aisling at one point:


While not greater than Up or Coraline, (Liked it more than Fantastic Mr. Fox, despite it being a Wes Anderson film, and The Princess and the Frog), I loved it all the same. 2010 was a good year for animation and I would recommend this film to most people. There is an interesting 2D animation against some 3D backdrop that provides an interesting look to the film, if that were the only reason to see it. Overall the plot seems like it would have been better if it were extended, as the film manages to skip ahead in time to show an adult Brendan. While the whole film centers on Brendan's innocence, he suddenly becomes an adult and then the film is over. But then again, maybe that was a point the film was trying to reveal. The fact that innocence is fleeting, and it is always over before we want it to. Only, behind the christian ideology, strong imagery, traditional irish music, this concept could be lost.

- Jeff Bassin