Strong and Moving!

Purely Joyful Movie!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The style is fully realized, flat, detailed and pure with its mythology, it manages to enthrall the viewer with the story of such magnificent book.

The Secret of Kells is an Irish-French-Belgian animated fantasy film, directed by Tom Moore. Just like it's sequel movie Song of the Sea, it's unlike anything we've seen on screen. The visuals are enchanting and fanciful. Brendan is an idealistic young boy who lives in the Abbey of Kells, which is an outpost surrounded by heavily fortified walls. Due to the threats of the Viking raids, his uncle, and the monks are sequestered on the abbey so Brendan has never stepped out of the walls. One day Brother Aidan comes to Kells with an unfinished sacred book of knowledge, which he refers to it as "a beacon in these dark days" of brutal attacks. Brendan is fascinated with the book and tries to help Brother Aidan complete the book, as his hands are too old and unsteady to finish the book. But to create the book, Brendan has to undertake a dangerous quest to obtain ink berries in the forest. Luckily he meets a woodland fairy Aisling, who helps him with him the mission. Brendan needs to face his fears and help Brother Aidan finish the book.As I've mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed the director's animation technique because it's charming and magical. The scenes were intricate and colorful. The vibrant and melodious Irish folk musical background scores increase the overall enchanting quality of this film.The cool thing about the story line is that it's partially right. There is a book called "Book of Kells," which is a 9th century New Testament with brilliant embellishments. And it is considered as Ireland's National Treasure. At the end of the film, I also enjoyed how The Secret of Kells uses early Christian Theology to access to a wider audience as it illuminated the audience with its incredible and universal sentiment. The movie has a great message, from young viewers to old ones with striking imagery to captivate the audience.

The Secret of Kells is the first film made by the Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, and the first film directed by Tomm Moore. And as far as debut films go, this is simply stunning. Telling the fictitious origin story for the historical Book of Kells, it is probably the animated movie with the most striking visual style I've ever seen. European medieval paintings suddenly spring to life on screen with this film, with most of the backgrounds and character designs heavily mimicking medieval designs, but with a distinct cartoonish slant.And it looks gorgeous! Every frame of this film is a painting ready to be hanged on a wall, and what makes it even better is the fact that the film's story talks about the illustration of a book. The Book of Kells has been a long time project for a Master Illustrator Aidan, but now he has been forced to flee from his island home into the Monastery of Kells because Viking raiders are coming, pillaging and looting everything in their way. In that monastery he meets young Brendan, an apprentice illustrator, who he sends into the surrounding forest to look for materials to make ink. In there Brendan meets many wonders and horrors, among them a female forest spirit named Aisling.This film is balm for the soul of anyone who has ever appreciated traditional hand-drawn animation. Everything from character designs to movement to rhythm works absolutely wonderfully, and at times you quite honestly miss what the characters are saying because you're so busy staring.Unfortunately, where the film falters a little bit is the story. It starts out very well, and is given more depth with the exploration of Brendan's two father figures. The strict abbot of the monastery, his uncle Cellach, and the more free-spirited and relaxed Aidan, who allows Brendan to explore his true passion. But after the second act the film simply seems to give up and the final third act is barely ten minutes long. It's like they ran out of budget and had to cram half an hour's worth of story into ten minutes. It doesn't rhyme at all and quite frankly ruins a perfectly good film. Now, it is possible that the choice was intentional in order to achieve a more mythological, legendary tone for the story, but in an animated film made in the 21st century it nevertheless seems extremely jarring.But, if you're going to see this film, see it for the visuals. The story is good enough to keep you interested, but it's the visuals that will probably bring you back if you're going to see it a second time.

Brendan is a young boy living in a walled medieval monastery town of Kells. He is apprenticed to monks illuminating books. Brother Aidan arrives with the Book of Iona that is suppose to shine a light beacon into the dark times. He is working on the final pages. Brendon's uncle Abbot Cellach is more obsessed with building a wall against invading northmen. Aidan sends Brendan out to find gall nuts to make ink. He is hounded by wolves and saved by the forest spirit Aisling. There is an evil in the forest called Crom Cruach. Meanwhile, barbarians from the north are brutally invading.The animation is wonderful with an old magic that fits the subject. The unique style is inspired by celtic art. It's like a beautiful children's book come to life. The characters are likable and their story is compelling.