The Secret of Kells - Movie Review

As a small film from the UK most American audience never heard of "The Secret of Kells" until it showed up seemingly out of nowhere on the list of films nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2010. That year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used the Oscars as a chance to do something that they should do more often: highlight a deserving film that would have otherwise completely fallen through the cracks. This film is a mix of Irish fact and folklore told in a visual style that is at once wonderfully simple and beautifully layered.

"The Secret of Kells" is set in Ireland during the 9th century and tells a fictionalized account of the creation of the Book of Kells. The book is a real life artifact, a richly illustrated text and one of Ireland's greatest national treasures. The story centers around young Brendan (voiced by Eric Maguire), a boy living in the Abbey at Kells. Brendan is a curious and energetic young boy however the Abbot (voiced by Brendan Gleeson,) his uncle, keeps him on a tight leash. With the Vikings ravaging Ireland the Abbot has all those who live under his care focused on building a great wall to keep the Norse raiders at bay. With all the emphasis being on building the wall and staying within it's bounds the brothers of the abbey are not able to devout their time to the writing of books as they are meant to be doing. Things change however when the elderly Brother Aidan (voiced by Mick Lally) arrives with his cat Pangur and the fabled, and unfinished, Book of Iona. As a renowned illuminator it is Aidan's job to continue to inscribe the text with not only words but intricate illustration as well. He recruits Brendan to assist him in this task, who is all too eager to help. In helping Aidan to get what he needs for his colored inks Brendan ventures outside the walls of the Abbey and encounters a fairy named Aisling (voiced by Christen Mooney) as well as a whole new world of experiences.

"The Secret of Kells" takes much of it's beauty from simplicity. There's a simple straight-forwardness in the story itself. Characters are introduced in ways that make their personalities clear immediately and there aren't any real side-stories of sub-plots. The film simply follows Brendan on his journey of discovery, discovery of artistic beauty, the world outside the abbey and of himself. The art style gives the impression of simplicity as well, mainly due to how few lines make up each character and how many straight edges there are. However that simplistic surface level only barely conceals a rich visual tapestry comprised of many of the intricate swirling shapes that make up the real life Book of Kells.

The voice cast of "The Secret of Kells" is all strong. Brother Aidan's voice is wonderfully warm and calming which is a great contrast to the much more controlling personality of the Abbot. Young Brendan is voiced in a way that really captures the excitement of a young boy who is uncovering who new aspects to the world that he never knew before. As for the fairy girl Aisling, her voice is playful yet with an unmistakable coldness that is quite inhuman, and therefore very fitting. As good as the voice work is that true star of the film is undoubtedly the visuals. There are stretches of the film which are virtually dialog free and the gorgeous animation more than carries the story all on their own.

"The Secret of Kells" is a little film that celebrates beauty both in it's story and it's presentation. The character of Brendan helps make this very accessible to children but truly any viewer of any age can find something wonderful in this movie. This film truly deserved it's place in the list of nominees for Best Animated Film. And had it not been for Pixar's brilliant "Up" it even had a very good chance of winning. Any lover of animation owes it to themselves to see what Academy got so excited about.

Final Score: 5 out of 5