Movies: The Secret of Kells

Brendan, the young hero of The Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells (2009) is an Irish 2-D animated feature film about a boy named Brendan living in a medieval settlement who is recruited by a master illuminator to help complete a special manuscript. On the his quest, Brendan encounters the spirit of the forest, Aisling, who helps him. All the while, the settlement works to complete an outer wall that they hope will protect them against the impending doom of the Viking hordes...

I had not heard of The Secret of Kells prior to its' nomination in 2010 for Best Animated Feature. If there's one thing that makes the Academy Awards useful (and it may be only one thing these days), it's that it can make you aware of worthwhile films you otherwise wouldn't know about. That's certainly the case here.

The most impressive thing about The Secret of Kells is its' visual style, which co-director Tomm Moore has described as a mash-up of Gutsav Klimt, Bill Watterson, and the illuminated manuscript The Book of Kells.

Here are some more images from the film:

Calvin and Hobbes style birch trees, for sure.

A little Tartakovsky flavour.

I'm a sucker for volumetric lighting.

Aisling, not entirely helpful.

'Top-down sets with side-view characters' is a recurring visual motif.

Reminds me a little of Tron.

I like that the snowflakes are Celtic knots.

Enticing, no? See it!