Film
The Secret of Kells
- Director
- Tomm Moore
- Certificate
- PG
- Running Time
- 79 mins
This slightly over-praised Irish animation was a surprise Oscar nominee back in 2009, doing battle with the mega-budget likes of Up, Coraline, Fantastic Mr Fox and The Princess and the Frog in the Best Animated Feature category. Clearly unable to compete with Hollywood in the 3D/performance capture/stellar voice cast arena, director Tomm Moore and his multi-national team of animators have wisely opted for an old-fashioned labour intensive approach that recalls the simple lines and painterly beauty favoured by Japan’s Studio Ghibli but with bright colours in place of pastel shades, plus far more visual imagination and originality. You’d certainly be hard pushed to find another child-friendly yarn that places medieval calligraphy at the heart of its storytelling.
As the title implies, this is a fictionalised account of the origin of the 9th century Book of Kells: the famous illuminated manuscript that remains on permanent display at Trinity College, Dublin. Down at the Abbey of Kells, stern Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson) is obsessed with building a mighty wall to keep rapacious Viking invaders at bay. Enter master illuminator Aiden of Iona (Mick Lally), with his feline companion Pangur Ban, who have dodged the Vikings to bring the unfinished gospels manuscript from Scotland. Aiden asks the Abbot’s eager young nephew Brendan (Evan McGuire) to defy his uncle’s orders and venture into the forest in search of the special nuts he needs to produce ink. Here the boy encounters wolf-girl forest spirit Aisling (Christen Mooney), who introduces him to her world. Later, it transpires that Aiden also requires the remaining eye of nasty pagan god Crom Cruach. Meanwhile, our Norse chums are bearing down on the abbey.
As a Celtic fable, The Secret of Kells is simple enough for kids to follow, with a likeable boy-hero, plus suitably demonised Vikings and a pack of pointy, red-eyed wolves providing PG-rated menace. Adults will enjoy the way the Book’s distinctive decorative style is skilfully incorporated into the detailed backgrounds and character design throughout, even framing some of the action. The twin dangers of Oirishness and sentimentality are kept at bay, even though the score threatens to break into a merry jig on occasion. It’s a rare and unusual treat, not to be missed
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