Brendan and The Secret of Kells
Greenberg
Rating: 
Movie: The Secret of Kells (2009)
Studio : Les Armateurs Vivi Film Cartoon Saloon
Info : Click Here
Runtime : 75 min
Website : thesecretofkells.com
Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcupae
Review:
Set in the Dark Ages of Ireland, young Brendan lives in the great walled community of Kells. He has never gone beyond those walls, for fear of Viking raiders who have been pillaging villages and monastaries as of late. When the sole survivor of the island abbey of Iona comes bearing a book of legends so beautiful in pages that it scares sinners away, Brendan finds an artistic side to him that demands to go beyond the limitations placed on him to finish the incomplete book.
The animation itself is a deceptively simple style. The characters are not so much created out of simplicity as it is to make them flow with the pace of the story. As you go further in, the art style begins to show more of its medieval roots, often framing scenes or playing as natural backgrounds seamlessly with the action. It is not unlikely to think of this movie flowing the same way your eyes do watching the patterns of a tapestry or, in this case, the illuminated script of what would become one of Ireland’s greatest treasures.
If there is anything that made me troubled at this film, it’s the unnecessary politically correct direction taken. Brendan’s other fellow brothers are a multitude of ethnicities. The ethnicity shows no real purpose for this whitewashing other than legal purposes and an accessory accent. Thankfully, these issues also don’t seem to detract too much either from the point of the tale.
Although this film is only 75 minutes, it doesn’t feel too short. It actually paces well and feels like it’s much longer at points. This is not a bad thing, as the film completes itself gracefully from start to finish without a moment of awkwardness or padding in-between. If anything, it’s a nice change of pace from the normal fare expected in terms of animation. I would not only recommend seeing this in theater, but will look forward to seeing it again shortly.
-Donald Lee