“You can’t find out everything from books, you know.” “(laughs) I think I read that once!”
In an animation industry dominated by overly clean, slick 3D projects, The Secret of Kells feels refreshingly old-fashioned, placing its gloriously stylised characters in rough, hand-drawn surroundings that often resemble an ancient manuscript come to life. In a mysterious Irish past where history and mythology are intertwined, writer/director Tomm Moore dreams up a fictional creation story for the real-life Book of Kells, which also doubles up as a practical insight into traditional book production, including the collection of oak gall to make ink and the creation of gold leaf illustrations, or ‘illuminations’ (the double meaning used to maximum dramatic effect as our hero, Brendan, quite literally brings light to the darkness with his artistic ability).
For all the film’s innovation, it offers a leisurely introduction to the medieval town of Kells and its central players, particularly the towering Abbot Cellach (voiced by Brendan Gleeson). Once young Brendan escapes the oppressive walls of his town, however, Kells explodes into a smorgasbord of colour and invention. A particular highlight is the forest-dwelling Aisling (think Princess Mononoke’s chirpier younger sister), who bounces around the geometric treetops and pastel-rubbing curlicues of the environment with infectious glee. The visual delights come thick and fast, getting increasingly more imaginative as the film goes on, including some impressively abstract flashbacks and one scene seemingly inspired by the classic video game Snake. With The Secret of Kells (as well as its follow-up, Song of the Sea, currently nominated for an Oscar), Irish studio Cartoon Saloon have asserted themselves as an irresistible new force in animation, effortlessly skewering the cross-generational appeal that marks the very best of the form with bold visual direction. Illuminating indeed!
tinyflix 