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So we all know that Up is going to be winning top honors at the Oscars, right? And we all know that The Princess and the Frog has come out as well, to great excitement because of Disney's return to traditional animation, right? Well, now's time to step away briefly from all of those, and focus instead on an offering that's just as interesting, and just as beautiful.
I'm talking about the animated wonder known as The Secret of Kells, which is a movie about, well, the Book of Kells, reputed to be one of, if not the most, beautiful illuminated Medieval manuscripts ever created.
The key to truly understanding and appreciating The Secret of Kells, or Brendan and the Secret of Kells, as it's known in some quarters, is to at least know what the Book of Kells is. As I mentioned, it's an illuminated manuscript, created by Irish monks as a centerpiece for the monastery at Kells. Please note the term "centerpiece," as it's all but impossible to actually read the book. It wasn't meant for reading, really, since the pages are just too elaborately decorated to make it readable. Instead, it became a showcase of the illuminators' skill and artistry - and since it was made by Irish monks, who used not only Christian but also Irish pagan motifs, the Book of Kells has preserved within it some of the older pagan Celtic Irish motifs, which would have otherwise been lost had they not been used in the creation of the Book of Kells.
Anyway, The Secret of Kells' main story is about a boy named Brendan, who is living in the monastery of Kells under the care of his uncle, Cellach, who also happens to be the abbot of Kells. Cellach expects Brendan to follow in his footsteps, which currently means helping him build a wall around Kells that will supposedly protect them from the invading Northmen - a bunch of savage brutes whose only aim is to kill and plunder in the quest for gold. Brendan has other ideas, though, especially when a monk named Brother Aidan comes to Kells bearing with him a beautiful illuminated book, and requests Brendan's help in completing it.
There's more to the story than that, of course, but I think that's a fair-enough summary to whet your appetite.
:D
Anyway, let's talk visuals first. There is some digital wizardry involved, to be sure, but the greater bulk of the movie seems to be traditionally-drawn animation. The style of the animation is based on the style of drawing used in the actual Book of Kells, so it's very flat, with mostly solid blocks of color for the characters. The backgrounds, though, look beautifully hand-painted. Also, one can clearly see the integration of ancient Celtic motifs, such as the spiral and the triskelion and Celtic knotwork, all over the place, from the landscape to a tree's trunk. The overall effect is like looking at a moving Medieval-style storybook, which is thoroughly appropriate for this movie.
The story is interesting as well: the "prologue" is mysterious and intriguing, and the introduction to the characters at Kells is engaging - you may even go so far as to ignore the anachronisms in terms of the racial backgrounds of some of the brothers at Kells, if only because they're kind of interesting. Still, I have qualms about the way the Northmen (Vikings, I assume, as this movie seems to be set at around the time that Viking invasions were pretty frequent) were portrayed, though: dark, hulking brutes, more animal than human. It would have been nice to see some humanity in them, even if this was an animated movie meant for children. I also have some issues about the latter part of the movie. The story's pretty decent up until a certain point, but after that point it all becomes a little uncertain. It makes me wonder if the scriptwriters got to a point and thought: "We got something really awesome, but now how do we end it?!"
Oh, and did I mention the music? It's not like a Disney production that has several musical numbers, but the background score is stunning - not quite authentically Celtic as I might have expected (the composer's French, since the movie's a joint work between Irish, French, and Belgian folks), but it does a good job nonetheless. The one vocal track sung by a character in the entire movie is appropriate to not only the movie, but to ancient Irish myth and legend, as well.
Despite its faults, The Secret of Kells is a beautiful movie (visually and aurally, in my opinion), especially if you're looking for something that isn't Pixar or Disney. I highly, highly recommend it - well, mostly so I can have someone to talk about it, too.
XD
You guys can get the movie here. You'll have to login though; the entry's friendslocked.
And when you're done watching, tell me what you think! I haven't been this interested in an animated movie in a while.
XD
I'm talking about the animated wonder known as The Secret of Kells, which is a movie about, well, the Book of Kells, reputed to be one of, if not the most, beautiful illuminated Medieval manuscripts ever created.
The key to truly understanding and appreciating The Secret of Kells, or Brendan and the Secret of Kells, as it's known in some quarters, is to at least know what the Book of Kells is. As I mentioned, it's an illuminated manuscript, created by Irish monks as a centerpiece for the monastery at Kells. Please note the term "centerpiece," as it's all but impossible to actually read the book. It wasn't meant for reading, really, since the pages are just too elaborately decorated to make it readable. Instead, it became a showcase of the illuminators' skill and artistry - and since it was made by Irish monks, who used not only Christian but also Irish pagan motifs, the Book of Kells has preserved within it some of the older pagan Celtic Irish motifs, which would have otherwise been lost had they not been used in the creation of the Book of Kells.
Anyway, The Secret of Kells' main story is about a boy named Brendan, who is living in the monastery of Kells under the care of his uncle, Cellach, who also happens to be the abbot of Kells. Cellach expects Brendan to follow in his footsteps, which currently means helping him build a wall around Kells that will supposedly protect them from the invading Northmen - a bunch of savage brutes whose only aim is to kill and plunder in the quest for gold. Brendan has other ideas, though, especially when a monk named Brother Aidan comes to Kells bearing with him a beautiful illuminated book, and requests Brendan's help in completing it.
There's more to the story than that, of course, but I think that's a fair-enough summary to whet your appetite.
:D
Anyway, let's talk visuals first. There is some digital wizardry involved, to be sure, but the greater bulk of the movie seems to be traditionally-drawn animation. The style of the animation is based on the style of drawing used in the actual Book of Kells, so it's very flat, with mostly solid blocks of color for the characters. The backgrounds, though, look beautifully hand-painted. Also, one can clearly see the integration of ancient Celtic motifs, such as the spiral and the triskelion and Celtic knotwork, all over the place, from the landscape to a tree's trunk. The overall effect is like looking at a moving Medieval-style storybook, which is thoroughly appropriate for this movie.
The story is interesting as well: the "prologue" is mysterious and intriguing, and the introduction to the characters at Kells is engaging - you may even go so far as to ignore the anachronisms in terms of the racial backgrounds of some of the brothers at Kells, if only because they're kind of interesting. Still, I have qualms about the way the Northmen (Vikings, I assume, as this movie seems to be set at around the time that Viking invasions were pretty frequent) were portrayed, though: dark, hulking brutes, more animal than human. It would have been nice to see some humanity in them, even if this was an animated movie meant for children. I also have some issues about the latter part of the movie. The story's pretty decent up until a certain point, but after that point it all becomes a little uncertain. It makes me wonder if the scriptwriters got to a point and thought: "We got something really awesome, but now how do we end it?!"
Oh, and did I mention the music? It's not like a Disney production that has several musical numbers, but the background score is stunning - not quite authentically Celtic as I might have expected (the composer's French, since the movie's a joint work between Irish, French, and Belgian folks), but it does a good job nonetheless. The one vocal track sung by a character in the entire movie is appropriate to not only the movie, but to ancient Irish myth and legend, as well.
Despite its faults, The Secret of Kells is a beautiful movie (visually and aurally, in my opinion), especially if you're looking for something that isn't Pixar or Disney. I highly, highly recommend it - well, mostly so I can have someone to talk about it, too.
XD
You guys can get the movie here. You'll have to login though; the entry's friendslocked.
And when you're done watching, tell me what you think! I haven't been this interested in an animated movie in a while.
XD
