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The Secret of Kells
Animation is a dime a dozen but every now and then, a group of talented
individuals will try something different and obviously those responsible
for the Academy Awards nominations thought the same thing when they
watched this amazing stylised film with strong Celtic elements. As
opposed to traditional Disney animation or Computer Generated Images,
The Secret of Kells (Directed by Directors Tomm Moore and Nora
Twomey) successfully makes art come to life, thanks to the subtle nature
of the animation which includes its sharp angles, almost stick like
creations with some wonderful painted backgrounds. This in turn creates
a truly distinct and almost magical experience, thanks to the heart
warming story of a 12-year old boy with a clichéd destiny!
The
story itself revolves a boy called Brendan (Evan McGuire), the
protaganist of the piece which is set over a thousand
hears ago where he lives in the Abbey of Kellis. Under the watchful eye
of his uncle, Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson) who is more of a protector
than a priest, his role is to not only to keep an eye out for his nephew
but to ensure that a gigantic wall is built around the town in order to
stop the Viking invasion.
Things go awry for the Abbot when a stranger
called Brother Aidan (Mick Lally) visits and captivates Brendan by his
stories but more specifically, a magical book that he is trying to
finish. We learn that Aidan is a master illuminator and so entrenched is
Brendan that he becomes his apprentice and thus begins a journey of
discovery as he embarks on his deepest fears and meets a world that only
exists in stories. With wolf girls and the like, a world of myth becomes
a reality for Brendan.
Without spoiling the story, The Secret of Kells is visually quite stunning
that captivated me from the very first moments of this film. The
animation is at times simplistic but then something happens and you can
only shake your head at how the animators thought outside the box. Remember your parents reading a book to you
when you were a child? This is probably as close to that experience as
is this movie which works on a variety of levels, both emotionally and
mentally. The only letdown of this release is the lack of special
features but because the story is so engaging, the characters so real
and more specifically, the wonderful animation, this is one DVD that hold you captivated
from the very first seconds.
Highly
Recommended! |
