Journal: The Secret of Kells

    

The Secret of Kells

I saw the movie The Secret of Kells, directed by Tomm Moore, and I believe that it was an amazing little film and I am rather sad that I haven’t heard of it before now. It was a such a great film to look at for the artistry that was put into it and for its storyline being based off of a real story of a real Book of Kells. 

I believe that the film was made to tell a great story and since it was animated, it was suitable for children, that way a child could relate and learn about an Irish legend. It is important for children to learn new things, so, if movie producers can reach them through cinema why not take that medium and educate them and entertain at the same time? 

This film had a €6,500,000 budget, but only grossed about $739,454.

It bombed the box office. I wish I had known but after some research it didn’t really show very often here in the US. It was mainly shown in Europe. It was a great little film and it was nominated for best animated feature in 2009. Too bad it wasn’t more recognized. I believe that it is very artsy and was a great reflection of how the actual Book of Kells is. It was a homage to the time spent crafting a wonderful book. 

A page from the actual Book of Kells

Something that caught my eye was the way the animation was done. It was almost flat and very much 2D. That is fine, it is just interesting to me because maybe it is also a way to reflect pages of a book again to reflect the inspiration of the film. The most memorable moment for me, was when Aisling heard from Pangur Ban (pet cat) that Brendan was locked in his room or dungeon more like it, she came to help him escape. At this scene I can always picture in my mind Aisling always flitting around and being very ghostlike almost and getting around on all fours. She is portrayed as this like fairy or spirit of the forest and she can somehow turn Pangur into a little ghost-like cat so that Pangur could go where she can not go, Brendan’s room to help him get out. This scene is very different fro any others, very dark and mysterious until we hear Aisling sing a charm for Pangur and we appreciate what she is doing but at the same time we wonder if Pangur will be able to be turned back into his normal body. The song she sings is interesting also. She mixes some English and also some Irish in the song making it more authentic. A wonderful song. 

In the tower with maps or drawings and lots of little designs.

Beautiful tree with design relating to the book.

Brendan and Pangur entering the Forest

Also, the vivid colors are also a sort of a signature for the film in addition to the minute details in the artwork that is used.  There is a lot of green and in dark times during the story, darker more elaborate designs were used. The most beautiful sequences in the film is when Pangur, Brendan, and Aisling were in the forest and climbing the trees and the way that time progression is expressed is very unique in that the screen is split horizontally in three and separate times that Aisling is in the tree. Also looking closely to most the images in the movie, you can tell there are many symbols that look very similar to the actual book, they are hidden all around.
The trees were also a huge part of the art. The scene where the trees symbolized a church-like sanctuary or cathedral because of the way the trees were arched was wonderful and it had great foreshadow that the forest is salvation but very little and something that you would need to know beforehand. 

I really recommend seeing this movie with your own eyes and experience the beautiful artwork that made the animation.

Thank you guys!

Mikaela