Review of The Secret of Kells (2009) by Shelley B — 29 Aug 2011

"The Secret of Kells" starts with a wild goose chase, culminating in the plucking of feathers for quills for a book the friars of an abbey in medieval Ireland are working on. Regardless of the achievement, Abbot Cellach wants everybody, especially his nephew and heir apparent, Branden, to get back to work on the wall he is building to keep the northmen out. Luckily, the wall does not keep out friends like Brother Aidan, a noted scholar and old friend of Cellach. To help with the project, Aidan requires green berries from beyond the wall which Brendan volunteers for and gets some company from Aidan's cat, Pangur Ban.

"The Secret of Kells" is an enchanting animated film that has a similar look to medieval art, with some very memorable images. Told from a child's point of view, Brendan looks like he is seven feet tall(to the movie's credit, he never comes off as a villain, no matter how stern he is) and the vikings are depicted as inhuman monsters. While survival is tantamount for most, others were thinking ahead to the future in their attempt to preserve knowledge for generations to come. In other words, is the pen really mightier than the sword or a wall? So, it is a shame that the story does not hold together as well as it should but then nobody's perfect.