Review of The Secret of Kells (2009) by Sarah R — 21 Sep 2010

A beautiful, sweet fable of a film, "The Secret of Kells" features one of the most gorgeous visual styles I have ever seen in an animated movie. The character designs, scenery, even the framing of what is happening on-screen is lush and marvellously rendered.

While the story may be a bit simple, and not delve too deeply into the elements it introduces, the writers aren't afraid to touch upon dark and creepy material that would no doubt frighten the younger viewers a bit.

I can't say enough good things about the look of the movie, though, and it is worth at least two viewings just to soak in the amazing artistry that has gone into this picture. After seeing how inspired and original "The Secret of Kells" is, I was genuinely disappointed that Pixar's sweet yet slightly generic "Up" took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, as "Kells" sports far more wonder in a single scene than "Up" does in its entirety.