I loved it-in the beginning, at least. It started out okay. Intro, boy living in walled town/village/whatever its called, good. Plot builds, gets more exciting and engaging, friendship with fairy, drawing, attacked by vikings, fleeing into the woods, and... cut. I feel like this is where it all went wrong. I was expecting at least another half-hour of the movie, but I paused it and saw that ten minutes were left instead. The main character is rescued by Ashley, (who doesn't speak to him again for the remainder of the movie) and I could see the friendship that half of the movie had been cultivating go down the metaphorical toilet bowl. He doesn't ask her to hide them from the vikings, and instead just runs, and runs, and runs... (for like, 10+ years)and eventually shows back up at Kells, sees his uncle, etc. Another thing I'm annoyed about is that how the Abbot and the man working on the book seemed to know each other, but their possible past relationship was never explained or made clear. Overall, I felt like this movie started out well, began to become excellent, and then the people making it ran out of money and had to do a rush job to finish it, which pretty much trashed everything up to that point.

So I finally got to sit down and watch this film properly. You really would be jaw dropping the whole time because the animation was absolutely stunning, especially if it is a 2-D cartoon movie! The voice acting was good too, I honestly didn't know which character was voiced by Brendan Gleeson, all the men actors really sounded pretty much the same so I didn't know who was who!Even though I have heard a lot about the Book of Kells that's displayed in Trinity College Dublin, I just think the films crew weren't paying enough attention to much of what the book was actually about. The reason I just said that was because, there was no such thing as a young boy Brendan finding the book. Sure, no one knows who was the culprit that created the book! Apart from my little complaint, I thought everything was perfect. It does tell you a bit of history such as when the Vikings came to Europe and pretty much the detail of the books designs! Good all ages movie!Happy St Paddys Day Lads and Lassies! :D

(Highly Recommended) The Secret of Kells was so secret that it may have been easily overlooked by many serious film-goers in 2009. With its poor distribution rights in the United States and lack of access to many theaters, this foreign-made independent film was hardly seen, but it is now available on DVD/BluRay and streaming on Netflix. (Against the odds, the film was surprisingly nominated for an Oscar that year for Best Animated Feature, losing to Up.) This is must-see viewing.The animated film tells the story of Brendan, a young boy living in an abbey during the 8th century. His stern and over-protective uncle, Abbot Cellach, forbids him to leave the monastery and venture out into the dangerous world. But Brendan has a calling, a need to complete an unfinished illustrated manuscript, the Book of Iona. So off he goes into a magical forest to collect to collect gall nuts to make special ink for new pages. With the help of a forest spirit, he overcomes many obstacles to finally reach his goal.The narrative itself is convoluted and in need of more concise storytelling with many transitions between scenes seemingly abrupt and too episodic. But the visual artistry on display is stunning. Directed by Tomm Moore, The Secret of Kells pays full homage to its source. (The Book of Kells is a Latin illuminated book based on the four Gospels of the New Testament that was created by monks during Medieval times. The actual book remains on display at Trinity College in Dublin.) The animators use the hand-drawn decorative motifs combined with traditional Christian iconography and create an imaginative and highly stylized work of art. The backgrounds are flat fields of color with vibrant patterns of ornate swirls and geometric Celtic designs. The film is remarkable in its visual beauty. With painstaking details, many of the film's images resemble the illuminated manuscript in comparison. Far from the average animated film from major studios, The Secret of Kells is demand viewing for any serious animation aficionadoVisit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.comANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: [email protected]

A really beautiful cartoon movie. Full of amazing Celtic designs woven into the background. I enjoyed the Irish Trad music and the wonderful characters especially Aisling the fairy. As a fan of anime, I definitely enjoyed the unique drawing style. My only complaint is I wish the movie was longer. I would love to see more movies in this style about other Irish legends as there are many that are very interesting and would make great movies. Overall if you like Ireland and/or Irish art design you will love this movie.P.S. I have seen the Book of Kells and it really is very beautiful