This review was requested by Alexis Howland. Many thanks to Alexis for supporting Post-Credit Coda through our Patreon.
Directors: Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey
Writers: Tomm Moore, Fabrice Ziolkowski
Cast: Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney, Brendan Gleeson, Mick Lally
Runtime: 75 mins.
2009
There is nothing that looks quite like The Secret of Kells, the first film in director Tomm Moore's 'Irish Folklore Trilogy.' The prologue dashes primordial shapes and storybook colors across the screen. Character models scuttle about in impossible synchronicity. Geometries natural and artificial compete for supremacy while emulating each other's designs.
What is most stunning (and indescribable) is the way the animation feels so uniquely flat. All 2D animation is flat of course, but Kells cultivates the illusion of ink dancing upon page. The young hero of the story Brendan (Evan McGuire), introduced in the midst of a literal goose chase, radiates a playfulness that extends to the screen's dimensionality. Lacking the proper words, I must show you examples.
This style is fresh, but it is not new. Brendan's quest of artistic enlightenment is based on a real Irish holy book called the Book of Kells. This illuminated manuscript enhances the Gospels with vibrant spiraling illustrations which director Moore describes as "flat, with false perspective and lots of colour." The form of the film about the formation of the book is informed by the form of the book the film is about.
