Kells’ Secret A Mesmerizing One

On the outside, “The Secret of Kells” appears to be an animated feature about the book of Kells, one containing the four gospels of the New Testament, created by Celtic Monks around 800 AD. A national treasure of Ireland, the book is a creation of immense beauty, fortitude and love.

However, in the end, that’s exactly what this film ends up becoming, as the animation and message make it more than worthy of the Academy award nomination it received earlier this year.

Trying to ensure the continued survival of the church and civilization from viking forces, Abbot Cellach, voiced superbly by Hollywood vet Brendan Gleeson [In Bruges, 28 Days Later], enforces strict regulations on his people and builds a wall around his abbey and town. Brash, yet loving, Cellach’s ways aren’t exactly embraced by his peers, but his leadership abilities and desire for his people’s safety have earned him their respect. However, in working hard to protect his peers, he is unable to quench the curiosity of his nephew, Brendan, who ends up helping the elder Aidan and his adorable kitty, Pangur Bn [who ends up stealing the attention off Brendan in several scenes], finish the book of Kells.

Going into the outside world for the first time, Brendan then encounters Aisling, a fairy, with powers that open up the entire world for the youngster. Together, they forge a friendship that helps young Brendan save the book and what’s left of his culture from harm. Endearing, amusing and pivotal to the development of the story, the time these two spend together is perhaps the best part of the film away from the animation, due to the not only the trouble they get into, but the action-packed nature of their encounters and friendship they form.

While this is of course charismatic, the animation in this film is what eventually sets it apart from the crowded animation scene. In an age flooded with films using computer-aided animation, “The Secret of Kells” proves, all by itself, that there’s still plenty of room for standard animation to grow. Producing kaleidoscopic visuals, this film is visually stunning from start to finish. Even when the film begins, and the plot is a bit slow to develop, the animation alone will keep you in your seat, eagerly waiting for the story to come together.

Once it does, you’ll be rewarded with a rare blend of both mystical story and scenery, that helps in telling a tale that should have been told ages ago. Regardless of its religious undertones, the end result is one of magic.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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