Secret of Kells (2009)

In 2018 I found myself alone living in Boise, Idaho. Nothing in that sentence should cause dread or ill will in general, the current political climate be damned. But my situation had left me hopeless and depressed. The two things I had were movies and writing, and the local cinema (either Flicks or the downtown AMC) decided to do a second run of Paddington and Paddington 2. Life changing hope filled me, and I started to write again, expressing the hopelessness I felt and exorcising it from my soul.

     Secret of Kells exemplifies that life changing feeling of art and culture. Brendan, a young monk, lives in a small monastery his uncle, the abbot, is fortifying against the oncoming Viking hoard. Then an older monk, Aiden, shows up with The Book, a story prophesied to change the world while Brendan befriends a fairy in the woods. Brendan, Aiden, and the fairy Aisling are together to complete the book and turn darkness into light in this beautiful animated creation of hope and light.

     I don't have the words to talk about art. Literally, my museum-speak is often filled with words like "pretty" and "colorful." I know how I feel, however, and watching Secret of Kells from a simple aesthetic created a warm joy in me with every broad stroke and soft color that led to dread as harsh blacks and reds and almost neon explosions filled the screen. I am angry I have not watched this film or any Cartoon Saloon production in the cinema blown up large. 

     That being said, there is a pretty raw caricature of a black man that, while taken from Celtic art and recognized as problematic by the creators, is racist. Through this particular art style, it mimics art often done for black characters. This is a blemish that stands out in harsh relief.

     The biggest credit I can give to the voice cast is I cannot single any of them out. They blended with the animation so well, I feel like I watched performances rather than animated creations. All around stellar job from the named characters to "additional voices" performers.

     All this smoke up the movie's ass to say that I enjoyed my time. Blending religion with myth is difficult without pissing off someone (which they managed to do with art), but here fairies and dark creatures mix with Biblical storybooks. A credit that the film leaned toward the nature focused narrative to solidify the important things in life, art and stories over gold, rather than the often seen sacrifice narrative most Christian tales present. 

     The world created is harsh. People die here, maybe not people you know the name of, at the hands of other people. The barbaric and cartoonish depiction of marauding Vikings is also under contention. They were pretty hardcore during this time, and they didn't invade my lands, so I'll let the storyteller form the depiction and the Scandinavians respond.

     If you have not seen this and enjoy animation, check it out. If nothing, you get an hour and a half of damn good art in your life.