Brendan and the Secret of Kells

Brendan and the Secret of Kells is a beautiful animated film, combining advanced animation techniques with Gaelic art style. The theme is a children’s story (also ft for adults) that shows that with enough effort, anything is possible. This story is told actively for anyone who does not speak Gaelic. Even then, symbolism is hard to keep up with. The scene shown has lyrics that foreshadow the later events, (in Gaelic) but still show subtle hints visually. The story is not told directly.

The shapes in this movie are based heavily on geometric designs, exactly like shapes in Gaelic symbols. These simple shapes also have appeal to younger children. The simplicity is easy to follow, since the characters generally stand out from the background, and sometimes many characters make a new shape. The symbolism that is within and around these shapes appeals to adults. For example, the window Aisling climbs to has a distinct shape, which becomes a theme in the scene. The bed and door have this same shape. This affinity helps to tie the scene together better for adults looking into the symbolism of the movie, as there is an incredible amount of it (cannot catch everything even in second watching). The movement in this movie is also very interesting. The animators utilized the classic animation techniques, like follow through and weight. The execution, however, fits in very well with the art style. For example, Aisling suddenly appears near the beginning, but her hair continues moving. Or when she jumps down, her hair spreads out to the exact width of the window, which was a small detail that fits in perfectly with the art. Most of this is consciously noted, but many small details like this pass unnoticed, but are picked up subconsciously. These small details really are what make this movie so beautiful, and the scenes flow very nicely.