The Secret of Kells

This was recommended to me, and at the time I was sceptical about it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I tend not to be a huge fan of animated movies, and secondly, it seemed like it might be a bit saccharine and full of hippy-child-magic. However, I thought I'd give it a go, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was lovely.

Brendan is the nephew of an abbot, who is building a huge wall around his remote town to keep out the raiders who are travelling through the country, killing people and ransacking towns. A master illuminator arrives as a refugee, along with this pet cat Pangur Ban. He brings with him an ancient book of wisdom, as yet unfinished, and enlists Brendon's help in completing it. However, in order for the book to be finished, Brendon has to journey into the forbidden forest outside to find the right kind of berries to make ink. Once there, he meets the mysterious Aisling, who helps him on his way.

The relationships between characters are beautiful and simple. The only thing I didn't like about the film was the stereotypical nature of the background characters, who all seemed to be like caricatures of their races. Other than that, it was a charming film, definitely worth watching, even if you're not usually a fan of that kind of thing.

Here's the trailer: