I found some good animated films in 2010, but I didn't find ten. And it's likely that only two of them are titles most moviegoers have had the chance to see. My list reflects a growing fact: Animation is no longer considered a form for children and families. In some cases it provides a way to tell stories that can scarcely be imagined in live action. The classic example is the Japanese "Grave of the Fireflies" (left), about two children growing up on their own after the Bomb fall.
The first of my best films, unlike some of the others, was primarily intended for children:
"Despicable Me"
This one begins with the truth that villains are often more fascinating than heroes, and creates a villain named Gru who freeze-dries the people ahead of him in line at Starbucks, and pops children's balloons. Although he's inspired by many a James Bond bad guy,...
The first of my best films, unlike some of the others, was primarily intended for children:
"Despicable Me"
This one begins with the truth that villains are often more fascinating than heroes, and creates a villain named Gru who freeze-dries the people ahead of him in line at Starbucks, and pops children's balloons. Although he's inspired by many a James Bond bad guy,...
- 1/3/2011
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
"A very good family animated film, that genuinely deserves to win the awards"
When the overview of this DVD name-dropped The Triplets of Belleville as being from the same producers, I was tempted to have a look. That film is engaging, continental in the style of slightly strange cartoons from other countries, and adult-themed, with gangsters and such, - although done with a good dollop of humour.
Whilst sharing Didier Brunner and Viviane Vanfleteren as two of its producers, The Secret Of Kells is a somewhat different affair, being an extrapolation of Irish history and mythology. It is similar, however, in that it crosses the same boundary between art and entertainment.
The story concerns a small religious community in the Abbey of Kells in Ireland over a thousand years ago. They live in fear of attack from Vikings, and their Abbott is trying to get them ready by building a huge fortified wall.
When the overview of this DVD name-dropped The Triplets of Belleville as being from the same producers, I was tempted to have a look. That film is engaging, continental in the style of slightly strange cartoons from other countries, and adult-themed, with gangsters and such, - although done with a good dollop of humour.
Whilst sharing Didier Brunner and Viviane Vanfleteren as two of its producers, The Secret Of Kells is a somewhat different affair, being an extrapolation of Irish history and mythology. It is similar, however, in that it crosses the same boundary between art and entertainment.
The story concerns a small religious community in the Abbey of Kells in Ireland over a thousand years ago. They live in fear of attack from Vikings, and their Abbott is trying to get them ready by building a huge fortified wall.
- 11/4/2010
- Shadowlocked
Chicago – The most-surprising nominee on Oscar nomination morning 2010 had to be that a little film that almost no one in the audience had heard of much less seen would compete with the big-budget players for Best Animated Feature. Like an off-off-off-Broadway play getting nominated alongside multi-million dollar projects, there was something called “The Secret of Kells” sitting alongside “Coraline,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “The Princess and the Frog,” and “Up.” Now the little-movie-that-could is out on DVD and Blu-ray for you to try and figure out why.
DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0
Of course, the big question is did it deserve it? I’m all for embracing outsiders and allowing the little guy to play with the big ones, so I’m fine with the nomination. And the film features some striking visuals. Having said that, it’s not nearly the experience of “Mary and Max” or “Ponyo,” two of the best animated films...
DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0
Of course, the big question is did it deserve it? I’m all for embracing outsiders and allowing the little guy to play with the big ones, so I’m fine with the nomination. And the film features some striking visuals. Having said that, it’s not nearly the experience of “Mary and Max” or “Ponyo,” two of the best animated films...
- 10/15/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Human Centipede: "Two things struck me about The Human Centipede, besides the sheer fucking insanity of the concept. The first was how it... wasn't as bad as I'd expected it to be. Not that it was a pleasant experience, mind you. It's still pretty goddamn gruesome, particularly the first time Katsuro has to go number 2. That's... not a good scene. One of those things that you really wish you could un-see. Nor is it exactly happy fun time when Jenny (Yennie), the unfortunate end-segment, starts developing pus-filled infections around her mouth staples. Ok, so maybe it's pretty bad. But not unwatchably so (depending on your stomach, I suppose). The surgery itself isn't shown, and Six pulls his punches just enough to make it awful and disgusting without crossing the line into Hostel territory. The thing that makes it so fundamentally and outright horrific is really the concept itself,...
- 10/5/2010
- by Intern Rusty
This Irish-French-Belgium animated feature played briefly in the Raleigh area last spring. Now those who missed it can see it as it drops on Blu ray and DVD tomorrow, October 5th: “The Secret Of Kells” (Dir. Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey, 2009) It was a bit of a surprise that this was nominated by the Academy for Best Animated Feature Film of last year, because in the current computerized cartoon climate it looks distinctly out of place with its old school hand drawn design. “The Secret Of Kells” concerns a curious kid (voiced by Evan McGuire) in the 9th century...
- 10/4/2010
- by Daniel Johnson, Raleigh Indie Movie Examiner
- Examiner Movies Channel
Made In Dagenham (15)
(Nigel Cole, 2010, UK) Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Geraldine James, Jaime Winstone, Miranda Richardson. 113 mins
From the maker of Calendar Girls, another feelgood tale of sisters pulling together for a cause, but this is at least a story worth telling: the 1968 strike by workers at Ford's factory that led to equal pay for women. You know where it's going and you can guess how it's going to get there, but with a best-of-British cast and some sense of purpose, it does the job. In car terms, it's a Mondeo, but with all the trimmings.
Buried (15)
(Rodrigo Cortés, 2010, Spa) Ryan Reynolds. 95 mins
Can Reynolds act his way out of a wooden box? This thriller sticks to its coffin location with admirable determination, heaping on enough scares, surprises and suspense to sustain the claustrophobic premise.
The Secret Of Kells (PG)
(Tomm Moore, 2009, Fra/Bel/Ire) Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson. 79 mins
Oscar-nominated Irish animation whose vibrant,...
(Nigel Cole, 2010, UK) Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Geraldine James, Jaime Winstone, Miranda Richardson. 113 mins
From the maker of Calendar Girls, another feelgood tale of sisters pulling together for a cause, but this is at least a story worth telling: the 1968 strike by workers at Ford's factory that led to equal pay for women. You know where it's going and you can guess how it's going to get there, but with a best-of-British cast and some sense of purpose, it does the job. In car terms, it's a Mondeo, but with all the trimmings.
Buried (15)
(Rodrigo Cortés, 2010, Spa) Ryan Reynolds. 95 mins
Can Reynolds act his way out of a wooden box? This thriller sticks to its coffin location with admirable determination, heaping on enough scares, surprises and suspense to sustain the claustrophobic premise.
The Secret Of Kells (PG)
(Tomm Moore, 2009, Fra/Bel/Ire) Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson. 79 mins
Oscar-nominated Irish animation whose vibrant,...
- 10/1/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
With the popularity of CG-animated films from Pixar and DreamWorks and the namesake monopoly on traditional animation that is Disney, it.s rare that smaller indie or even foreign animated films of a traditional nature get much attention. Each year a number of these gems arrive at smaller theaters scattered throughout the country, but rarely do they enjoy the benefit of mass audiences due to a lack in exposure and publicity.
The Secret Of Kells, which originally debuted elsewhere in 2009, is one example of a brilliant, under exposed jewels of traditional animation. Co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, this little Irish film earned more recognition than most with an Academy Award nomination in 2009 for Best Animated Feature, a nomination that many feel should have led to an actual Oscar win.
Brendan (Evan McGuire) is a young orphaned boy, living in a secluded medieval village under the care of his uncle,...
The Secret Of Kells, which originally debuted elsewhere in 2009, is one example of a brilliant, under exposed jewels of traditional animation. Co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, this little Irish film earned more recognition than most with an Academy Award nomination in 2009 for Best Animated Feature, a nomination that many feel should have led to an actual Oscar win.
Brendan (Evan McGuire) is a young orphaned boy, living in a secluded medieval village under the care of his uncle,...
- 5/7/2010
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Secret of Kells
Starring Brendan Gleeson, Evan McGuire, and Christen Mooney
Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey
Not Rated
You will have to make an adjustment when watching The Secret of Kells, a recent surprise nominee in the Best Animated Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. Even if you've seen The Triplets of Belleville, the previous animated movie by the producers of Kells, this one's...different.
The movie is the story of medieval Celtic monks who wrote the Book of Kells, one of the most important surviving pieces of early Christian writing as well as an influential work of art.
So it's a great subject for further exploration. Even if religious movies aren't your gig, the historical consequence of the actions of these monks is massive, as is the artistic impact. But the movie made here is not at all what you'd expect. In addition to being...
Starring Brendan Gleeson, Evan McGuire, and Christen Mooney
Directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey
Not Rated
You will have to make an adjustment when watching The Secret of Kells, a recent surprise nominee in the Best Animated Feature Film category at the Academy Awards. Even if you've seen The Triplets of Belleville, the previous animated movie by the producers of Kells, this one's...different.
The movie is the story of medieval Celtic monks who wrote the Book of Kells, one of the most important surviving pieces of early Christian writing as well as an influential work of art.
So it's a great subject for further exploration. Even if religious movies aren't your gig, the historical consequence of the actions of these monks is massive, as is the artistic impact. But the movie made here is not at all what you'd expect. In addition to being...
- 4/23/2010
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Many writers called 2009 the greatest year in the history of animation, or the equivalent to 1939 in Hollywood history. One writer commented that animated movies have become more mature, while live-action movies have grown less mature. What makes me really happy about this new "renaissance" is that it's made up of films from all corners, i.e. they're not all computer animated, 3D spectaculars. Case in point is the new The Secret of Kells (20 screens), which surprised everyone when it turned up as a recent Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature in place of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo and other contenders. I watched it with folded arms, convinced that the Academy had gone mad, but soon whatever magic enchanted the voters enchanted me as well.
Set many centuries ago in a remote outpost, it tells the story of a young boy, Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), who is never allowed to venture outside the compound's walls.
Set many centuries ago in a remote outpost, it tells the story of a young boy, Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), who is never allowed to venture outside the compound's walls.
- 4/11/2010
- by Jeffrey M. Anderson
- Cinematical
Chicago – We have now reached the fourth and final week of the 13th Annual European Union Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center, and what a fantastic festival it has been. From international sensations to critically acclaimed gems rarely available in the Us, the EU annual line-up is consistently one of the finest offered by any festival in the Windy City.
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
The first three weeks were loaded with highlights that just seemed to get better as the days progressed. Some of the selections, such as Austria’s diabolical delight “The Bone Man” and the Netherlands’ beguiling documentary “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” were more entertaining than the majority of mainstream Hollywood releases. Both France and Italy had several exceptional entries this year, including Amos Gitai’s spellbinding “Disengagement” and Luca Guadagnino’s ravishing “I Am Love.” Read more here, here and here.
The final week is somewhat of a letdown in comparison,...
- 3/25/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Suffice to say that it received its highest profile in the form of a sure-to-lose nomination for the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 2010 Academy Awards, but The Secret of Kells is no runner-up or underdog when it comes to imagination or creativity. Turning the origin story of the fabled Book of Kells into a fanciful but never frivolous work of historical fiction, co-directors Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey find a perfect synthesis between childhood exuberance and grown-up restraint, creating a singular and sensational animated work that needs no formal reward to be recognized as a great achievement.
In the film, a young boy named Brendan (Evan McGuire) struggles to understand the world outside the walls of the Abbey of Kells, which his stern uncle, the Abbott Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), has forbidden him from experiencing. Obsessed with illumination, a meticulous process by which the prophesied Book of Iona was created,...
In the film, a young boy named Brendan (Evan McGuire) struggles to understand the world outside the walls of the Abbey of Kells, which his stern uncle, the Abbott Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), has forbidden him from experiencing. Obsessed with illumination, a meticulous process by which the prophesied Book of Iona was created,...
- 3/10/2010
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Cinematical
"The Book of Kells" is perhaps the most famous of the illuminated manuscripts -- manuscripts that combine ornate text with elaborate drawings, borders, illustrations and initialing. Transcribed by Celtic monks in around 800 Ad, it tells the tales of the four Gospels of the New Testament through vivid designs, complex drawings and rich calligraphy. It is the finest the Insular Gospels and is renowned as the most breathtaking example of illumination in history.
The Secret of Kells is an animated film from Ireland about a young Irish boy, Brendan (Evan McGuire), and his friends and family, interwoven within the story of The Book of Kells. It is, at the risk of hyperbole, a staggeringly lovely film that was nothing less than captivating. The story begins with young Brendan, an orphan living with his uncle, the Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), in their abbey. Their days are filled with backbreaking work as they...
The Secret of Kells is an animated film from Ireland about a young Irish boy, Brendan (Evan McGuire), and his friends and family, interwoven within the story of The Book of Kells. It is, at the risk of hyperbole, a staggeringly lovely film that was nothing less than captivating. The story begins with young Brendan, an orphan living with his uncle, the Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), in their abbey. Their days are filled with backbreaking work as they...
- 2/26/2010
- by TK
Amid the usual and expected Oscar nominations was something of a surprise this year: The Secret of Kells, an Irish animated film that hasn't had UK distribution (even though it won the Audience award at the Edinburgh Film Festival) but which got itself the rather greater honour of a Best Animated Feature nod. And in recognition, Us distributors Disney have put together a new trailer for the film.The story follows Brendan (Evan McGuire) , a boy living in the Irish monastery of Kells with his uncle the Abbot (Brendan Gleeson). While Vikings threaten to attack, Brendan ventures out in search of ingredients needed to make inks and finish the illuminated Bible which became the monastery's greatest treasure (read all about it) and meets a strange girl in the forest. It's all directed by Tomm Moore. The film's spectacularly good-looking and a real contrast to the other nominees - and not...
- 2/17/2010
- EmpireOnline
We have added a new set of pictures from The Secret of Kells. Magic, fantasy and Celtic mythology come together in a riot of color and detail that dazzle the eyes in this sweeping story about the power of imagination and faith to carry humanity through dark times. Features the voices of Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter, In Bruges), Mick Lally, Evan McGuire and Christen Mooney. Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from foreign lands carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his...
- 2/9/2010
- by M&C
- Monsters and Critics
Marking the second Irish feature length animation to be released in Ireland in the past year, Iftn talks with animation director Tomm Moore ahead of the release of the lavish debut feature 'The Secret of Kells'. Set for nationwide release on Friday 6th March by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Ireland, 'The Secret of Kells' introduces the vibrant animations of director Tomm Moore and the team at Cartoon Saloon, the Kilkenny based animators of behind the Ifta winning series 'Skunk Fu'. The film is also the work of a partnership with animators and producers from France's Les Armateurs and Belgium's Vivi Film. With the backdrop of the Viking raids on Ireland, the animation follows twelve-year-old Brendan who meets an elderly Brother Aidan, the keeper of an extraordinary, but unfinished book of illuminations. Aidan sets Brendan the task of completing this legendary book for which he must...
- 3/5/2009
- IFTN
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