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The Secret of Kells (2009)

tomatometer

91

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 79
Fresh: 72 | Rotten: 7

Beautifully drawn and refreshingly calm, The Secret of Kells hearkens back to animation's golden age with an enchanting tale inspired by Irish mythology.

88

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 2

Beautifully drawn and refreshingly calm, The Secret of Kells hearkens back to animation's golden age with an enchanting tale inspired by Irish mythology.

audience

84

liked it
Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 7,094

My Rating

Movie Info

Follow 12-year-old Brendan (voice of Evan McGuire) as he battles Vikings and confronts an ancient serpent god on a mission to locate a legendary crystal and complete the mythical Book of Kells. Brendan lives in a heavily fortified medieval outpost known as the Abbey of Kells, where the ongoing threat of Viking raids causes the peaceful monks to live in a state of constant fear. Along with his uncle, Abbot Cellach, Brendan labors to fortify the abbey walls daily so his people will be protected

Oct 5, 2010

$0.7M

GKIDS

Cast

All Critics (79) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (7) | DVD (4)

A gorgeous blend of the magical and the gloriously trippy.

August 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | Comment
Orlando Sentinel
Top Critic IconTop Critic

In the end, the film is about a magical book, but you never really have a sense of what makes the book magical.

April 23, 2010 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comments (5)
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Its hand-drawn two-dimensional animation springs to life with color and meticulous technique, filigreed and curlicued like the luminous book at its center.

April 9, 2010 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | Comment
Houston Chronicle
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If filmgoers ultimately feel bogged down in its densely layered fable and allegory, it's a spectacular thicket to get lost in.

April 2, 2010 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
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The soul of the film lies in its ravishing colors, and in exuberantly stylized images that pay homage to Celtic culture and design, together with techniques and motifs that evoke Matisse, Miyazaki and the minimalist cartoons of UPA.

April 2, 2010 Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | Comment
Wall Street Journal
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The Secret of Kells is a magical adventure unlike anything we've seen on screen before.

April 1, 2010 Full Review Source: USA Today | Comment
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

...there's never a point at which the viewer is wholeheartedly drawn into the admittedly simple narrative.

March 19, 2011 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

A unique film visually, but the story and characters are a bit weak and the pacing is a bit slow.

December 31, 2010 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | Comment (1)
Laramie Movie Scope

Steeped in both magic and mythology, The Secret Of Kells offers a refreshing alternative to Hollywood fare.

October 11, 2010 Full Review Source: Daily Express | Comment
Daily Express

Combining a classic fairytale trajectory with a singular aesthetic that fuses Celtic and Christian mythology, this stunning film is yet another example of the rude health of contemporary animation.

October 6, 2010 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

Tomm Moore's Irish animation, drawn with painstaking reference to both Celtic myth and medieval manuscripts, possesses a lively originality that shows Europe's animators not far behind America's and in some ways in front of them.

October 6, 2010 Full Review Source: This is London | Comment
This is London

This understated Irish charmer deserves to reach a wider audience, if only to remind people that animation is a diverse medium that can be exploited in numerous ways to tell all sorts of stories.

October 4, 2010 Full Review Source: Scotsman | Comment

Hand-drawn and watercoloured, the animation is as sublime as a stained-glass window.

September 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Total Film | Comment
Total Film

The look of the film is simply ravishing.

September 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | Comment
Daily Telegraph

A low-key pleasure.

September 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | Comment
Guardian [UK]

A feast for the eyes that manages to be both whimsical and sinister.

September 30, 2010 Comment
Little White Lies

While this is a handsome picture that laudably avoids patronising its audience, it's not always as child-friendly as it might be.

September 30, 2010 Full Review Source: Radio Times | Comment
Radio Times

Unlike anything else you've seen, and very much worth seeking out, this is a unique and beautiful creation.

September 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | Comment
Empire Magazine

The story is a bit tangled, and there is too much of it packed into nearly 80 minutes, but little kids won't be bothered when the animation is so magical.

September 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

The movie equivalent of Kim Kardashian - delightful to look at in motion, but after a while you realise there's not a lot going on.

September 29, 2010 Full Review Source: News of the World | Comment
News of the World

Engaging, beautifully animated drama that plays like a children's storybook come to life, with a strong message, appealing characters and a distinctive visual style.

September 29, 2010 Full Review Source: ViewLondon | Comment
ViewLondon

An undeniably gorgeous film... [that takes] some of the most unique pages in history and forces them into the unremarkable mold of every other heroic coming-of-age fantasy.

August 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | Comment
Orlando Weekly
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Secret of Kells

A rare modern animation with a sense of soul, not directed by the appeal of focus groups. After the opening scene, a young member of my family was already uncomfortable. Our young protagonist has to face fears of the unknown and the film's directors mean to make us an active participant, daring us to keep going along

February 4, 2012
Matthew Slaven

Super Reviewer

The biggest surprise of the past year's Academy Awards wasn't the triumph of Kathryn Bigelow or the ominous inclusion of "The Blind Side" to the Best Picture lineup, but rather the nomination of a little Irish film known as "The Secret of Kells," with barely any screenings to its name. The question

May 1, 2011
jennifxu

Super Reviewer

    1. Aisling: I've lived through many ages. I've seen suffering in the darkness. Yet I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book. The book that turned darkness into light.
    – Submitted by Chad E (6 months ago)
    1. Brendan: You can't find out everything from books, you know.
    2. Aidan: I think I read that once.
    – Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)
    1. Aisling: I've lived through many ages. I've seen suffering in the darkness. Yet I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book. The book that turned darkness into light.
    – Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

Latest News for The Secret of Kells

March 5, 2010:
Sharing The Secret of Kells
"The Secret of Kells" surprised many when it was announced as one of the nominees for this year's...

June 28, 2009:
Edinburgh 2009: Humpday wins RT Award
Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton, has become the second ever winner of the Rotten Tomatoes Critical...

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Foreign Titles

  • Brendan and the Secret of Kells (DE)
  • Brendan et le secret de Kells (FR)
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