The main stylistic influences outside of medieval art that we referenced were Genndy Tartakovsky’s Samarai Jack, which uses so many international filmic and art influences so well, Miyazaki’s gentle early work like Totoro, Michel Ocelots 2D work and of course The Thief and the Cobbler, and Hungarian folktale films from Kecskemet film studio. AIDB.com: Animation Industry Database | Production Companies | VFX Houses | Schools, © 2017 AWN, Inc. AWN.com - Part of the Animation World Network - 13300 Victory Blvd. An Early Look at Distinctive Animated Film The Secret of Kells – US Premiere This Weekend, The Secret of Kells: The Little Movie That Should, Anime Top 10: ‘Evangelion,’ ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’ lead 2010′s best, http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=secretofkells.htm, http://www.sicaf.org/2008/eng/news_board/notice_view.jsp?gbn=EN_NEWS&seq=84, http://2009.kaff.hu/index.php?Itemid=7278. 0/249 likes in common. The rediscovered Dead Sea Scrolls are an example of this. Old Fangs had its debut in Sundance this year and I hope it will find its way into many festivals over the course of 2010. 0/397 likes in common. Also, the warriors are not from a specific place and are faceless, abstract images representing evil. If you were a monkon the Island of Iona, off the coast of Ireland, over 1,200 years ago, you'd have had a difficult life. Sudd… 2,855 Tastepoints . The circle that holds the arms of the cross can be seen as the overlaying of the old gods on the new faith. It was an epic adventure to co-ordinate between all those studios and I owe a lot to our great production team and supervisors for keeping it together. He is the author of Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators, as well as hundreds of articles about animation, many published by AWN. It was like I went on an extraordinary journey within the world of Kells. The Secret of Kells (2009) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. He gets scared and walks away. Irish visual art took a back seat to music and storytelling, but I feel it seeps out in the Irish pubs and in the illustrations of Irish illustrators and craftspeople that are influenced by it. Seeing Brendan as a suitable apprentice, Aidan sends him with Pangur Bán into the woods to obtain gall nuts to make ink. Cast. In a fit of frustration, Cellach locks Brendan and Aidan in the scriptorium, but not before ripping out a page Brendan had created. The Book of Kells is 13 inches wide and 10 inches high. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from the isle of Iona carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. Wider mythological similarities have also been commented upon, such as parallels between Brendan's metaphysical battle with Crom Cruach and Beowulf's underwater encounter with Grendel's mother. The Secret of Kells is a fairy tale. The story while simplistic enriches us with a thoughtful story. 800 AD) and the hordes that are sacking villages in the film may be the Vikings that invaded Ireland. Freed by Pangur Bán and Aisling, Brendan runs into the heart of the woods, where a shocked Aisling begs him not to confront the dark deity, warning that Crom Cruach will kill him just as it killed the rest of her people. In 2009 an animated film was released called The Secret of Kells. At that time the studio was housed in the Young Irish Filmmakers building in Kilkenny. Then we visited Fabrice in Paris for a few weeks. Nora Twomey and I did a very rough pass at the storyboards and made an animatic about nine months before pre-production began. It was directed by Tomm Moore and co-directed by Nora Twomey, produced by Paul Young, Didier Brunner and Vivian Van Fleteren, written by Fabrice Ziolkowski, distributed by Gébéka Films, Kinepolis Film Distribution, StudioCanal and Buena Vista, edited by Fabienne Alvarez-Giro and music composed by Bruno Coulais and Kíla. KC: I think readers would like to know something of the film's production history. Was it hard to organize this production? The film has a design that sets it apart from art from other parts of the world. The Secret of Kells is the first candidate for the new list. Preserving culture is important, but the film is careful not to spell out specifics that might limit its audience. Continuing to work with Aidan, Brendan learns that the work is endangered by the loss of the Eye of Colm Cille, a special magnifying lens captured from Crom Cruach. It’s cheaper than a degree in art history! A monastery in Ireland hurries to complete a wall that will hopefully protect it and its village from the coming destruction of the Vikings, when it is visited by a monk who also flees the Vikings. Digital Graphics did ink and paint, compositing and some 3D. We have won awards for our previous short films, From Darkness and Cuilin Dualach, both directed by Nora Twomey. [18] On Oscar weekend it was released at the IFC Center in New York City and was then released in other venues and cities in the United States, where it grossed $667,441.[19]. It uses Celtic and Medieval themes in all its art work, with lovely colours and intricate forms. It has a unique look that might be called Irish or Celtic modern, and a compelling well-told story that is as charming as it is exciting. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Secret of Kells". The challenges of streamlining the work from the various studios were sometimes daunting. The truth at the heart of both the Christian and other faiths is the same I believe, so we tried to show that. 0/672 likes in common. It went into wide release in Belgium and France on 11 February, and Ireland on 3 March. It was so much more than what I expected. The film’s simple plot and premise is based on facts; such illuminated medieval manuscripts do exist including the “Book of Kells” (Dublin, Trinity College Library, ca. 2009 was an amazing year for artistic animated features, and I'm optimistic that the new marketplace, with its emphasis on all CGI and all 3D, will actually spur demand for more beautiful 2D, hand-drawn features.”. I'm glad you asked that. For example, the monks at Iona were attacked by Vikings. The Secret of Kells - YouTube. It stars Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson, Christen Mooney, Mick Lally, Michael McGrath, Liam Hourican, Paul Tylak and Paul Young. What happens in the forest is the beginning of a fantastic experience. It consists of … It seemed an appropriate place for Brendan to encounter Aisling. We do use the Celtic cross in the film; in fact the layout of Kells is based on it. Before the Euro we had “Book of Kells” designs on our coins, our bank notes. That becomes part of this film’s charm; that so much can be created with the films distinctive economical style. I believe the Celtic cross shows the merging of Pagan worship of the Sun God Lugh and the new Christian faith. Believing his nephew has perished, Cellach falls into a deep despair. Is the underground world part of Irish folklore? Brendan reunites with the aged guilt-ridden Cellach, and Brendan displays the complete Book of Kells. The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts: Don Hertzfeldt Talks ‘World of Tomorrow Episode Two’, A Candid Talk with Scratch Film Master Steven Woloshen, Chris Landreth Talks 'Subconscious Password', The Magical Junk-Filled World of Jiří Barta. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the film has a score of 81 (indicating "universal acclaim") based on 20 reviews. A young boy in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids is beckoned to adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives with an ancient book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. The film is based on the story of the origin of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament located in Dublin, Ireland. puts other 3D movies with bigger budgets to shame". The Secret of Kells 2009. coolianspy. I thought I’d give the strange titled movie, The Secret of Kells, a try. Cellach and the remaining villagers take refuge in the monastery. KC: Can you tell us something about your production company and your future projects? 2008: Directors Finders Award at the Directors Finders Series in Ireland, 2009: Roy E. Disney Award at Seattle's 2D Or Not 2D Film Festival, 2010: Best Animation award at the 7th Irish Film and Television Awards, 2010: European Animated Feature Award at the British Animation Awards, 2009: Grand Prix Award for Best Film in the, 2010: Best Film at the 7th Irish Film and Television Awards. We went over our thoughts and revisions based on those boards, and we did a lot of editing and finalizing of the script at that stage. Wider mythological similarities have also been commente… This beautifully-produced feature relates a mystical tale of the making of the book. I remember a French artist, who came to work on the film, taking a photo of a manhole cover that had some Gaelic writing on it which was spelled in a “Book of Kells” style font. The Vikings invade Kells and breach the wooden gate, to Cellach’s horror. Aidan arrives, and tells Brendan about the book. How big is The Book of Kells? The fans have really embraced the film, and the Oscar nomination is certainly a result of this hard work and community spirit, which shows a viable alternative to the huge budgets spent on typical award campaigns. With Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson, Mick Lally, Christen Mooney. He helped us shape it into the story we settled on, focusing on Brendan and his story as an anchor to all our research and ideas. Even the clean up was planned to 'obtain the stained glass effect of thicker outer lines'.[11]. Fleeing through the woods, Brendan and Aidan are confronted by the raiders, and the Viking leader takes the book's bejeweled cover and scatters the pages. The animation is stunning and the characters are strong, but the story is weakened because it's never explained what the Book of Kells is and why it's important. We did 40 minutes of 2D animation in the legendary Kecskemet film studios in Hungary, where the Hungarian folktales that had inspired me to try for a folk-art style had been made. To put it another way, The Secret of Kells doesn't say what the secret of Kells even is. The main designs, backgrounds, boards and about 20 minutes of rough animation were made in our studio Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny. The Secret of Kells explained Plot. My next film is called The Song of the Sea and Nora is developing a live-action - animation blend horror movie based on the Bluebeard fairytale. ‘The Secret of Kells’, whilst it has a different look, compares well with the best of Japanese animé. See more ideas about the secret of kells, character design, concept art. I also enjoyed engaging with so many new cultures. On the winter solstice, the pre-Celtic people who built them designed them so the sun would light up the internal chamber. The look is rich and varied including intricate backgrounds that are sometimes quite stunning. The central tower is left untouched, leaving the few surviving villagers and Brother Tang. They are needed to create a magnificent color that will allow a great artist to complete a sacred manuscript. Meanwhile, in Kells, Brendan and the other Brothers are chasing the goose . Returning to the cave entrance, Brendan finds the forest covered in white flowers. I always thought the term ‘illumination’ used by medieval artists to describe their calligraphic art was very symbolic. Then, when we began work on the full production boards, we worked with Remi Chaye and the editor Fabianne Giro to refine the story further. For more information, check out the Blu-Ray Review by Kids' Movies & TV Expert Carey Bryson. I believe the St.Patrick legend of him banishing the serpents may have come from the legend of him defeating Crom Cruach and destroying its idols. The film is based on the story of the origin of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament located in Dublin, Ireland. The underground world is shown in a megalithic tomb, many of which are still in Ireland. When they finally caught the goose, the pluck out five feathers from it. In art school instructors sometimes talk about less is more. The Secret of Kells is a wonderful film experience. Part of the success of Kells is its use of universal themes. KC: Most people from abroad say it is difficult to get distribution in the US. [15] Jeremy W. Kaufmann of Ain't It Cool News called its animation "absolutely brilliant",[16] and reviewers at Starlog called it "one of the greatest hand drawn independent animated movies of all time". I thought it looked fun. Hopefully our film will give an accessible way into this tradition to those who are interested. I felt that the hero’s journey structure, which Joseph Campbell showed was central to all faiths and legends, was an appropriate way to give a universal appeal to our blend of history and legend. Overall I'm very glad we managed to keep a consistent look to the whole film despite how spread out the work had to be. This plot also seems very real; most people know that people in the Holly Lands once made great efforts to preserve their culture and beliefs from invaders. The idea was to look at “The Book of Kells” and medieval art in general and to try and translate that into a style that would suit 2D animation. The Secret of Kells isn't just set in medieval Ireland, it is a self-aware throwback to the medieval folkloric tradition in which character psychology isn't even an afterthought, and "then the quest ended" is all the more resolution and wrap-up that anybody could possibly ask for. The Book of Kells on Film . 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