Curator Watchlist
A visually distinctive Irish fantasy with hand-crafted animation, mythic atmosphere, and a strong sense of wonder. The plot is simpler and less emotionally complete than Cartoon Saloon’s later work, but the artistry and folkloric texture make it an easy recommendation for animation fans and viewers who value style,… Read more
Where to watch: Buy
Mon · 1h 19m
Director: Tomm Moore
Starring: Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney, Brendan Gleeson
Adventure awaits 12 year old Brendan who must fight Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. In order to finish Brother Aiden's book, Brendan must overcome his deepest fears on a secret quest that will take him beyond the abbey walls and into the enchanted forest where dangerous mythical creatures hide. Will Brendan succeed in his quest?
Tomm Moore
Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney, Brendan Gleeson
A visually distinctive Irish fantasy with hand-crafted animation, mythic atmosphere, and a strong sense of wonder. The plot is simpler and less emotionally complete than Cartoon Saloon’s later work, but the artistry and folkloric texture make it an easy recommendation for animation fans and viewers who value style, mood, and worldbuilding.
The Secret of Kells is the kind of animated film that feels hand-carved rather than manufactured. Its illuminated-manuscript look, geometric compositions, and luminous color palette give the movie a singular identity, turning every frame into something closer to a living artifact than a conventional cartoon.
Narratively, it’s more modest than its visual ambition. The story is straightforward and sometimes rushed, but the film compensates with mood, myth, and a sincere sense of childhood discovery. Brendan’s journey works best as a coming-of-age fable about fear, knowledge, and the courage required to step beyond the walls of safety.
It’s also an important early statement from Cartoon Saloon: less polished than the studio’s later masterpieces, but already rich with imagination and cultural specificity. If you’re drawn to animation as an art form, or to fantasy that feels ancient and handmade, this is well worth your time.
James (Schaffrillas) (3★) · 1138 likes
Absolutely enchanting animation, but it feels like an unfinished beta version of Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers. Easily Cartoon Saloon's weakest film, but not a bad start for the studio by any means.
Tintin (3★) · 712 likes
…BUT WHAT WAS THE SECRET OF KELLS
Josh Larsen (4★) · 535 likes
A wonder of geometry, the Irish animated feature The Secret of Kells unfolds as if a kaleidoscope had emptied its contents onto a table, where they magically assembled into intricate story panels. Very few animated films have had such a mesmerizing, puzzle-like quality. The clear influences are the intricately “illuminated” copies of the Gospels that Irish monks drew by hand around 600 to 800 AD. The microscopic patterns and shapes that detail such artifacts – including the actual Book of… more
selomeee (2.5★) · 424 likes
wow lmao the character design for brother assoua is just ... wildly racist! was really not expecting a minstrel-esque caricature in this fairly recent and highly celebrated irish film? what an unwelcome surprise! besides that, the art was really lovely, but the plot was mid and the pacing was off. i don’t anticipate that much of it will stick with me. i adored the breadwinner, so i’m still excited to see song of the sea and wolfwalkers. cartoon saloon don’t let me down!
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (3.5★) · 371 likes
I liked the animation style more than the plot but I really really loved the style so I enjoyed this a lot. I love magic 😌
A tender, visually expressive coming-of-age fantasy about fear, empathy, and choosing compassion over violence.
Shares the eerie fairy-tale atmosphere, child-centered peril, and meticulously crafted animation.
For viewers who appreciate animation driven by style, visual storytelling, and a strong artistic identity.
An elemental folk tale with a distinctive animation style and a mythic, child-led adventure.
A wordless, meditative animated film that values atmosphere, symbolism, and visual poetry.
A breathtakingly crafted animated fable that feels handmade, lyrical, and rooted in folklore.
A richly imagined journey through a magical world, with a child protagonist confronting the unknown.
A gentle, inward-looking story about healing, discovery, and the transformation that comes from entering a hidden world.
An old-school fantasy with melancholy beauty, mythic imagery, and a storybook sensibility.
A wordless wonder of visual storytelling and childhood awe, with a strong sense of elemental adventure.
For its pioneering silhouette animation and fairy-tale atmosphere that still feels magical and handcrafted.
A legendary example of ornate, pattern-rich animation and obsessive visual design.
coming of age, fear and courage, myth and folklore, faith and knowledge, art as preservation, innocence and discovery, isolation versus openness, monsters and the unknown
Irish folklore, hand-drawn animation, mythic fantasy, coming-of-age, medieval setting, art-house animation, family adventure, spiritual allegory, storybook visuals, ancient manuscript aesthetic