The Secret of Kells

After watching this film, I watched it again. And again and again. It’s one of the most gorgeous animated features in years, reminiscent of the best of 1960s-1970s animation. Brendan, a young boy at a medieval monastery, wants to be an illustrator of illuminated manuscripts. When the famous Brother Aidan comes around, he gets his chance—plus an opportunity to see the faerie-filled forests beyond the fortified walls of the community. Drawn in stunning 2-D, with a rich sense of Irish ornamental design, everything is swirls and Celtic knots and snakes and trees and wolves and waves undulating into each other, in concentric circles and psychedelic ornamentation. Children will love it, and the filmmakers didn’t need to add winking references to make it palatable for adults: You’ll enjoy it just as much as the kids, and for the very same reasons.