ANIMATED “SECRET” REVEALED
6 Feb
When the 2009 Oscar nominees were announced last Tuesday, there was no bigger surprise — not even the best picture nod for “The Blind Side” — than the best animated feature nod for Tomm Moore‘s Irish film “The Secret of Kells,” which sent many a blogger (this one included) scrambling to IMDB for information, since so few of us had heard of (much less seen) the film. Coincidentally, and conveniently, it was among the films chosen to play at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where many an Oscar blogger are camped out to monitor the Oscar-nominated tribute recipients, so today’s first screening of the film drew as many Oscar bloggers (Pete Hammond, Kris Tapley, Anne Thompson, and myself) as most big studio premieres in late December!
The verdict? Split. Anne Tweeted that it was “magical, mythical, old-fashioned, stylized, 2-D, pre-Arthurian, compelling.” Kris told me he thought it was visually impressive. I didn’t get to speak with Pete about it. And me? Well, I find myself sympathizing more with the guy in front of me who woke himself up with his loud snore… literally.
The film’s central problem is that it tells an “adult story” in a “child’s format” — in other words, no child could possibly follow its story (unlike Disney/Pixar movies, which appeal to both adults and kids on different levels), and few adults who could would want to watch it told through animation.
The animation itself is impressive enough — many characters and settings evoked memories of the Oscar-nominated “Triplets of Belleville” (2003), which makes sense since they were produced by the same people, though others reminded me more of television’s “Pokemon” (1998-), which was never mistaken for high art. But the much bigger issue is the story, which never really engaged me, partly because of the format, but also because the material at its center – the Book of Kells, a historic Irish book of Gospels written by Monks centuries ago — hardly makes for a spellbinding and/or escapist trip to the movies.
In a year in which there were so many animated films with great aesthetics and plots — nore more so than the Australian film “Mary and Max,” which was snubbed on Tuesday — I just don’t understand how a film as bland as this one made it into the Academy’s final five alongside the likes of “Up,” “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Coraline,” and “The Princess and the Frog.” But that’s just me.
Photo: A scene from “The Secret of Kells.” Credit:
I’ve seen Kells several times and had the benefit of “discovering” it. After all the Oscar hoopla, it’s hard not to watch it without wondering what all the fuss is about. While the story may be straightforward and the pace slower than the typical American fare, I enjoyed the film very much, with a special nod for the visual artistry.
As for the nominations themselves, you can assume that any Pixar film, any Disney 2D will be there. Fabulous Mr. Fox seems to have gotten a slot due to its hip, alternative cred. Coraline was an impeccably executed stop-motion film. To me the losers are the Pixar wanabees (Monsters and Aliens, Cloudy, etc.) I think there’s a prevailing sense of “3D fatigue” where rubbery bouncing characters begin to all look the same.
So basically there was one slot. And Kells is the kind of film that hardcore animators and animation buffs took to heart. There are countless other foreign films that should be recognized, but really there’s only one mathematical slot for the Oscars, and Kells miraculously got it. I, and many others think it earned it.
Your mileage may vary.