Review by Ian Keogh
In Japan it’s relatively common that animation is adapted as graphic novels via a process of freezing the movement to allow the cutting and pasting of what become individual panels. The animation industry there, though, is far larger, meaning very few English language animated films have undergone the same process. Welcome to The Secret of Kells.
It began life as an animated film by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, and to see a graphic novel version sixteen years later is surprising to say the least.
The focus is Brendan, a young boy living in a community of monks that he’ll one day fully join, and where his Uncle is the imposing abbot. Work on walls to protect them from the outside world is constant, but some monks at Kells are also preparing a book. They admire the legend of master illuminator Brother Aiden of Iona, who’s been working on an ornately illustrated book transcribing the Biblical gospels, and he duly turns up at Kells, captivating Brendan.
Because the pages are film stills and dozens of animators worked on them, there are no individual credits for the art, which is a shame. Moore himself is a good artist as revealed by the cover and a back-up strip, and as the film director he’s in principle responsible for the both the quirky main style and for the sudden shifts into different looks reflecting different moods and Brendan’s daydreams. It’s a dazzling visual treat.
Samuel Sattin’s adaptation, though, lacks the same inspiration despite the unusual setting. It’s pleasant enough reading about the good-natured Brendan exploring the nearby forest for the first time, but the feeling is of that sequence really coming alive in the film, whereas it drags without movement. It’s not the only scene that feels prolonged. The core is a clash between old nature and religious beliefs relatively recent in comparison despite the 10th century setting. The art is attractive and stimulating, so one imagines the film provides a slim story in a more engaging form.
Moore’s vision is perhaps better served over two short stories. We see how Brendan came to be in the Kells monastery and the story of Aisling, a major supporting character, impressively drawn as if pages from an illustrated book. Both stories make their points without lingering, are visually startling and read well.
