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90The exquisite art and fairytale ambience will win over animation fans and children alike.
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90A gorgeous transcription of medieval decorative art and its themes into a contemporary animated narrative, one that should enthrall children older than 8 or so, along with the adults lucky enough to watch with them.
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Gorgeously mounted tale of enlightenment through art and courage.
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90Teaches important lessons in the most casual, joyful way. How it manages to do that is probably the biggest secret of all.
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90It is only fitting that a movie concerned with the power and beauty of drawing -- the almost sacred magic of color and line -- should be so gorgeously and intricately drawn.
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90This wonderfully strange and exquisite little feature was created, especially for young children, to celebrate the book through another kind of illumination that's been falling into disuse--hand-drawn animation.
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88Quite unlike anything I've ever seen before.
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88The Secret of Kells is a magical adventure unlike anything we've seen on screen before.
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88A visually overwhelming labor of love, a hand-drawn medieval adventure tale that seeks and finds cosmic connections.
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85There's something kind of captivating about a film that's been painstakingly drawn to glorify the craft of illustration, and that's comfortable using retro techniques. Because after all, what else makes sense for bringing to life the gold and scarlet ornamentation in ancient manuscripts?
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80Kells proves that in the increasingly high-tech world of feature animation, there still can be a place for old-time tradition.
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80The movie isn’t quite suitable for the extremely young, but its apocalyptic tint may be catnip for smart preteens. They’ll breathe in the chilly air of a mysterious forest--the way forests should be.
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80With its jewel-bright colors and intricate use of lines, the result is absolutely luscious to behold.
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75The movie has a wide appeal, with a gap in the middle. I think it will appeal to children young enough to be untutored in boredom, and to anyone old enough to be drawn in, or to appreciate the artistry.
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75The Secret of Kells manages to feel simultaneously old-fashioned and mesmerizingly modern,and the slight story at its center has the emotional weight of a classic fable: A boy's wild, fantastical adventure, simply told.
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75Gorgeous work, and its imagery and themes dovetail perfectly: a story about creating art, artfully created.
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In its small, stubborn way, the film is a love letter to traditions that have endured since cave dwellers painted the walls at Lascaux.
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63Not nearly as accomplished narratively as it is visually.
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63Don't expect there to be a run on Secret of Kells action figures any time soon.
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50Regrettably, the film's story is so busy yet flat that the effect isn't magical -- it's more like watching the tale of some very enchanted wallpaper.