Leave it to the animators to throw a real curveball into the Oscar nominations.
On a day where there were very few surprises, one of the biggest was among the five choices for best animated picture. Along with the likely favorite, Pixar’s Up, and Disney’s Princess and the Frog, Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Henry Selick/Neil Gaiman darkfest Coraline, they announced The Secret of Kells.
I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone in being puzzled.
But being a good researcher — i.e., able to look things up on YouTube — I found a trailer for the movie. Turns out it’s an Irish film about a young monk who needs to find a secret within the pages of an ornate book to stave off the forces of evil.
Check out the trailer, and you’ll see why the animators decided to give this one a chance:
It’s a wonderful film; truly beautiful. It deserves this dose of publicity since it just got a distribution deal in the U.S. See it if you can. (I’ve seen it 3 times, and it holds up wonderfully.)
One of the best films I’ve ever seen. The story was captivating and the artwork took my breath away…. and its educational for the kids too. Great movie for the whole family to enjoy. Unless Hollywood has to give Oscars to insiders, this one may well come up Gold. Good luck Tomm!!