When the Oscar award nominations were announced the other day, most of us quickly scanned the list to find that the usual animated suspects were in fact represented.  Pixar’s Up (nominated for 5 different Academy Awards including Best Picture), Disney’s nostalgic hand-drawn Princess and the Frog, the visually striking Coraline, the uniquely crafted Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Secret of Kells were all accounted for.

So, no real surprises here… WAIT A MINUTE!

The Secret of Who??  What’s this?

Like almost all others in the film industry, I had never heard of The Secret of Kells and then I was stuck wondering how a movie that was so under the radar — so…well, secret — could actually be nominated for an Oscar (while potentially bumping a DrawnThatWay favorite in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). I needed to research this dark horse to find out exactly what would warrant its surprising nomination.

It turns out The Secret of Kells is an Irish film developed and produced by Cartoon Saloon and was released in Ireland, France and Belgium among other countries.

This vibrant animation is a spirited retelling of the provenance of Ireland’s mosted cherished artefact, the Book of Kells. With the Viking hordes approaching, the monks of Kells are forced to turn their attention from transcripbing manuscripts to building barricades. The future of the precious book is in jeopardy and it falls to Brendan, young nephew of the abbot Cellach, to save the day.

Those of us stateside who are not enlightened regarding the “brilliance” of The Secret of Kells will get an opportunity next month as the film has been slated for a March 2010 U.S. release date.  At that point we will be able to review “Kells” and decide on its award-worthiness for ourselves.  Watch the official trailer below to see the animation in action.

Source(s):
The Secret of Kells (Official Site)
Cartoon Saloon
iMDB