This Oscar-nominated animated recounting of Irish folk tales represents a unique collaboration of artists and filmmakers from Ireland, France, and Belgium. Inspired by stone carvings from the Megalithic period, lush hand-drawn geometric animation carries an otherworldly import of medieval Celtic art that emanates from the primordial memories Westerners share in their collective subconscious. Drawn from Ireland's most revered medieval artifact, an 8th century book drawn by Scottish monks, the story follows Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire), a 10-year-old orphan who serves as an apprentice to the newly arrived Brother Aidan inside the high walls of a Scottish abbey in Iona. Brendan's stern uncle Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson) insists that building fortifications against an eminent Viking attack is of greater importance than working on the Book of Kells. But Brendan is more concerned with procuring the precious berries used to make the green ink the monks use to decorate the book's specially prepared pages. A daring journey to the forbidden forest beyond the abbey walls brings Brendan into contact with a kindhearted woodland nymph named Aisling. The dangerous forest will test Brendan's ability to conquer his worst fears. At this work’s ancient origins is the interplay between soaring artistic culture and man's primitive instincts, as seen in the act of building walls against would-be enemies. If it sounds like a high-minded concept for a children's story, know that the ornate design of its execution tempers the tale with a whimsical sense of curiosity and imagination. Not Rated. 75 mins. (B) (Three Stars – out of 5/no halves)
