The Secret of Kells 2009

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: A gorgeous blend of the magical and the gloriously trippy. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: The soul of the film lies in its ravishing colors, and in exuberantly stylized images that pay homage to Celtic culture and design, together with techniques and motifs that evoke Matisse, Miyazaki and the minimalist cartoons of UPA. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: A breathtaking mixture of Celtic mythology and creative animation. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: A visually overwhelming labor of love, a hand-drawn medieval adventure tale that seeks and finds cosmic connections. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: This Irish feature won't impress anyone with its character drawings, but the backgrounds remind us what stunning imagery once resulted from nothing more than a pen and all the time in the world. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Its hand-drawn two-dimensional animation springs to life with color and meticulous technique, filigreed and curlicued like the luminous book at its center. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: In the end, the film is about a magical book, but you never really have a sense of what makes the book magical. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Regrettably, 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. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A glorious throwback to the more stylized, painterly work of decades past, the kind of vividly colored, fanciful pictorials that are usually confined to the small-scale realm of animated shorts. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: Just a couple of minutes into this beautifully drawn, intricately rendered Irish import, you understand why the movie earned the Academy's attention. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR: There'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. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: It's easy to see how the animation nominators fell in love with this charmer based on Celtic mythology, which is quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: The Secret of Kells is gorgeous work, and its imagery and themes dovetail perfectly: a story about creating art, artfully created. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: 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. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Secret of Kells has elements of a quest adventure and a coming-of-age story, but it's more beautifully stylized and astutely abstracted than the average kiddie cartoon. Read more

Cath Clarke, Time Out: The story is a bit tangled, and there is too much of it packed into nearly 80 minutes, but little kids won't be bothered when the animation is so magical. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The Secret of Kells is a magical adventure unlike anything we've seen on screen before. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: With its jewel-bright colors and intricate use of lines, the result is absolutely luscious to behold. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: If filmgoers ultimately feel bogged down in its densely layered fable and allegory, it's a spectacular thicket to get lost in. Read more