The Secret of Kells

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.

A gorgeous blend of the magical and the gloriously trippy.

A breathtaking mixture of Celtic mythology and creative animation.

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.

Just a couple of minutes into this beautifully drawn, intricately rendered Irish import, you understand why the movie earned the Academy's attention.

In the end, the film is about a magical book, but you never really have a sense of what makes the book magical.

Kells has a decidedly pleasing-to-the-eye, retro-cartoon vibe ( ... ) an intriguing and rare artistic subgenre

Very few animated films have had such a mesmerizing, puzzle-like quality.

This is perhaps the most enchanting and zealous animated endeavor you will see this side of the Pixar lineup.

...there's never a point at which the viewer is wholeheartedly drawn into the admittedly simple narrative.

A unique film visually, but the story and characters are a bit weak and the pacing is a bit slow.

Steeped in both magic and mythology, The Secret Of Kells offers a refreshing alternative to Hollywood fare.