Have you ever sung “The Song of the Sea” with a sealie on a coast or ran swiftly through the enchanted woods with “Woolfwalkers”? If so, then you know exactly what this article shall be about. If not, then grab a cup of cocoa and a warm blanket, let me help you discover “The Secret of Kells” with a brilliant director – Thomas Moore.
The Secret Of Kells(2009)
This is the debut animated film of Tomm Moore. It’s story follows a young monk boy who help an elder make the famous book of Kells which is fabled to be able to stop wars. Doesn’t seem too adventurous for you? What if I tell you that it also features a fog spirit capable of transferring souls of living creatures and a treasure gem hidden in a nest of a fierce snake-dragon? Now, that’s not half as boring. Couple it with a gorgeous imagery which seems to come directly from medieval books and you get a rare find.
The story si not very complex but it shows that miracle can be created and that different people respect and value different things. It has an unforgettable atmosphere of medieval Ireland that suffers from Viking invasion. The contrast of early Christianity, Irish folklore and Viking presence create a rich and varied setting for the story about creation of the Book of Kells.
Song Of The Sea(2014)
It was the first film of Tomm Moore that I have seen and it felt like one of the most marvelous pieces of animation that I have come across in a long time. The animation has grown even better comparing to his first film but now with a flare of resembling child drawings with lack of thick outlines. Each frame in it seems like a picture from a picture book.
It follows a story of a young boy and his selkie Sister. Together they avert the crisis of the faerie creatures who were all turned into stone by Macha. A woman so heart-broken by the grief of her son, she herself has already started turning to stone.
This is a story that help you discover new points of view on every turn and piece the whole picture with every little discovery you make along the way. A very nice and touching story about toughing through rough times and connecting and understanding those around you.
Wolfwalkers(2020)
It’s a stunning one-up for the tales that came before it. This cartoon follows adventures of a young daughter of a hunter who turned into a wolfwalker, a person who turns into a wolf in one’s sleep.
In the forest she find another wolfwalker girl who lived in the wild with her mother but her mother hasn’t returned in a while. Together they are trying to discover where her mother has disappeared to as the town they live in starts to hunt down the wolf tribe of the wolfwalker girl.
The picture shows a loving family of a hunter and his daughter who care for each other but many times fail to listen to one another as their are bound by their duties or simply cannot understand the motivations of one another while in reality, we as viewers can see that both have one motivation: care for those dear to them.
There are, of course, other conflicts as well, but this is one of the most prominent and, perchance, a very real one as well.
There are other wonderful work by Tomm Moore, like “The Breadwinner”(2017), but, firstly, it’s far more heavy in its topics which deserves its own post. Secondly, these three cartoons all are united by the theme of Irish folklore, so I didn’t want to break it up.
As always, thank you for your time. I hope you have found something new for you today.
Geeky Nerd 
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