10 Wonderfully Quirky And Eccentric Animated Movies

3. The Secret Of Kells

The Secret of Kells is another beautiful and distinct animated movie to have lost out on an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature to Pixar, and like The Triplets of Belleville it's another great reminder of how exciting and innovative 2D animation can be, offering an array of stylised visuals which can only be described as luscious. 12-year-old Brendan lives in the fortified medieval outpost known as the Abbey of Kells, where the threat of Viking raids loom over its inhabitants. After the arrival of Brother Aidan - carrying with him a mysterious, unfinished tome - Brendan realises that he must finish the book himself, and heads out into the surrounding forest to accomplish his task. Guiding him on his journey is a half-wolf, half-human fairy by the name of Aisling, a forest spirit who wouldn't be out of place in the fantasy realms created by Hayao Miyazaki. Drawing heavily on Celtic and Christian mythology, The Secret of Kells transcends the standard coming-of-age themes often found in mainstream animation and touches on something more thoughtful, as Brendan undergoes a spiritual transformation leading to his illumination. With fluid animation set against dream-like backgrounds, it's a mesmerizing reminder of just how effectively animation can transport audiences into singularly engaging realms.