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Natural World Animation Imbues Film

KCUR Arts Reporter Steve Walker shares his impression of films playing in the KC area.By Steve Walker

The Secret of Kells - From Ireland comes this year's surprise Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film, and it's much more visually arresting than "Up", the movie that ultimately won. An appreciation for Celtic mythology might ease one's entry into a story centered around ancient lore, but the narrative takes a back seat to the animation style. Hand-drawn as opposed to computerized, the look of the film's characters takes inspiration from the kind of geometric shapes often seen in nature i.e. the coils of sheashells or the half-circles of ladybug wings. The most stunning sequence depicts a village being violently besieged by Vikings, and the screen becomes a grisly riot of blacks, whites and reds. - Steve Walker

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