The Secret of Kells (2009)

Directed by: Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A young boy named Brendan (voiced by Evan McGuire) is intrigued by the master illuminator Aidan (voiced by Mick Lally) who comes to visit the Irish Abbey where Brendan is apprenticed and fights to save the man’s beautiful manuscript.

Cartoon Cat: Aidan arrives with his female white cat named Pangur Bán who has one blue eye and one green eye.

The Secret of Kells - Aidan holding Pangur Bán in front of monks

Pangur Bán is initially wary of Brendan.

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán looking suspicious

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán ignoring Brendan animated gif

When Brendan tries to sneak a peek at the famed manuscript, Pangur Bán is guarding the book.

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán guarding the book

After Brendan explains that he means the book no harm, Pangur Bán relents and they become friends. Aidan also befriends Brendan and promises to teach him how to become a illuminator. This is against the wishes of Brendan’s uncle Cellach (voiced by Brendan Gleeson), the head Abbott.

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán and Brendan looking at book

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán accepting Brendan as friend animated gif

The Secret of Kells - Aidan with Pangur Bán on his shoulders

Pangur Bán accompanies Brendan into the woods in search of paint source materials. There they encounter a faerie named Aisling (voiced by Christen Mooney) who steps in when they are being attacked by wolves. “Is this your cat?” she asks Brendan.

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán close up

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán and Brendan in woods

The Secret of Kells - Aisling holding Pangur Bán

The Secret of Kells - Brendan with Pangur Bán on his head looking scared

Aisling shows them many wonders of her forest. Brendan explains to her about the book and she agrees he can enter her forest at will.

The Secret of Kells - Aisling and Pangur Bán in woods

Seeking to replace the lost Eye of Colm Cille which is needed to complete the book, Brendan ventures through the forest to the cave of Crom Cruach. He is later punished by his uncle and thrown into a cell. This leads to a beautiful segment in which Aisling enlists the aid of Pangur Bán to help free Brendan. Singing a song to her, Aisling changes Pangur Bán into a ghost-like creature so she can sneak into the Abbot’s room and steal the key to open the cell. Once done, Aisling changes Pangur back into a cat.

The Secret of Kells - Aidan holding Pangur Bán

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán looking worried

The Secret of Kells - Aisling changing Pangur Bán into spirit

The Secret of Kells - Aisling changing Pangur Bán into spirit animated gif

The Secret of Kells - Pangur Bán as spirit stealing key

The Secret of Kells - Aisling changing Pangur Bán back into cat

The Secret of Kells - Aisling changing Pangur Bán back into a cat animated gif

We won’t spoil the story here. Needless to say this is a beautiful film and a must-see for cat lovers, fans of Irish folklore and animation enthusiasts.

The Secret of Kells - Aidan petting Pangur Bán

The Secret of Kells - Brendan grown with Pangur Bán

The character of Pangur Bán was based on a 9th century poem written by a monk about his pet cat, White Pangur. A portion of the poem is read during the credits. A concept trailer for the film showed how Pangur Bán was originally intended to be drawn.