What to Watch Right Now Ep. 10

Welcome to the tenth installment of What to Watch Right Now! I’m not sure if you’ve been keeping up or not, but make sure to go back and see if some of my recommendations are still on Netflix and watch them! I wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t awesome. And trust me… I have good taste. That’s why we’re watching cartoons today

THE SECRET OF KELLS – Dirs. Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey (2009) IMDb

images.duckduckgo.comThis is a fairly unknown Irish animated film about a young boy named Brendan in a medieval monastery that is being held under siege by a Viking raid. When a mysterious old “Illuminator” arrives to their town with his white cat, Brendan is recruited to go on an adventure outside of the town’s giant wall and into the woods forbidden to him by his strict uncle. Once in the forest, his life is in danger, but he makes friends with a forest spirit named Aisling who aids him in his quest but warns him to not meddle with the dark deity of the woods. And then a bunch of really awesome, scary, and cute things happen that elevate this film to a much higher standard than most children’s animations.

Like I said, THE SECRET OF KELLS really seems to be an under-appreciated movie, at least from my own personal experiences. Though, after a very short amount of research I discovered that it was actually nominated for an Oscar in 2010. Which just proves my point that it’s a fantastic film that I bet you’ve never seen. Director Tomm Moore recently directed the acclaimed SONG OF THE SEA as well, which is not on Netflix, but shows that the man can make some heartwarming and profound cartoons. ‘Kells’ tells an incredibly interesting story set in an enchanting world that forces the audience to engage and be swept up in the fantasy. You can watch it with your children or you can watch it alone on a Wednesday night (like me), either way you’re bound to enjoy this little tale.

DISNEY SHORT FILMS COLLECTION – various directors (2015)

asdNow, I know I usually recommend a TV show along with a feature, but to be completely honest, I’m running out of shows to watch. If you’d be so kind, please comment below with some shows you think I should watch and maybe I’ll recommend them back to you in a future episode! But as I attempt to catch up, here’s something a little different.

Much like Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios frequently joins short films to the beginning of their feature presentations. And while they’re not always as memorable as the Pixar shorts, they sometimes create classic gems that will certainly withstand the test of time. In this collection of such shorts, Disney has archived some of their very best; Oscar contenders PAPERMAN and FEAST, the groundbreaking GET A HORSE, princess shorts FROZEN FEVER and TANGLED EVER AFTER, and a bunch of other really great films.

This is another great thing to put on for kids that will be equally as entertaining for adults. In fact, some of the shorts such as Paperman and JOHN HENRY seem more aimed to adults than children! Regardless, you can easily find entertainment in the entire hour and a half of 12 shorts with some insightful intros to go along with them.