I may not have seen any of the movies nominated for Best Picture (despite there being ten of them this year), but I have seen one of the five nominees for Best Animated Feature: The Secret of Kells. Apparently, I'm one of the few people in the US (outside of the Academy) who has; it doesn't open here until March 6. But the National Gallery of Art showed it last fall as part of their Film Program for Children and Teens, and the kids and I (not surprisingly) loved it. According to Variety, "[The Secret of Kells] may be the perfect film for children whose parents are art historians specializing in pre-Renaissance periods." Close enough!

Before the screening, the museum educator in charge of the film program asked the kids in the audience to pay attention to the use of color in the movie. I wish I could remember her exact words (she may have mentioned specific colors and emotions, or not), but her question was short and simple and helped focus the kids' attention, especially when things got a little slow or, conversely, a little scary. There's an art, I'm learning, to asking just the right question. What's yours?