The Illusionist is an animated French film made by acclaimed writer/director Sylvain Chomet, who is most known for another animated feature, The Triplets of Belleville. Like Belleville was back in 2003, The Illusionist is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this year alongside Toy Story 3and How To Train Your Dragon. Unlike most American animated films, The Illusionist provides a delicious spread for the eyes while still having a realistic, soul-crushing moral and plotline.
The film is about a magician, “the illusionist,” in the late 1950s. As his art is slowly becoming obsolete and being replaced with rock music, he performs less and less and in more obscure places. This leads him to a young girl named Alice who adores his magic, believing it to be real, and the two quickly form a paternal relationship. Alice’s ignorant, childlike belief that magic is real feeds the illusionist’s desperate desire for his passion to be appreciated and contrasts his knowledge and slow acceptance that his profession is not only a dying one but is also becoming a mockery.
With little to no dialogue that isn’t subtitled in English anyway, The Illusionist manages to convey almost crippling emotion through its flawless animation and characterization. The film’s artwork is elegant but still quirky. In The Illusionist, there are random silly moments, quite a few involving a fellow entertainer’s puppet. But however fun these sparse moments are, they mostly serve to highlight the film’s overall tone of sadness.
Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist is a gorgeous animated film that is simultaneously inspiring with eccentric, hand-drawn animation and depressing with relatable themes of worthlessness and abandonment. The only thing it’s missing in contrast to The Triplets of Bellevilleis an original song or two. Although wildly different than both Toy Story 3 and How To Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist deserves its nomination as Best Animated Feature.
Rating: 4/5
Photo from IMDB.com