Today's blog was appropriately contributed by Genevieve..l'artiste...
If you found the visual storytelling and colorful characters of The Triplets of Belleville to be a nice departure from the highly-polished look of today's CGI animation, you will definitely want to catch The Illusionist. If you haven't seen Triplets and desperately need a break from the typical animation formula, you too will definitely want to catch The Illusionist.
Director Sylvain Chomet delivers an impressive visual follow-up to his earlier work in this stunning film, again not following a formulaic method of storytelling. One of the most amazing qualities about The Illusionist is the way that the scenes are at once still works of art on their own, yet at the same time, they wordlessly tell the story of an aging magician and a young fan who becomes his ward. As a French film set in France and Scotland, there is very little use of dialogue--indeed no subtitles at all. Perhaps in homage to Chaplin's Modern Times, Chomet's magician bumbles through various jobs in order to buy his young friend the things she sees in storefront windows. The characters they encounter are wildly entertaining, but also laced with a dark realism that you just don't get from Disney. Although tinged with this French existentialism, the combination of beauty, humor and reality communicated through animation is startling--and not to be missed.
Rated PG for 'mild thematic elements & smoking,' this film offers something for people of all ages, and I look forward to discussing it with young fans over the next week. (I am seriously dying to get a 5 year-old's reaction to this film!) It's spring break and there are weekday matinees just for you all! Check out the trailer:
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