The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet, 2010): UK/France

Reviewed by Laura Horstmann. Viewed at The Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

It’s rare to see hand drawn animation in a world where new frontiers in design and effects are quickly replacing talented artists, and when you do, it’s quite the treat. The Illusionist is a beautifully crafted film whose story parallels the current struggle between art and technology.

Sylvain Chomet directs this tale of a magician struggling to find his place in the 1960s Parisian entertainment industry as more exciting and novel acts emerge around him. The film opens with the illusionist traveling from town to town, rabbit in hand, performing for meager crowds, earning very little money, and even less appreciation. His life is just one disappointing show after another until he meets Alice, a young girl in a hotel who is wonderstruck by the magician’s craft. He takes her along on his journey and treats her like a princess.

With very limited dialogue, the story is told through subtleties.  The animators did an excellent job, telling the story through the character’s motions.  From the awkward stumbling first steps of a young girl in her first pair of heels, to the exasperated full body sigh of a failed entertainer on the edge of giving up, the artist breathes extremely believable and relatable life into each character.

The film follows the two until their inevitable split, the young girl has found love and the magician sees it as his time to exit the stage. He leaves the girl with a note saying, “Magicians don’t exist” but through his passion and talent he had already brought real magic to the young girl’s life, and leaving the theater both the audience and the young girl know the real magic is in the compassion of strangers.

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Published:
02.01.11 / 7pm
Category:
Animation, Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011