A Reel Review: THE ILLUSIONIST

THE ILLUSIONIST is a traditional, hand-drawn animated film with nearly no dialogue that most American audiences haven’t seen yet, and probably won’t see until a home release. Nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category for 2010, it is the creation of Sylvain Chomet, who also did the Oscar-darling THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.

Nearing the end of his career, an outdated and aging magician travels from town to town, performing with his feisty rabbit it front of near-empty theatres and bars. In search of a permanent stage to perform his slight-of-hand routine, he encounters Alice, who is a young girl at the start of her life’s journey. She follows him in his travels, and the two begin a friendship where they learn from each other and begin a voyage of discovery.

THE ILLUSIONIST has a very simple story that’s been seen before; destinies of the young and old colliding with the contrast of their lives played out. What makes the simplicity work so well is the high-concept setting: a near-dialogue-less animated world. The story is played out not in monologues or major happenings; but rather in body language and real-world problems. The few spoken words that do pop up are no more than one-word sentences, with a few grunts, growls and laughs.

The animation is unique; hand-drawn in distinct, de-saturated style that is reminiscent of 1970’s classics such as WATERSHIP DOWN. The animated world has an incredible and constant depth-of-field that plays into the storytelling. The look avoids any sort of flatness and is nearly in 3D without the glasses. The deep landscape is augmented by wonderfully realized animated characters; each one is always doing something in the background. There is a level of detail at work here that always gives something to soak in.

The finale offers an emotional jab that isn’t seen coming, and carries an under-the-radar message of the passing of innocence and moving on to new stages of life. The overall film carries with it a sad melancholy of all things that must pass from this world; it is real and strong and important to see.

BOTTOM LINE: See it

So, does it have enough to beat out TOY STORY 3 for Best Animated Feature? THE ILLUSIONIST will not sell (ahem) toys and it won’t be the film one would grab to keep the kids quiet. It requires more than a 10-year old brain to soak in. It does not have the star-power, color, or whimsical adventure that American audiences crave in an animated film. Since the Academy is mostly made up of Hollywood voters, this little charmer will easily be overlooked as a foreign film due to its artistic choices and prodding pace. Is it good enough to win? Yes. Will it? No. Hollywood is just too much in love with Woody and Buzz.