Review of The Illusionist (1901) by Timothy K — 24 Jun 2012

A stunning looking animated feature with beautifully rendered environments makes the movie feel more reminiscent of a Hayao Miyazaki film than Sylvain Chomet's previous more fanciful animation, The Triplets of Belleville.

Full of european sensibliities this movie tells a slightly sombre story of a down-on-his-luck magician coming to the end of his career. This struggle to make ends meet is offset by the odd assortment of chracters the magician interacts with and the charming father/daughter relationship that develops between himself and a young girl who is enamoured by and believes in his tricks.

Expecting the usual upbeat resolution in which all the characters come together to find their correct place in a world set against them I was surprised to find a rather realistic and thought-provoking ending of growing up and moving on.

Despite the artistry on display I suspect that how well one takes to this bittersweet ending will greatly affect how one will appreciate the rest of the film.