Review of The Illusionist (2010) by Thomas G — 12 Jul 2011

First, I have to apoligize for this review being kind of short. It's because I wrote a longer review that was deleted when I tried to post it. So, here goes this review;.

The Illusionist is the 2010 animated film that was nominated for best Animated Feature this year, and I am not quite sure whether it should have won. It is directed by Sylvain Chomet, who directed The Triplets of Belleville, which was nominated for Best Animated Feature in 2003 (Pixar won anyway). This is a quite, well-made film that does not aim for goals that are particularly high. It only does enough to get its message across, and it ends on a depressing note to prove this (i am not kidding. It gets depressing to all hell). It has beautiful animation that I want to see more of in other animated films, rather than CGI Animation that is overused to a point that I am not blown away by it anymore. However, one thing about the animation that will not sit well with others is the fact that they insert CGI in the middle of the animation. There is not one car, boat or train that is not CGI animated. If do not enjoy films that have little to no dialgoue, you might feel uneasy about this, because there are very small amounts of dialogue. There are either small amounts of gibberish or very simple lines of dialogue. Depite the great animation style, it feels that there is no true reason for this to be animated. It feels as if you could film it with actors and it wouldn't make a difference. One of my favorite things about this film happens to be the score. It is a simple form of music that almost sounds like post-hipster classical (if that's even a genre of music). For this being a depressing film, the most hilarious thing was the Rock Musicians that appear early in the film. They are just animated and drawn to be, like I said, a post-hipster cartoon.

Overall, great animation, emotion, music, and message. However, it is hurt by some elements that though they didn't bother me, will upset others. It accomplishes what it wishes, though it doesn't wish for much. It is a great mature animated film, and it is a pleasant film. A film you would not mind staying in your home for several nights, and serve some tea while you're at it.