Review of The Illusionist (2010) by Halfwelshman — 20 Aug 2011

The Illusionist is something very special indeed. It's beautiful, funny and tragic in equal measure. The animation is superb, and the world we witness is populated with a plethora of unique characters, some of which are only visible for a few moments, others who recur throughout the film.

The most heartbreaking aspect of the film is the emotional journey the two main characters undergo. Both Alice and Tatischeff are forced to grow up. Alice begins the story full of childhood wonder and innocence, but as she reaches the city she undergoes a transformation into a young woman.

Tatischeff rather more tragically is unable to find success, and is forced to take on steadily more humiliating jobs. He ends up turning his back on the trade he loves and has dedicated his life to, as he is unable to keep up with changing times.

The Illusionist's real achievement, as was the case with Chomet's previous animated feature, Belleville Rendez-vous, is that it conveys such vivid characters and such a wide variety of emotions without the use of dialogue - what little language used is largely inaudible, so to effectively connect with the characters, we rely almost completely on the quality of the animation.

In a lesser film this could never work, but in The Illusionist, this works wonders. Every aspect of the film - the animation, characterisation, narrative, music and themes, are quite simply magic.