ON THE SILVER SCREEN: MAGICAL "ILLUSIONIST" DEMONSTRATES THE STAYING POWER OF TRADITIONAL ANIMATION

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By Brian Lafferty

 

January 21, 2011 (San Diego) -- Over the last few years I’ve discovered a love-hate feeling with Pixar. Back in 1995 I was enthralled when I saw Toy Story in the theater. Since then I have seen every Pixar movie and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of their films. They put more effort into their movies than most studios and it shows every time.

 

On the other hand, and as much as I’ve loved Pixar’s movies, the success of Toy Story signaled a change in animation, not necessarily for the better. Pixar spawned numerous imitators the best of them all being Dreamworks. 3D pictures became so common that even Disney announced that all their animated films would be computer-generated (The Princess and the Frog, of course, is the exception). Some of them were great (Shrek) while some completely lacked ambition (last year’s junky Alpha & Omega, one of the worst films of 2010).

 

The Illusionist is more just a diversion from the wave of computer animation. It isn’t merely a breath of fresh air. It has more magic and charm than a lot of the 3D animated films released over the last decade. I have always believed that there were a lot of discoveries waiting to be made in traditional animation and that hand-drawn animation can still wield a lot of power. Now we have proof.

 

The Illusionist is directed by Sylvain Chomet, who made the Oscar-nominated picture The Triplets of Belleville. Adapted from a script by the late French auteur Jacques Tati, it is a simple story about a down-and-out magician, a nice girl he meets and their travels together.

 

Jacques Tati only directed a total of five feature films. Four of them showcase Mr. Hulot (played by Tati), a silent, lovable, bumbling man who constantly finds himself confounded by modern technology. They are Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953), Mon Oncle (1958), Play Time (1967), and Trafic (1971).

 

The title character of The Illusionist is not unlike Mr. Hulot. He never speaks and communicates primarily through body language and facial expressions. Like the Hulot films, there is very little discernible dialogue. Instead, city sounds such as automobiles and unintelligible chatter from pedestrians are emphasized.

 

This leaves a lot of opportunity to take in Chomet’s rustic animation. There isn’t a lot of detail and the color palette is limited to only a few colors, each with varying shades. This simplicity and roughness evokes a simpler time. In fact, this could very well depict the era that Hulot thrived in before the dawn of technological progression.

 

Directing a movie is not so much a creative art but rather an interpretive one. Although Chomet has adapted a script by Tati, I don’t view this as a Tati film. Instead, I consider it an interpretation of Tati’s ideas. There are Tati elements, including a funny scene in which the Illusionist, as a mechanic, is befuddled when attempting to fix a car. I don’t think I have to tell you the results will be disastrous. Or when the Illusionist tries to pull his rabbit out of his hat but the rabbit won’t cooperate.

 

Rather than trying to copy Tati’s techniques exactly, Chomet makes everything his own while retaining the spirit of the great director and his works. This willingness to do things his way, even if it means the timing isn’t at the same as Tati’s portrayals of Hulot, benefits the film.

 

The Illusionist is now playing at the Landmark Hillcrest.

 


Brian Lafferty can be reached at brian@eastcountymagazine.org. You can also follow him on Twitter: @BrianLaff.

 


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