Chick 1 says:
No, this isn’t the Edward Norton/Jessica Biel period romance. (Liked that one, though.) This is an animated film fromSylvain Chomet, the director of The Triplets of Belleville. (Another one I liked.)
The Basics: This French (though largely without dialogue) animation follows the relationship of a lonely travelling magician and a young girl.
What I Liked: The movie is really beautiful. The animation and landscapes are enchanting. There are some fun and quirky characters, my fav being the tipsy Scotsman. And there was a sad, sweet quality to the story.
What I Didn’t Like: I really wanted to like this movie, and while there were many nuances that were fascinating, I found it difficult to really follow what was happening. The Triplets of Belleville had a similar problem of communicating without words but there was much more action (and comedy) to that movie. The Illusionist has a decidely more meloncholy feel. And that feel made it difficult to understand what was happening without dialogue.
Bottom Line: This is a really gorgeous movie in look and feel but I had a hard time following the central relationship. Add to that the downer ending (rarely to my liking) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea.