ShaToon: The Illusionist

Europe, being between the American hammer and the Japanese anvil of animation, has not been able to form a full-fledged base for the regular creation of cartoons. It’s funny, but even without its own canons, laws and “formula for success”, European animation manages to create something original and unusual. Having released the luxurious “Trio from Belleville” in 2003, Sylvain Chaumet is living proof of this. 7 years later, he released the second major cartoon project – “The Illusionist”.
The assertion that the old days were better has its own grain of truth, but for people of previous generations it is the only and immutable truth. Any change in society, any fashion, any gadget for them is like a blow in the stomach, because you need to adjust and change. None of the old people like to change! This is especially true of representatives of ancient professions, originating from the Middle Ages … and no, we are not talking about the night muses of the classic of French literature Charles Baudelaire. Magicians, clowns, acrobats – those who once gathered crowds, nowadays absolutely no one needs. The era of mysteries, miracles and circuses has passed and it was replaced by rock’n’roll, free love and social revolts.
Tatishchev is an old wizard who is excellent at pulling a hare out of his top hat, turning a magic wand into a bouquet of flowers and getting a penny from behind the ear of the interlocutor. It is unclear whether he was once really successful, but now he is going through hard times: he collects few viewers, fees are getting smaller, and the abyss of poverty is getting closer. Desperate, Tatishchev goes on a tour of the distant northern Scotland, to the most distant and unknown villages. It is there that he meets his muse and support in these dark times – the sweet provincial girl Alice. The young Scottish woman takes Tatishchev’s tricks for real magic, believing that he can materialize objects out of thin air. Seeing in the foreigner Merlin from the legends, she decided to leave her former life, and secretly went after the magician. Tatishchev was, to put it mildly, in shock, since he did not even know the language to talk to her. But he was not at all against society, especially such a naive and kind person as Alice. In such a chaotic way, the magical journey of the unusual duo began.
“The Illusionist” impresses not with the plot, but with the way Sylvain Chaumet presents it. From an ordinary sad story, he created a very emotional drama with a deep message and strong memorable characters. The tragedy of the dying old school of show business, the search for their place in the world, the pursuit of happiness … To follow all this is no less interesting than the adventures of Geralt of Rivia.
In addition, “The Illusionist” amazes with a whole arsenal of tricks and tricks, the most original of which has become the traditional for Shome laconic character. Tatishchev, for example, will say only 5-6 short replicas for the entire duration, most of which look like some kind of incomprehensible gibberish. This applies to all characters in general. At the same time, the viewer will wait for each remark, like the Sun on a gloomy rainy morning … Magic, in a word. And there is plenty of good music here. Sylvain Chaumet personally became the composer of the film and worked hard to write a good soundtrack that would perfectly complement the cartoon, creating something unified and complementary.
It is because of the laconic character of the characters that the visual side of the picture plays an important role. Delicious hand-drawn art in a pseudo-realistic style with gorgeous animations complemented by excellent backdrops. You can even see the folds of clothes changing with the movement of the heroes. The “Illusionist” creates a true illusion that the viewer is a living person from the point of view of biology and physics. Bravo, maestro Shome. It’s a pity, the fate of your creation turned out to be as sad as the story of Tatishchev. A divine picture, a wonderful sound and an abundance of cunning tricks – all this did not save the “Illusionist” from poverty. Instead of £ 11 million, the cartoon raised only $ 5.6 million. A deplorable irony.
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“The Illusionist” is an excellent cartoon and a strong representative of “adult” animation. Gorgeous art, gorgeous soundtrack, simple but at the same time emotional and dramatic plot, unusual artistic tricks, like the laconic characters – a combination of all this makes the viewer fall in love with him. The “Belleville Trio” raised Sylvain Chaumé to the world level, in a moment, making him one of the most famous European animators. “Illusionist” once again reminded why. It is a pity that it took a long time to wait. Although … old people do not like to rush as much as they do not like to change.
There are no magicians. (from)