The Illusionist

Sylvain Chomet’s long-awaited follow-up to his brilliant 2003 animated film The Triplets of Belleville comes from an unproduced screenplay by French comedy legend Jacques Tati. The Illusionist follows a shabby yet unmistakably Tati-esque magician as he drags himself from one lousy backwater gig to the next. His life of silent solitude is shaken up and given new significance when an orphan girl working at a Scottish island resort becomes entranced by the illusionist’s cheap tricks, and follows him to the big city. Chomet slaves to reproduce the wistfulness of Tati, but without much of his inspired comic combobulation, so The Illusionist mostly succeeds in assuming Tati’s worst tendencies (especially the doddering-old-fool’s-eye-view take on his female characters). It’s not on the level of The Triplets of Belleville, but there is enough melancholy poetry in Chomet’s visuals and genuine affection for Tati to appease adult animation fans.