Coming off the Oscar-nominated Triplets of Belleville, writer/director Sylvain Chomet‘s next feature is The Illusionist. Chomet adapted the screenplay from the late Jacques Tati. The animated feature has been garnering solid reviews during its festival run and now Sony Pictures Classics will release it this winter. The first theatrical trailer below is pretty lowkey, but gives us a glimpse at the gorgeous animation. Check it out via Apple and read our TIFF review here.
Synopsis: The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers. With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder in the late 1950s, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafes. Then, while performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever. Watching his performance for the excited villagers who are celebrating the arrival of electricity on their remote island, Alice is awestruck by his show and believes his tricks are real magic. Though they donthusiasm for his act, The Illusionist rewards Alice with increasingly lavish gifts he has ‘conjured’ into existence. Desperate not to disappoint her, he cannot bring himself to reveal that magic does not exist and that he pretend. Untangled from his own web of deceit, he resumes his life as a much wiser man.
The Illusionist hits limited theaters on Christmas Day.
Were you a Belleville fan? Will you see this?