The Illusionist (2010)

"Magicians do not exist." --The Illusionist

Sorry Sylvain, but I beg to differ.

I watched this film during Valentine's Day weekend, and let me just say, I have a new appreciation for background artists. Wow. I don't even know where the line was drawn with this film's technical artwork, if it was done in 3D, 2D or a little bit of both. The visuals were spectacular, and I guess the 'illusion' most of this film brought was that deep down, you really don't want to know the mechanics to how it was made. As cliche as it sounds, it's magic. I honestly just sat back and enjoyed the storytelling, the characters and the simplicity of the action sequences for what they were in this film.

Spoiler Alert!!! It's basically about a man who's art is seeing its dead end in 1930s Europe. He strives to make a name for himself and his simple magic tricks to whoever is willing to watch or hire him. He goes from place to place, meets other washed-up performers like himself and builds this solidarity of working hard with your craft until the world no longer is entertained. He refuses to see the world as a cruel, depressed, manipulative, business-oriented place in order to let his life's simple passion shine. For me, he is a great, yet simple-minded example of someone who doesn't give up on doing what he loves, even though he is seeing the rest of the world close its doors on him. It's funny how he's oblivious of the many individual lives he's touched and changed along the way.

I definitely connected to this character, partly because it's how I feel about my interest in animation. I'm passionate about it, but I definitely have those days where I look at my art, I look at my school tuition bills, I look at the competitive nature of the field out there, and wonder, "what the hell am I doing??" Sometimes I get so caught up in the work and angst in finding my creative self that I don't look at the bigger picture. I forget to keep my eyes on the prize and actually feel good about the smaller accomplishments that come to me with every little thing I do.

Anybody who believes in magic... heck, anybody who has a dream... should see this film.