The Illusionist

An aging magician scrapes by on the meager earnings of his craft. His audiences shrink, but his dedication to his craft does not. When he takes his gig to a rural village, he finds an enthusiastic audience and a girl who thinks he really possesses magic. She follows him back to the city where he cares for her until he can no longer pretend he has special powers.

ClearPlay In Action!

There is almost nothing for ClearPlay to do in this film. The movie is rated PG for smoking and thematic elements (a clown nearly hangs himself). It would be appropriate for all audiences with ClearPlay.

Will this Film Disillusion Me?…

Let’s be clear: this is an art film. It is beautifully and stylistically animated, but it is not going to knock you over with excitement. The pace is slow and it can be a little odd. The Illusionist is the kind of film that your English teacher would make you watch and then ask you to write an interpretive essay on. It’s not the kind of movie most people would pay to see. If you are a visual artist or enjoy the intellectual exercise of trying to puzzle out allegories, give it shot (I believe the story is a metaphor for the decline of religion). Everyone else will find it hard to nail their attention down long enough to get to the end.

Brian Fuller— ClearPlay Ventriloquist

Rated PG for thematic elements and smoking.; 80 min; Directed By Sylvain Chomet