Magician combines perfectly the unique, detailed visual style of Oscar-nominated animator/writer/director Sylvain Chomet with melancholy, simple and gripping storytelling approach of celebrated writer/director/actor Jacques Tati. Although traditionally animated movie easily could have been a live action work, especially with the main character so closely mimics Tatis own Monsieur Hulot (a single clip from Mon Oncle pays fitting tribute), and the use of a dramatic, tragic, romantic plot that never deviates from reality. It is sometimes sad, the author's humorous and always moving.
An aging magician (voiced by Jean-Claude Donda) in 1960s Paris somberly realizes that his funny handicraft is no longer an exciting art form to the crowds of young people who cheer for opening acts like Billy Boy and Britoons, a stereotypical rock group with elastic hair, colorful costumes and giddy demeanors. When his meeting point tumbles from a classic music hall into a crowded park, he travels to Scotland for work. He is greeted by friendly people and finding little success at a little pub, where he meets Alice (Eilidh Rankin), a young woman working as a maid and innkeeper.
The older man takes a liking to the girl, and treats her to a new pair of shoes. When he collects enough money to return to Paris and try his tricks anew, he takes Alice with him; two share a small apartment (joined by his feisty White Rabbit) and are content with their new father/daughter relationship. While their success never really is waning, the poverty that surrounds them, and the magician slowly but steadily ability to keep a job (let alone a magic-oriented act) in trying times, weigh heavily on their livelihoods.
Chomet's animation and character design is strange enough sightly in the way the characters has too many details (listed as excessive lines) in odd places, such as wrinkles in the face or folds in clothes or crease in the hands. Most of them are quite ugly due to the extreme exaggeration of physical distortions, from high-energy noses placed high on the head that the thinly stretched lips pulled across large teeth, extremely overweight, card and FIR branches, gangly or unbalanced. Facial features are always elongated, misplaced, diminished or maimed in brilliantly stylized manner. With the watercolored backgrounds and equally exaggerated body movements are instantly recognizable Chomets animations.
Dialogue near nonexistence allows the movie to be universally appealing and understandable, with the simplicity of plot involvement in bringing the character designs for the front edge (so also background characters carefully stylised). Some may scoff at the deliberate pace, boring mood or lack of action, but warm acts of kindness and sad emotional stresses are beautifully realized. Magician joins trillingernes Belleville as an amazing masterpiece of illustration, animation, character design and story.
-Massie twins ( GoneWithTheTwins.com )
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