Illusionist (cartoon)

Illusionism is one of the very rare and "dying" forms of stage art. The talent of the protagonist, a Frenchman by the name of Tatishchev, begins to disappear behind the light of numerous rock stars, and now the protagonist has to perform in various kinds of semi-abandoned theaters, in city gardens, in dubious cafes. And then one day, in one of the rural pubs, in the west of Scotland , the illusionist met a girl named Elis. Cleaning next to the illusionist’s room, the girl drops a small piece of soap, which the magician picks up and returns already a large, new piece of soap. Noticing that the girl’s shoes have already deteriorated, the Illusionist buys her a pair of shoes. And so that the girl does not feel obligated, she pretends that the box with the new thing appeared out of nowhere, just from under the scarf. Alice, in gratitude, undertakes to rub all the shirts of the "wizard", although he tries to explain that she is not obliged to do this.

The villagers are not at all like city dwellers: being more naive, they are equally surprised at the tricks of the illusionist and the electricity (the action takes place during the celebration of its holding on the island). Alice believes that his tricks are real magic, but due to the fact that she speaks English, he does not manage to explain it to her.

The girl secretly goes after the Illusionist to Edinburgh . However, it turns out on the ferry that she does not have a ticket. And the Illusionist again helps her out in a "magical" way. In Edinburgh, they settle in an acting hotel. The Illusionist has a small contract at the freelance theater, but there is barely enough money to buy the most necessary. The situation is no better with colleagues. Alice runs the Illusionist farm. It seems that she already considers any fortunate coincidence to be a “magical intervention” of her friend. The magician is very glad that the girl supports him, especially since Alice really has a good heart. He gives her various luxurious gifts, which he supposedly receives “out of nowhere”. Trying not to disappoint her Alice in every possible way, the Illusionist cannot tell her that there really is no magic and that he is actually losing money, presenting to her what she saw in the shop window. Money is sorely lacking, and the Illusionist gets a night job, secretly leaving when the girl is already sleeping.

Alice is gradually changing. From a village simpleton, she turns into a fashionable urban girl. Considering that the “wizard” still takes what he wants “from the air,” she is not able to appreciate the sacrifices an elderly person makes for her. Even the neighbors in the theater hotel, she regrets much more. But here, and up to Edinburgh, a wave of fashion pops. Clowns, eccentrics, acrobats, illusionists are rapidly losing popularity and one by one find themselves on the street. The illusionist does not shy away from any work, be it painting, washing in a garage or magic tricks behind a shop window.

When Alice becomes an adult, she falls in love. Realizing this, the illusionist decides to leave her. The magician has now no one to pretend to be. When leaving, he leaves the girl a farewell note in which in large letters it says what he tried to tell her all this time: “There are no wizards” (Original text: magicians do not exist ). The veil of deception has dissipated, and now the Illusionist continues to lead his former wandering lifestyle ...

At the end of the film, the illusionist travels to a new place. Together with him, a mother and a small daughter ride in a compartment. The illusionist sees how a girl draws and drops a pencil. The magician puts a long, new pencil in his sleeve, picks up the girl’s pencil, apparently to show the girl the focus, how the little pencil became new. But at the last moment returns her her pencil.

The cartoon is based on a non-embodied script by the French mime, actor and director Jacques Taty , recorded in the form of a personal letter to his now deceased eldest daughter ^[3] in collaboration with the famous screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrier between the films “My Uncle” and “Time for Entertainment” . The script was passed on to Shoma by Tati's youngest daughter, Sophie Tatishcheff, when Shome asked for permission to use a scene from Tati ’s movie “Holiday Day” in his animated film “The Trio of Belleville” . Tatishcheff suggested making him a cartoon, since she did not want her actor to play her father. ^[four]

The protagonist of the cartoon is an animated version of Tati, the animation of which was personally engaged in by Shome. The plot revolves around the misadventures of a magician who falls into a closed community and meets a girl who is convinced that he is a real wizard ^[4] . The cartoon takes place in Scotland in the late 1950s ^[2] .

The first frames of the cartoon were shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 . ^[five]

The premiere took place at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2010. ^[1] Premiere in Russia - August 26, 2010. ^[6]

• 2010 - European Film Awards Award for Best Animated Film
• 2010 - Spotlight Award, National Film Critics Council, USA (Sylvain Chaumet, Jacques Taty)
• 2011 - Cesar Award for Best Animated Film
• 2011 - Oscar nomination for best animated film (Sylvain Chaumet)
• 2011 - 5 nominations for the Annie Award for Best Animated Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Music, Best Character Design
• 2011 - nomination for the Golden Globe Award for the best animated film

• The Illusionist at the Internet Movie Database  
• Illusionist on allmovie  
• The Illusionist at Rotten Tomatoes  
• Illusionist on the Metacritic website