I got to watch L’illusionniste (The Illusionist) again. Ever since I saw the Les triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville).I have been thrilled by Sylvain Chomet’s movies. This is the kind of animation movie which reveals new things to wonder about every time I watch it.

The amazing movements of the central character throughout the movie was the main source of enchantment the first time. The story, characters, lighting and the masterly use of 3D and 2D to create a unique hand drawn weathered, warm feel is fantastic. The style is absolutely unique. While there are many animation movies today which share the same look (for e.g. Pixar and Dreamworks Superhero movies Megamind and The Incredibles) Sylvain Chomet’s work is simply outstanding.

In this viewing, I was amazed at the smooth transitions that happen from day to night and night to day. The scene of the Illusionist traveling to Scotland, the one where he is trying to service a car and falls asleep in it and the epic camera fly by of a small town at night time just took my breath away again.

Some screencaps.