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“The Illusionist,” since its release, has received critical praise and has been nominated for each major Animation Feature award including Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars. The movie is animated filmmaking at its best and is not only one of the best animated films of 2010, it is one of the best films of the year.

The film is a throwback to the 1950s in Europe and is based on a script written by a French mime, director and actor named Jacques Tati in 1956.The majority of the film is in French with a line or two in English, but no subtitles are used. This is very unique and extremely important to the authenticity and the affect that the film has on the viewer.

Director Syvain Chomet found the script creating “The Illusionist,” taking the viewer on a journey similar to viewing a silent film. This results from brief dialogue, and telling the story through the actions of the characters on screen in the vibrant animation environment supported by a beautiful musical landscape.

The film centers around two different characters, the first being a French Illusionist (Jean-Claude Donda), who travels around the world working his magician mastery in low cost entertainment shows barely making ends meet. His travels eventually bring him to Scotland where he meets a young woman named Alice (Elidh Rankin) who is totally captivated by his skill and thinks that he is actually a real magician. A father-daughter bond forms between the two, but they are both on different paths in life as Alice begins to find love with a young man and the Illusionist moves on to bring joy to the open hearted people of the world.

Everything about the film is simplistic ranging from the natural 2D animation, the simple story, flow of dialogue and its 80-minute run time. “The Illusionist” is more than just another animated film. It is a gem of deep meaning for adults to explore, while kids will be mesmerized by the magic itself.