The Illusionist

On Wednesday, we watched The Illusionist, an animated film directed by Sylvain Chomet. I must admit, I was surprised by the film's depth. Of course, I wasn't expecting some cutesy Disney-esque film, but I wasn't expecting anything so profound and melancholy as this film proved to be. There's a lot that can be taken away from this film, and a lot to ideas to steal from the film as well. The overall plot of the film, for one, in its basest form, can be an example of this. The main character, quite obviously a caricature of French actor Jacques Tati, gives and gives and gives until he has nothing left to give...and gives up. You can make any number of story arcs out of that theme. Other plot elements can be made into entire plots themselves. The depressed clown and homeless ventriloquist, for example: I could have watched another full film about either of those characters. And the whole idea of ironic characters, who should be one thing (cheerful and happy, as is present here) but in actuality are the opposite (suffering from depression and being forced to make sacrifices). Just sitting here, I'm getting a bunch of ideas...friendly terrorists, racist minorities, mean Canadians...moving on. Many of the plot elements could become plot elements in other productions. For example, the part where the Illusionist has to wait for the British boy band to get off the stage multiple times could be adapted into many other pieces, as can the obnoxious audience members who take it upon themselves to point out the flaws in a performance. And, of course, the drunk Scotsman in the kilt dancing to rock music. Sometimes, a completely anachronistic character can add a bit of humor...or a lot of it. That's something to keep in mind.