Chick 1 says:

No, this isn’t the Edward Norton/Jessica Biel period romance.  (Liked that one, though.)  This is an animated film fromSylvain Chomet, the director of The Triplets of Belleville.  (Another one I liked.)

The Basics:  This French (though largely without dialogue) animation follows the relationship of a lonely travelling magician and a young girl.

What I Liked:  The movie is really beautiful.  The animation and landscapes are enchanting.  There are some fun and quirky characters, my fav being the tipsy Scotsman.  And there was a sad, sweet quality to the story.

What I Didn’t Like: I really wanted to like this movie, and while there were many nuances that were fascinating,  I found it difficult to really follow what was happening.  The Triplets of Belleville had a similar problem of communicating without words but there was much more action (and comedy) to that movie.  The Illusionist has a decidely more meloncholy feel.   And that feel made it difficult to understand what was happening without dialogue.

Bottom Line: This is a really gorgeous movie in look and feel but I had a hard time following the central relationship.  Add to that the downer ending (rarely to my liking) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea.