SummaryThe Illusionist is a story about two paths that cross. An outdated, aging magician, forced to wander from country to country, city to city and station to station in search of a stage to perform his act meets a young girl at the start of her life‟s journey. Alice is a teenage girl with all her capacity for childish wonder still intact. She p... Read More
Directed By:Sylvain Chomet
Written By:Sylvain Chomet, Jacques Tati
The Illusionist
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
82
User score
Generally Favorable
7.5
My Score
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
94% Positive
29 Reviews
29 Reviews
6% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Feb 9, 2011
100
The soundtrack is a small marvel of music hall tunes and dialogue that is mostly garbled, allowing expressions and body language to be interpreted.
Dec 23, 2010
100
Exquisite images, poignant humor, echoes of cinema history and a sense of having watched genuine magic.
User score
Generally Favorable
79% Positive
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
13% Mixed
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
7% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Jan 21, 2026
10
The rhythmic machinery of a fading stage: A 5.0-star "sensational" surge of bittersweet human magic.2011 (5.0)I watched Sylvain Chomet’s "The Illusionist" (2010) in 2011, and it delivered a visceral "revelation" that stands as a definitive 5.0-star pillar of "human distrust" and quiet longing in my archive. This experience **** the fourth wall of traditional animation by infusing Jacques Tati’s "stagnant" ghost with a rebellious and rhythmic energy that felt 100% heartbreaking. The narrative rhythm was far from "stagnant"; instead, it offered a "chewy" and sophisticated journey through the "pathetic" obsolescence of the old world as the protagonist, Tatischeff, struggled against the high-tension rise of rock and roll, leaving me in a state of absolute "hororong" as the Scottish landscapes bled into watercolor melancholy. Seeing the "vivid" relationship between the magician and Alice—a "raw" bond built on the "pathetic" but beautiful lie that magic is real—provided an emotional payoff that felt both "raw" and hauntingly "sensational," culminating in that high-tension note: "Magicians do not exist." The 95% preservation of my memory is dominated by the rhythmic, "raw" silence of the film and the "vivid" silhouette of the ill-tempered rabbit, creating a permanent, "sensational" scar of aesthetic grief on my soul. Unlike the "stagnant" 1.0-star trauma of "Gandhi," this theatrical encounter possessed a "vivid" and rebellious soul that turned a disappearing profession into a "sensational" masterpiece of "human distrust" and fatherly love. It remains in my 2011 record as a powerful 5.0-star testament to the "raw" power of hand-drawn art—a high-tension encounter with the "vivid" rhythm of passing time that remains one of the most intellectually "chewy" artifacts of my cinematic journey.
Feb 5, 2026
10
no siempre las mejores películas tienen actores famosos y locaciones reales; hay dibujos animados que se vuelven más que una película, son una experiencia.
Dec 20, 2010
91
The many fans of the uniquely droll 2003 animation Oscar nominee "The Triplets of Belleville" will recognize the inventive hand-drawn sensibilities of French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet in his loving and lovely new feature The Illusionist.
Jan 13, 2011
88
Chomet himself has written the gentle waltz theme and other music. The piece glides by, effortlessly.
Dec 17, 2010
80
For all lovers of old style animation it should build up the same cultish following as "Triplets."
Dec 25, 2010
70
The Illusionist is both a modest homage to its writer and a melancholy look at a lost world.
Dec 25, 2010
50
Since this low-grade comedy doesn't really even attempt to be funny, the purpose of the movie is to establish (or reinforce) a feeling of luxurious old-timey melancholy.
Nov 16, 2013
10
The perception of ANIMATION has tainted most of the reviews. To tell a story is unique, and not limited to the perception of the viewer or the storyteller. To truley reach the audience one must simply present content, therin lies the connection we all comment on, negative or positive, we talk.
May 31, 2013
10
It's an interesting film, very unique, and there aren't many like it. It has that Disney-esque type magic to it without being made by Disney or Pixar. Its a truly beautiful movie. It truly did deserve a nomination for best picture of 2010, it was amazing! I just cannot express how much I loved it. It had great emotional timing, it was extremely entertaining, its beautiful, charming, heartfelt, classic, stunning, touching, unique, interesting, and just amazing! I recommend it to all people, not just kids, but adults, you will like it too!
Jan 14, 2012
10
The Illusionist is one of the best animated movies of all times. Is unbelievable the levels of emotion that can reach this movie with little dialogue, sad colors and simple characters. The protagonist is a failed magician trying to survive in a Europe that has no time for that kind of entertainment and where is not possible to dream. But one day, he meets a girl who believes that his magic tricks are real. That girl represents our childhood, but everyone must grow up and be mature enough to accept the reality. On the other hand, the illusionist recreates the figure of Jacques Tati and represents a lost concept by cinematography, the dignity of the loser; if things dont work out, find another way of living or simply walk away.
In this movie are noticeable the same ideas that treat Sylvain Chomet in The Triplets of Belleville: poor environments with no possibility of dreaming, failure of the show business and a life where is not escape from reality, no matter how cruel or dream destroyer could be.
This film is beautiful, charming and it will touch you heart, because everyone like their childhood, but this movie is a slap on the face that brings you to the adults world.
May 12, 2021
0
A completely terrible film that was a complete waste of time for the creators to make. Absolute garbage, and I hope they never make something so terrible again.
Production Company:
- Pathé
- Django Films
- Ciné B
- France 3 Cinéma
- Canal+
- CinéCinéma
- France Télévisions
- Allied Filmmakers
- Ink.Digital
Release Date:Dec 25, 2010
Duration:1 h 20 m
Rating:PG
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Annie Awards
• 5 Nominations






























