The Illusionist (PG)

★★★★ Bittersweet, moving and utterly beautiful: a love letter to cinema and to Scotland. ~ Empire.

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A script for "L’illusionniste" was originally written by French comedy genius and cinema legend Jacques Tati as a love letter from a father to his daughter, but never produced.

Sylvain Chomet, the Oscar-nominated and critically acclaimed creator of Belleville Rendezvous, adapted the script and brought it to life in his distinctive hand-drawn animated style in 2010.

The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers.

With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafes. 

However, while performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.

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★★★★ A tribute to Edinburgh from the maker of Belleville Rendez-Vous. ~ The Telegraph.

★★★★★ With his remarkable new film, French-born artisan Sylvain Chomet joins the lofty ranks of John Lasseter, Brad Bird and Hayao Miyazaki as one of the masters of modern feature animation. ~ Time Out.

★★★★★ After this, you may never want to see CGI again. ~ Little White Lies.

★★★★★ Utterly distinctive and beguiling, with its own language and grammar of innocence: gentle, affectionate, whimsical, but deeply felt and with an arrowhead of emotional pain. ~ The Guardian.

★★★★ Some may think the film infuriatingly slight, but others will relish it for those very same qualities. ~ Radio Times.

★★★★ ~ The Scotsman.

2011 Oscar Nominee: Best Animated Film