The Illusionist

This is "Alice," near the end of The Illusionist, in tears after the aging magician she believed in has left her with a little money and a note reading, "Magicians don't exist." But the magician, "Tatischeff," had transformed her from an unsophisticated maid working in a remote, isolated inn into a fashion-conscious young woman of Edinburgh.

Alice had been captivated by the magician, who bought her gifts he could scarcely afford: a new pair of shoes to replace the worn-out ones she wore at the inn, then a fashionable coat, dress and shoes after she followed him to Edinburgh. And it was in Edinburgh where she met a young man. It is an at times delightful and at times sad film with what may seem to be a happy ending.

The Illusionist is an animated film and the attention to detail is striking. For example, a train's reflection in the water as it passes over a bridge is drawn convincingly, as is the reflection of a passenger in the train's window as he looks out the window. At one point, the film's coloring and light reminded me of the paintings of Thomas Kincaid, but the film's drawings aren't -- well, schmaltzy -- like Kincaid's paintings can be.

Recommended!

The Illusionist received several film awards and was nominated for an Academy Award --- Best Animated Feature Film -- only to lose to Toy Story 3.

The post's screen capture is from Blu-ray.com's review of the film, here.

Wikipedia's review of the film is here.