I’ve always loved animation, and even though I’m a huge fan of the cutting-edge technology used to create the computer animation for which Pixar is famous, I also love to see innovative animation created by hand. 2010’s The Illusionist is a fantastic example of hand-crafted animation directed by Sylvain Chomet, the creator of the equally fantastic Triplets of Belleville. The original screenplay for The Illusionist was written by famous French actor Jacques Tati who intended it to be a live-action film, but he died before it could made. It tells the story of an aging French magician who travels to Scotland to find work, and there he meets a young woman who still marvels at the kind of magic he performs, unlike the rest of the world that has lost interest in him, and of course they both wind up having a profound impact on each other’s lives. Not only is the story deeply moving, but every frame is a work of art. You can literally feel the painstaking care and love that the artists put into composing every single one of these frames as they flick by at 24 frames per second. Even if you don’t normally tackle subtitled movies, give this one a try, because so much is conveyed visually that you’ll soon find there is very little language barrier. Sit back, watch, and be truly mesmerized.