Following the triumph of his wildly inventive “The Triplets of Belleville” in 2003, French animator Sylvain Chomet is off in an entirely different direction in “The Illusionist.” Where “Triplets” exploded with narrative invention and cartoon foolery filled with cultural references, bicycle racing and strange juxtapositions, all told at a manic pace, “Illusionist” is at heart a simple story about an old vaudevillian and a young girl in the late 1950s. It’s a mood piece, and that mood is melancholy.
Illusionist, The
