THE film world has had its first glimpse of the £11 million movie being made by an award-winning French animator in Edinburgh.
Sylvain Chomet, who made the Oscar-nominated animated hit Belleville Rendezvous, and his producing partner and wife, Sally, joined the throng at the Cannes Film Festival this week with a showreel of their latest feature, The Illusionist.
The proj
ect is being shown to potential buyers by the production company Pathé, which has helped finance it with TV channels France 3 and Canal Plus.
There was huge excitement when Chomet moved to Scotland in 2004, bringing his major new project with him.
The Illusionist is being created in Edinburgh by a team of more than 70 animators working out of studios in George Street and off the Royal Mile. Most are international experts who have worked with Chomet on past productions. There is speculation that the film could be selected for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It is based on an original script written by the legendary French film-maker Jacques Tati, most famous for the off-beat classic comedy Mr Hulot's Holiday.
It tells of an old-fashioned stage entertainer struggling not to disappoint a girl who believes his magic tricks are real.
Work started on the production in June 2006, using more traditional 2D techniques as well as computer-generated imagery. Additional work is taking place in Dundee and France.
Mr Chomet said: "We're very excited that the project is nearing completion. We cannot wait to get it out."
The film is scheduled for release next year.
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