Sylvain Chomet's Animation Sequence Is The Best Thing in 'Joker: Folie à Deux '
The French Sylvain Chomet is known for its Oscar-nominated films 'Triplets of Belleville' (2003) and 'The Illusionist' (2010). While preparing his next animation feature, 'The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol' (intended for a 2025 release) he dropped an animation sequence for the much-hyped 'Joker: Folie à Deux', which opened 4 October 2024 worldwide.
His 2D animation sequence, 'Me and My Shadow' opens the live-action film (headed by Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga), in the manner of old cartoons headlining the main live-action feature during the pre-broadcast days.
The sequence (and the whole film) even begins with the WarnerBros logo; the character recreates the murder on air scene of the first 'Joker' (2019); , the character is in battle with his own shadow, while he's ready to enter a TV set. The constant inner battle find his ending -not happy for everyone, as the curtains roll -and the entrance of the prison is revealed.
Sylvain Chomet explains (at BFMTV.com) that Todd Philips wanted him to recreate a classic cartoon -but not in the manner of Betty Boop style, as he had done in 'The Triplets of Belleville'. So Tex Avery came in as a welcome influence, which also matches the main character's passive-aggressive personality (and less than peaceful) tendencies.
While the rest of the 'Joker: Folie à Deux' may flounder between heavy psychological realism and an uneven use of the musical genre, Chomet's opening act is compact, comically sinister and to the point of Joker as a character. Time for more Chomet in the near future.
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