J’aime cinema de la France! I apologise to all French people who may be reading this – I have no idea how that is supposed to be spelt or if it’s the correct sentence structure, but after watching this awesome film I couldn’t stop spewing out little phrases of French (e.g. Bonsoir, Maman!), and I hoped to have a striking first sentence ‘I love French cinema!
Anyway, on with the response… For those of you who are unaware of the synopsis, Phantom Boy follows a hospitalised ill 11-year-old who, when asleep, can fly and observe the world around him in an outer-body experience. He teams up with recently injured policeman to stop the bad guys from unleashing chaos in New York City.
This film was absolutely beautiful. I loved everything about it, but I’ll take you through a list of love:
THE ART FORM – The animation art was so unique, which gave this piece such distinction from other animated works I’ve seen. The colours were manipulated amazingly to set the atmosphere and tone of the scene, and the shape of the characters was both warm and quirky. Also, the fact that it was animated made way for an infinite of possible frames, shots, transitions, colours and effects that just aren’t possible with real-people film, especially when you have a calm eleven-year-old white phantom spirit flying through the high-rises of NYC – you just can’t get the same emotions with CGI.
THE FOLEY TEAM – The sound production and editing of Phantom Boy deserves a medal! The sounds were so perfect and matched exactly what was in frame to add that extra rich layer of the soundscape. The diegetic sound was also especially haunting or tell-tale as to the effects for the sound of the boy’s aura or phantom self. Kudos to the Foley team.
THE PLOT – This is an incredibly unique film overall due to its art style, but the story is as original as it gets; captivating, wondrous and heart-warming. The dual journey of over-coming a serious illness with all of the family dynamics at work, alongside saving the world in true superhero-detective fashion makes it a truly wonderful experience. Love is a prominent theme in Phantom Boy – it’s exhibited through Leo’s familial love and their support for him during his ordeal (in particular Leo and Titi’s relationship tugged on my heartstrings!), the love of the policeman, Alex, for his journalist friend Mary whom the two save, and by the end (spoilers but not really?) Alex’s love for Leo.
Put all of the above in French and let me watch it for an hour and a half and you will find me a happy guy.
