UPDATE: A trailer has been released for ‘Marcel Pagnol.’
EARLIER: Sylvain Chomet is one of the best animation filmmakers in the world. It’s not just his seminal “The Triplets of Belleville,” but also the wonderful 2010 Tati tribute, “The Illusionist,” released in 2010, which also happens to be his last animated film.
We’re highly anticipating Chomet’s “The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol,” set to be his first animated film in 15 years, which is supposed to be completed in the next few months. I would bookmark this film for Cannes, possibly even in competition — that’s how anticipated it is.
Today, we finally got our first look image of the film — which can be seen above. It’s also set up an October 15, 2025, release date in France. A synopsis has been unveiled for ‘Pagnol,’ which sounds like it could be the perfect match between story and Chomet’s beautiful visual style:
In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE magazine commissions a weekly column about Pagnol's childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing. Realizing his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol starts doubting his ability to pursue his work. That is until Little Marcel - the young boy he used to be - appears to him as if by magic. Together, they will explore Marcel Pagnol's incredible life and bring back to life his most cherished encounters and memories...
In the meantime, while working on ‘Pagnol,’ a decades-in-the-making passion project, Chomet managed to make a Looney Tunes-inspired cartoon, starring the Joker, which is featured in ‘Joker: Folie a Deux.’
To say it blew the roof off the place would be an understatement. I don't think I've ever seen a Toronto audience — any festival audience — embrace a movie the way they did last night.