The Oscars are coming up, and one of the nominated films has a local connection. "The Illusionist," the story of a magician's relationship with his daughter, based on an unproduced script by the late Jacques Tati, is nominated for Best Animated Feature, going up against "How to Train your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3". Assistant Director and Animation Director Paul Dutton grew up in Yorkton.
Dutton says the inspiration to take up a career in animation happened in art class in high school.
"I always wanted to work in cartoons or animation, but I figured it was something that people in Los Angeles do. So, I'd never given it much thought... I remember meeting in Mrs. Koch's art class at the Yorkton Regional, one of her former students came by and he was an animator, and he was living in Australia at the time. So I figured gee, if he can do it, I can do it," he says.
Since then, Dutton has worked on a wide variety of projects, from short films, to games, to features.
"The Illusionist" gave him the highest degree of responsibility, as he was in charge of the animation department. Dutton credits hard work from everyone involved, and the leadership of director Sylvain Chomet, with bringing the film in at a high standard.
"We set the bar very, very high for ourselves, and our director was very demanding, very particular and very passionate... So for three and a half years we worked very closely with Sylvain and tried to make sure that the film was up to his exacting specifications."
This is not the first time he has worked with Chomet, as he was recruited to do additional animation on "The Triplets of Belleville" when it ran into some late production difficulties.
"On the first film we discovered that I had a sensibility that worked well with what he was trying to accomplish. What I did naturally was in harmony with what he was trying to do, it was a good fit. So when he was looking for senior people on this picture, I was flattered when he gave me the offer."
"The animation is truly the heaviest lifting, there is just so much of it to do."
One of the more distinctive aspects of the film is the animation, as it's done in a traditional, 2D style, something that is increasingly uncommon in modern films. The animation on the picture has been praised, and has been compared to golden-age Disney films such as "101 Dalmatians."
"A lot of the people who used to do this have moved to other fields. So we had to coax people back from other fields and find them wherever we could find them. We were fortunate to find very good and talented artists."
While Dutton appreciates both 2D and 3D animation, and enjoys 3D films, he says that he has selected 2D as his niche because it's a more personal form.
"It's a very personal and intimate way of creating the animation, and we've done well, I think it shows up in the characters on the screen. They somehow come alive in an imperfect way. There are always flaws, humans will make mistakes where computers don't, but I somehow think that those flaws, those imprecisions, give those characters a little bit of life," he adds.
The main character of the picture is based on Jacques Tati, and Dutton says that the animation staff spent months watching tape and reading interviews in order get to know the man they were going to portray.
"It may sound cliche, but it's true. We didn't want to do a simple caricature, we wanted to make sure the character was living and breathing," Dutton explains.
The majority of the picture takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was also where the film was animated. While Dutton knows it's possible to animate a place without being there, he appreciates the opportunity to be in Scotland, and walk the streets that the team was animating.
"I think in this instance, being in the city of Edinburgh and walking through the very same streets we were drawing, and seeing a lot of the people who showed up in our film, it really gave it a sense of vibrancy and vitality, and it feels like a place you can visit."
Dutton says that everyone on the team believed the project was special and would be something people loved and wanted to see, and that this belief in what they were doing helped drive them when the work became difficult. He says that when it was nominated, it confirmed what they knew all along.
"What we thought was true, and it was something that people loved, or at least critics. It's been fantastic to have all your expectations borne out, it's been wonderful."
As for their chances at taking home an Oscar, Dutton says that just being one of the three films nominated is an honor in itself.
"I actually loved "How To Train Your Dragon," when I left the theatre my head hurt from smiling so much. That, and "Toy Story 3", and films like "Tangled" and "Despicable Me" and all the rest, there were really good films released this year, and to edge out some of those films which had bigger budgets and wider distribution, is very rewarding. If we were to win, I would be over the moon, but at the moment I'm simply delighted to be where we are," he says.
Right now, Dutton has established a small studio in Calgary, and is working on some French feature films, securing the rights to some high profile productions, and preparing to direct an adaptation of Philip Pullman's book Spring-Heeled Jack.
He says that if someone wants to be an animator, it has to be something they have to do, since it's a volatile business that is difficult to enter and a hard way to make a living.
"If you feel that you must, and you do nothing but draw and watch cartoons, and if it's your calling in life, jump in with both feet, because you won't be happy doing anything else. It's not an easy career, but you've got to believe in it. Failing that, have a fall back career as a dentist or marry wealthy, and I'm not joking. It's something you really, really have to be compelled to do if you want to do it," Dutton says.
The 83rd Academy Awards will be held on February 27, with "The Illusionist" up for best Animated Feature.
