On-sale for VTIFF Members now, General Public on-sale is 10/6 at 10:00 A.M.
Become a member anytime!
While Disney/Pixar spent $250 million on the fifth Toy Story adventure, a former cog in the Pixar machine made one of the year’s standout animated films—just as exciting yet winningly personal—for a small fraction of that budget, winning a Special Jury Prize at Cannes in the process. Louis Clichy was at Pixar during their peak, working in the art department for WALL-E and Up before returning to France to make his own films. In an animation ecosystem where everything seems to adhere to a formula that’s more Pavlovian than pleasurable, Iron Boy is the perfect antidote. The story follows 10-year-old Christophe, a rambunctious boy living on a struggling farm. Christophe is prone to mishaps and has balance issues—a crick in his spine exacerbating his already unstable equilibrium—necessitating a full-body orthopedic brace. As he tries to adjust to his new circumstance, he meets a rebellious new friend, tries to help save the family farm, and follows his newfound passion for playing Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem on the pipe organ. It has been quite some time since I’ve been so swept away by the visual style of an animated movie, but Iron Boy’s limited palette and hand-drawn watercolor compositions are quietly stunning, each frame a witty, painterly delight. ~OO