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''Phantom Boy'' is a 2015
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...
directed by
Jean-Loup Felicioli Jean-Loup Felicioli (born 1960) is a French film maker. In January 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award for the movie '' A Cat in Paris''. He also directed '' Phantom Boy''. Born in 1960 in Albertville, Felicioli studied at Schools of Fi ...
and
Alain Gagnol Alain Gagnol (born 1967) is a French film maker. In January 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by ...
and written by Alain Gagnol. The film stars
Édouard Baer Édouard Baer (born 1 December 1966) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, film producer and radio personality. In 2001, Edouard Baer played the Egyptian scribe Otis in Alain Chabat's hit comedy Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra. Baer ...
,
Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...
,
Audrey Tautou Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at age 18 on television, and her feature film debut in '' Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the César Awa ...
,
Jackie Berroyer Jackie Berroyer (born 24 May 1946) is a French actor, comedian and writer. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Berroyer, Jackie 1946 births Living people French male film actors French male television actors 20th ...
, Gaspard Gagnol and Noa Bernaoui-Savreux. The film was released in France on October 14, 2015, by Diaphana Films.


Plot

11-year-old Leo, dealing with
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
, reads a bedtime story to his younger sister Lily, before sharing a special secret with her: the illness has given Leo the ability to separate his spirit from his physical body, allowing him to hover and fly through the air in an intangible, invisible, and impalpable form, with his body remaining mostly asleep. He refers to this state as a "Phantom", but if he spends too much time away from his body, he will begin to fade away before disappearing entirely. Meanwhile,
NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
Lieutenant Alex Tanner is demoted by his boss, Captain Simon, and assigned grunt work after he manages to catch two burglars robbing a
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
, but blows up part of the building in the process. Leo is taken to the hospital for more tests, as his illness worsens. He laments over the loss of his hair and follows his mother home as a phantom. She weeps over Leo's health but does not let Lily see her cry. That night, a strange man with a greatly disfigured face makes a phone call to the Mayor. He proceeds to cause a blackout that affects all of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
: he informs the Mayor the blackout was done by a powerful
computer virus A computer virus is a type of malware that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and Code injection, inserting its own Computer language, code into those programs. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas ...
he has put into the internet, that will destroy the entire city's infrastructure in the next 24 hours unless he receives a payment of one billion dollars. While the man refers to himself as the King of New York, newspaper outlets begin calling him "The Face". Tanner attempts to apprehend The Face at the docks but is outsmarted and left for dead under a broken crate. Tanner is taken to a hospital, where his phantom encounters Leo's. Leo guides Tanner's phantom back into his body, as Leo has done for countless other patients, just as Tanner's phantom starts to fade. When Tanner awakens, Leo is amazed to find that Tanner remembers his phantom, as all other patients forget. Tanner meets with Miss Mary Delaney, a reporter with an anonymous lead as to the location of The Face. Leo convinces Tanner to let his phantom tag along since Tanner's leg is still broken. Mary is ambushed by The Face but manages to escape with the help of Leo's phantom and Tanner (via telephone). Then the two blackmail The Mole, an ex-con on
parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...
, to help Mary look for information pertaining to The Face's whereabouts as Leo's phantom follows. When his phantom returns to the hospital, Leo sees his parents crying and Lily reading to an imaginary version of Leo so she does not get lonely. The Face captures Mary after The Mole fails to rescue her and is knocked unconscious. The Big Guy and The Little Guy, The Face's henchmen, arrive at the hospital with orders to kill Tanner. Tanner manages to gain the upper hand but The Big Guy runs off with Leo's body. Leo's phantom is able to return just as hospital security arrests the two hitmen. Leo's phantom follows The Face's dog back to the docks. It leads Leo to a ship called ''Vizir'' where Mary is held captive. Nearing
midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...
, The Face leaves Mary onboard the ship and detonates a bomb. She frantically attempts to stop the virus by guessing the password that will shut it down, eventually succeeding when she realizes from The Face's words that the password is "Eyelids". Tanner and Leo's fading phantom help her escape the sinking ship but The Face returns, enraged over his plan destroyed. During the confrontation, The Face lashes out at his dog, resulting in the dog attacking him. Mary makes it off the ship as it finally sinks. Leo's phantom races back to the hospital but disappears just outside the building. Spiritless, Leo's body falls into a coma. Tanner, guilty about Leo endangering his life to save Mary, tells her about Leo's abilities. Lily reads one of her bedtime stories to Leo's body, and his spirit is able to return. He tearfully reunites with his family. Some time later, Tanner's leg has healed and he begins a relationship with Mary. He receives a call from Captain Simon informing him that the Mayor wants to congratulate him with a ceremony and a promotion, much to the Captain's dismay. Back at home, Leo finishes reading Lily a bedtime story and gazes out at the New York City skyline.


Voice cast


Production


Screenplay

''Phantom Boy'' is the second film co-directed by
Alain Gagnol Alain Gagnol (born 1967) is a French film maker. In January 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by ...
and
Jean-Loup Felicioli Jean-Loup Felicioli (born 1960) is a French film maker. In January 2012, he was nominated for an Academy Award for the movie '' A Cat in Paris''. He also directed '' Phantom Boy''. Born in 1960 in Albertville, Felicioli studied at Schools of Fi ...
, who had already worked together on ''
A Cat in Paris ''A Cat in Paris'' () is a 2010 animated adventure crime comedy film by the French 2D animation studio Folimage, directed by Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol. An international co-production of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, ...
'', an animated film inspired by film noir set in Paris. For ''Phantom Boy'', the two directors chose to mix the detective genre with the fantastic, two genres not often associated in animated films, and to create a detective film for children. They also drew some of their inspiration from American
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
stories.Press kit for ''Phantom Boy''
on the Diaphana distributor's website, authors' statement, page 3. PDF document consulted on October 11, 2015.
The character of Leo, aka ''Phantom Boy'', is inspired by comic book superheroes created by writer
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
for the publisher
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
in the 1960s (Stan Lee is best known for inventing
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
, the web-slinger, and
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
, who transforms into a green-skinned colossus with superhuman strength); the directors particularly appreciate his work because he chose to invent fallible superheroes, making them relatable to real-world people.Press kit for ''Phantom Boy''
on the Diaphana distributor's website, "Influences", page 10. PDF document consulted on October 11, 2015.
Leo's nickname, ''Phantom Boy'', is intended as an allusion to the names often used for American superheroes. Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli intertwine in the screenplay typical elements of detective films (characters wearing hats and trench coats, investigations, a journalist assisting the police occasionally) with others borrowed from superhero adventures (Leo's extraordinary power, the "supervillains" recognizable by their distinctive and picturesque traits), with the two genres converging in a common urban imaginary. The film's title uses the English word ''phantom'', chosen because it evokes less the idea of a ghost than the word ''ghost'', as its sounds are closer to French and the film's creators find them more poetic. In its early stages, the project also had a French title, ''Insaisissable''.


Animation

The visual universe of ''Phantom Boy'' is similar to that of ''
A Cat in Paris ''A Cat in Paris'' () is a 2010 animated adventure crime comedy film by the French 2D animation studio Folimage, directed by Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol. An international co-production of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, ...
''. Again, the directors opted for a
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
whose animation is done by hand on paper, with computer work taking place only at a later stage. Likewise, the adopted graphic style aims to showcase the "touch" of the artists. In the directors' statement included in the film's press kit, they indicated that this choice ''serves to remind that films are not mere consumer products but the result of the meticulous work of a group of artists and technicians''. The New York of ''Phantom Boy'' is designed from photos of modern-day New York, but by relocating certain buildings or changing their angles to invent a slightly different New York. The sets are drawn in wax chalk on paper before being refined on a computer, without erasing the traces of pencil and chalk strokes. The OpenToonz software, also used by
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
, is one of the tools used to create this animated feature film.


Music

The film's music is composed by Serge Besset, who had previously composed the soundtrack for ''A Cat in Paris''. The soundtrack of ''Phantom Boy'' is primarily composed of symphonic music intended to give breath to the adventure. Children's choirs further enhance the strangeness of the fantastic sequences where Leo uses his power.


Box Office

''Phantom Boy'' was released in theaters in France on October 14, 2015; it was shown in 173 theaters. During its opening week, the film gathered just over 33,600 admissions, including 8,450 in Paris. Towards the end of its theater run, ''Phantom Boy'' accumulated just over 151,450 admissions in France, and broke even at 24%.


Release

The film premiered at the
2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...
on September 12, 2015. The film was released in France on October 14, 2015, by Diaphana Films.


Reception

On review aggregation site
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds and approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "Stunning animation and old-fashioned charm more than make up for a relative lack of narrative depth."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


References


External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, phantom_boy 2015 animated films 2015 films 2015 fantasy films 2010s animated superhero films 2010s French animated films Belgian animated fantasy films French animated fantasy films French superhero films English-language French films English-language Belgian films 2010s superhero films Animated teen superhero films Folimage films Anifilm award winners 2010s English-language films Belgian animated feature films 2010s Belgian films Films with screenplays by Alain Gagnol English-language action films English-language fantasy films