From Academy-award nominated animators Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, Phantom Boy tells the story of Leo (voiced by Gaspard Gagnol), a very sick child stuck in hospital who can send out his “phantom” – a sort of ghost version of himself that no one else can see – to fly around Manhattan while bedridden with his unnamed but serious disease.
When a supervillain known known as The Man With the Broken Face (Jean-Pierre Marielle) takes over the city with threats of a deadly computer virus, Leo teams up with hospitalised renegade cop Alex (Edouard Baer) in an effort to save the city.
The plot is fairly formulaic but I loved the animation style. It’s colourful angular and striking, and very different to those you see in Studio Ghibli animations, for example.
It’s a very charming movie, lots of fun to watch, quite moving at the end, and great for families looking for something a bit different.
4/5
Phantom Boy is screening at the Sydney Film Festival.
