Chomet's next film was The Illusionist (L'Illusionniste), which premiered at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010, after many delays (it was first planned for release in 2007) The Illusionist, like Chomet's previous work, has its roots in mid twentieth century popular French culture. It is based on an unproduced script that Jacques Tati had written in 1956 as a personal letter to his estranged eldest daughter, and stars an animated version of Tati himself. It was originally conceived by Tati as a journey of love and discovery that takes two characters across western Europe to Prague. Chomet says that "Tati wanted to move from purely visual comedy and try an emotionally deeper story" and states that "It's not a romance, it’s more the relationship between a dad and a daughter". It cost an estimated £10 million to make, and was funded by Pathé Pictures.
According to the 2006 reading of The Illusionist script at the London Film School introduced by Chomet, "The great French comic Jacques Tati wrote the script of The Illusionist and intended to make it as a live action film with his daughter."
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