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Renaissance (2006 film)

From Alfawiki
Renaissance
Company typeCo-production
IndustryFilm industry
Founded2006
Headquarters
France / United Kingdom / Luxembourg
ProductsAnimated feature film

Renaissance—also titled Paris 2054: Renaissance—is a 2006 animated tech noir feature co-produced by France, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg. Under the direction of Christian Volckman, it premiered in France on 15 March 2006, followed by a UK release on 28 July 2006 through Pathé Distribution, and later debuted in the United States on 22 September 2006 via Miramax Films. The English-language cast includes voice performances by Daniel Craig, Jonathan Pryce, and Ian Holm. Utilizing motion capture technology, the film is primarily rendered in stark black-and-white imagery, with selective use of color to emphasize certain elements. The narrative centers on a French detective investigating the abduction of a scientist who might possess the key to Immortality within a dystopian vision of Paris.

Although praised for its distinctive artistic approach, Renaissance garnered mixed critical responses and underperformed commercially, earning just $1.8 million globally against an $18 million production budget.

Plot

Set in a futuristic Paris, the story begins with the disappearance of Ilona Tasuiev, a scientist working for the powerful corporation Avalon. Following his resolution of a hostage crisis, Police Captain Barthélémy Karas is tasked with leading the investigation. He reaches out to Dr. Jonas Muller, a former Avalon researcher who had pursued treatments for progeria before abandoning his work due to failure and personal tragedy involving his brother.

Muller cautions Karas that "No one ever leaves Avalon," implying the corporation’s sinister hold. When Karas interrogates Avalon’s CEO Paul Dellenbach regarding Ilona’s whereabouts, he encounters evasiveness. Pursuing leads, Karas detains an associate linked to mobster Farfella—Karas’s childhood companion. Farfella provides surveillance footage revealing Ilona’s abduction by an unusually aged man.

Ilona’s sister Bislane, also employed at Avalon, discovers that Muller and Dr. Nakata had previously conducted progeria experiments but destroyed records after harmful side effects emerged. Karas shares his troubled past with Farfella and places Bislane under protective custody disguised as an arrest to shield her from Avalon’s security forces.

Muller later confesses to kidnapping Ilona upon learning she uncovered the secret to eternal life—a revelation he had found years earlier—but fears Avalon’s intentions to misuse it. During a confrontation, Muller is accidentally killed; Karas deduces that the elderly abductor is Muller's immortal younger brother trapped in an aged body.

Farfella conceals Bislane and arranges false documentation for Ilona; however, Avalon closes in on their location. In the rescue attempt, Karas sustains fatal injuries. Ilona declines escape, choosing instead to surrender her discovery to Avalon. As she returns to their custody, Karas shoots her while CEO Dellenbach watches via live transmission.

In his final moments, Karas envisions apologizing to Bislane for Ilona’s death; she offers forgiveness. Meanwhile, Muller's immortal brother burns their photograph. The film concludes with an Avalon advertisement promoting eternal youth: "With Avalon, I know I'm beautiful and I'm going to stay that way."

French

English voice cast

Production

The film’s visual style merges elements of film noir with inspiration drawn from Japanese anime, notably titles such as Sin City. Utilizing motion capture technology alongside computer-generated imagery, actors performed in motion-capture suits before a blue screen environment. These performances were then transformed by animators into digital character models set within three-dimensional computer-generated backgrounds, further refined through post-production visual effects. French car manufacturer Citroën contributed to the creation of a futuristic vehicle concept for the film, designing a model envisioned for 2054 after the director initially expressed interest in featuring a Citroën DS. Completing this design required three months. The overall production budget reached €14 million across six years, with partial financing from Disney and an additional US$3 million provided by Miramax.

Box office performance

Globally, the film earned a total of $1,831,348, including $70,644 from the North American market and $1,760,704 from international regions. This international revenue notably comprised $1,520,587 generated in Algeria, France, Monaco, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Critical response

The movie garnered a range of reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, a percentage of critics offered favorable evaluations based on 77 critiques, resulting in an average score. The site’s consensus highlighted that Renaissance presents a fusion of science fiction intrigue and stark noir animation but tends to captivate more through its visuals than its storyline. Metacritic assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100 based on 17 reviews.

Renaissance received the Cristal Award for Best Feature at the 30th Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was also honored with Best Feature Film at the 5th Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials.

See also

External links

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