Without having seen Arthur and the Invisibles (it’s in the queue) I’d have to say that Luc Besson’s directing career has ground to a near halt, at least coming from the hope that he might actually evolve and put his stylish skills to some use. But his producer’s pants must need replacing every quarter, the guy is so busy. His latest acquisition is Mathias Malzieu’s book La Mecanique du coeur (The Mechanics of the Heart) which he plans to turn into a 3-D animated movie.
The good news is that Malzieu will write and co-direct. The other co-director is Stephane Berla who, ironically, has already partially adapted the book. See, French chanson crooner Dionysos made a record based on the book, and Berla has already helmed two videos from the record. His style is very much post-Burton/Selick; the clip for ‘Neige’ in particular brings a serious Nightmare Before Christmas / Corpse Bride feel. (See ‘Neige’ here and ‘Tais-toi mon coeur’ here.)
The Mechanics of the Heart is primo 3D animation material; it’s set in 1874 and focuses on “a young man whose heart was replaced at
birth with a clock. He should avoid strong emotions, above all love,
but can’t keep his heart under control.” Sounds like my uncle, except his heart is one of those pieces of art made from bottle caps.
And while I’m linking to Dionysos videos, this clip for ‘Tes lacets sont des fées’ is everything I’ve ever wanted from a French music video. It’s also very slightly NSFW, which might have something to do with it.