Today’s quick review: Phantom Boy. Leo (Marcus D’Angelo), a sick boy staying in a hospital for treatment, discovers that he has the power of astral projection. When a sinister criminal known as the Face (Vincent D’Onofrio) holds New York City hostage, Leo uses his power to help Alex (Jared Padalecki), an injured police detective, and Mary (Melissa Disney), an investigative journalist, track down the Face before he can complete his plan.
Phantom Boy is a French animated fantasy film that offers a light, child-friendly take on the crime genre. Leo, a selfless boy struggling with an illness, gains the power to leave his body and roam around the city as an intangible spirit. A chance meeting with Alex gives Leo the chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a detective, all while helping to save the city.
Phantom Boy’s most distinctive feature is its art style. Loose, simple characters, inconsistent perspective, and flat textures with visible strokes give the movie the look and feel of a child’s drawing. Phantom Boy also does a good job managing its tone. The heroes are bold and honest, the villains are menacing yet bumbling, and the level of danger is tuned for children without patronizing them.
Watch Phantom Boy if you are in the mood for something innocent and creative. Its simple writing, middling humor, and peculiar art style keep it from joining the ranks of family classics, but the movie has a unique style and a refreshing tone that make it worthwhile. For a kids’ movie with a similar spirit but more elaborate art and writing, check out The Adventures of Tintin.
6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for charming but insubstantial fantasy.