Louis Clichy Combines Realism and Fantasy in Cannes Animation ‘Iron Boy’: ‘I Wanted This Story to Have Solid Foundations’

“Iron Boy” director Louis Clichy is happy to bring his latest animation to Cannes – even though the world’s biggest festival is a whole different universe. 

“I’m glad it’s not in some ‘special category’,” he tells Variety. Sold by Playtime, “Iron Boy” premiered in Un Certain Regard, dazzling critics, hailed by Variety as “both visually dazzling and deeply personal.”

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“For us animators, Cannes is a foreign world. There’s way more ego around. Also, there are still all these stereotypes about what animation is, like it being ‘over the top’ or just for children. But we can do subtle stuff too, because animators are really good actors.”

He adds: “Animation is expensive, so many people don’t want to take risks. But that’s our responsibility!”

In his film, little Christophe grows up on a farm. Life is hard there, and it requires a strong backbone – which is precisely what Christophe seems to lack. He keeps collapsing, causing minor disasters at home and at school. The solution is simple: He must wear an iron corset. At all times. 

“The corset is a metaphor for adolescence,” admits Clichy.

“When you’re that age, you don’t feel comfortable; you want to cover up your body. It exaggerates this whole idea of not being happy with what’s going on. Also, in a way, you have to be very ‘straight’ to survive on a farm. And he’s different.”

Clichy grew up in the countryside, too.  

“I come from an agricultural background, but I moved to the city when I was 11 and my parents divorced. Now, I had to go back. I didn’t want to tell my own story – I just borrowed some things that were important to me. [Screenwriter] Franck Salomé helped me with that a lot.”

He notes: “I didn’t want anyone here to feel like a stereotype. Christophe’s father doesn’t like to express his feelings – he’s from that generation of men – but he loves sentimental pop songs and that already tells you a lot.”

Christophe constantly feels like he’s disappointing his father. He’s also increasingly aware that things aren’t going well on the farm. He has to escape, and art offers him a way out. Just like for Clichy himself?

“I think that’s pretty obvious,” he laughs.

“I would also say that he’s not just finding refuge in art – he finds another father figure in that church organist [who teaches him how to play]. Christophe needs someone to take care of him. I’m not sure if this boy is actually a good musician. I didn’t want him to play in a big concert or win a competition à la Billy Elliot. He’s not Mozart, you know. He just likes this teacher and appreciates their time together.” 

Clichy wanted to keep things down to earth in “Iron Boy.”

“That was a balance I really wanted. There’s something very realistic about it, but there’s also all this magic. We go big when they shout and when they laugh,” he explains.

“I didn’t know anything about organs before the movie, so I really had to study that. I think it’s important to make sure you know what you’re talking about. The audience might not know if you’re cheating, or care, but I wanted this story to have solid foundations. Only then I could be sure that the realism and fantasy would work together.” 

Clichy is behind “Asterix: The Mansion of Gods” and “Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion,” but “Iron Boy” – produced by Eddy Cinéma with Beside Productions and Regular Production – is a whole different ballgame. He calls it “traditional animation.” 

“By which I mean it was developed frame by frame. That’s why I love animation, and although CGI and 3D have become so fashionable, after ‘Asterix’ I wanted to go back to something much simpler. That’s exactly what I’ve done.”

His chosen technique allowed him to be subtle when it came to the characters’ expressions.

“I liked the fact that everything was a bit… rough. It allowed me to be spontaneous, and fast and furious,” he jokes.  

“It can be tough because you still want to communicate so much, and all you have is one line. It forced me to be precise. You can’t hide behind a full head of hair or beautiful clothes, so we had to make sure we were always on the same path.” 

The smaller budget ultimately allowed him to be free – “we had no limits” – and to go beyond the usual restrictions. 

“With animation, people either go very commercial or very arty, and then many viewers go: ‘This is not for me.’ I wanted to take a little bit of everything. There are animated films like that – it’s enough to look at Miyazaki, who’s often paints a realistic picture of the state of the world. I was really inspired by that.”