Exploring the issue of an aching loss, where even those closest to you dismiss its importance, is the political core of the film. The film is shot with a glossy, nostalgic air, using the palate to change the colour saturation depending on the protagonists mood. This technique, along with a restrained, tight lipped performance from Firth, makes for a unique experience.

Plot wise, it all goes about where you'd expect it to, but it's done with such grace and remarkable craft that it's easy to forgive those more conventional genre tropes. It is perhaps all the more remarkable that an icon of the fashion industry has demonstrated with this remarkable first film that even the most carefully crafted facade does nothing to hide a wretched pain within, and that by relaxing these rigid disciplines that one can again find solace.

Local boy Atom showed up and fielded questions from the author of a book about The Adjuster. Affable, energetic, as loquacious as ever, Atom spoke for about 45 minutes, where he was interrupted by a (superfluous) clip show.

Pleasingly, Elias Koteas was sitting a few rows back. Some good stories, a breezy break from the grind of the rest of the fest.

Don Hahn was at the center of this dynamic (Academy Award nominated producer of Beauty and the Beast, for starters), and he has crafted a documentary with all the wit, grace, and skill that Disney, at its best, puts into its animated masterpieces. The scope of the film is wide, yet the pace of the film is almost breezy. At 82 minutes, not a shot is wasted, and through judicious use of music and narration we're drawn into this compelling tale of creativity, hubris, and sheer effort. This is no accident, with a film crafted by people who habitually obsess about story, pacing, and mood as they trim over a period of many years their films to the point of excellence. In short, this is a doc crafted as well as the best of their animated films.

One key to the success of this film is that Hahn consciously chose to only use period visual footage. Augmenting these images, many of which have never been seen, are frank interviews of Katzenberg, Eisner, and other key personnel. Intercut with these old elements are restored clips from Lion King, Mermaid, and other classics. Projected digitally, these clips looked absolutely glorious on the giant screen, making them the visual highlight of the entire piece.

For even a casual fan of cinema, this is a fascinating story, full of intrigue. For any fan of Animation or Disney, this is a dream come true, an authorized look at the inside of the Magic Kingdom's sweatshop.

A typical triad vs. triad piece, there are nonetheless moments of startling beauty. A set piece where giant cubes of garbage are incessantly rolled towards the protagonists, Katamari-style, is an image not soon forgotten.

Other than these bright flourishes, it's all pretty old hat. A fairly silly ending involving a shouty, amnesiac Frenchmen looking for the owner of a particular jacket is a bit hard to stomach. Still, it's a fun ride, and comfortably fits in with other genre pics of its like.