Renaissance is a 2006 French CGI animated science-fiction film featuring the voices of Daniel Craig, Ian Holm, Jonathan Pryce, and Catherine McCormack. Set in Paris in 2054, it follows inspector Barthelmey Karas (Craig) as he investigates the kidnapping of a brilliant young researcher named Ilona from the resident MegaCorp, Avalon.
While the plot is relatively by-the-numbers, what makes this film stand out are the visuals. With one or two momentary exceptions, the entire film is animated in pure black and pure white, which makes for some seriously stunning sequences.
This film provides examples of:
- All-CGI Cartoon: As noted above, the film is all CGI but lit almost entirely in black and white.
- Bittersweet Ending: Ilona, Muller, and possibly Karas are dead, and Dellenbach gets away with murder as well as kidnapping and torturing a cop, but Karas has kept the secret of immortality out of their hands.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Dellenbach, the CEO of Avalon.
- Cowboy Cop: Karas hits all the usual beats for this trope.
- Da Chief: An unnamed woman who only appears for one scene.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Karas used to be in a gang along with Farfalla, and at one point, the two of them ended up captured by a rival group. Karas helped Farfalla escape, but didn't manage to make it out himself. What followed was evidently quite traumatic and put Karas on the path to becoming a cop.
- Evil All Along: Ilona.
- Fatal Family Photo: Karas tells one of his buddies to "go home to your wife and son," and the man gets kidnapped by an Avalon agent within about thirty seconds.
- The Future Is Noir: This film is Noir design taken up to eleven.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Avalon's private security.
- Grey-and-Grey Morality: The only black-and-white thing in this movie is the art style.
- Immortality Begins at Twenty: Played with. While Klaus is permanently stuck in the body he had when he became immortal, he had progeria, which means he's trapped in the body of a boy with the body of an eighty-year-old man.
- Immortality Immorality: The movie offers a combination of "It's inherently wrong" and "Even if it was a good idea, letting Avalon control it is a guaranteed nightmare."
- I Owe You My Life: Farfalla owes his to Karas.
- Karma Houdini: Dellenbach gets off scott-free for ordering multiple murders and kidnapping and torturing a police officer.
- Product Placement: The film really makes sure you know that the police's communication equipment was made by Motorola.
- MegaCorp: Avalon is a downplayed example.
- Shoot the Dog: At the end of the film, Karas kills Ilona in order to keep the secret of immortality out of Avalon's hands.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: The movie is about trying to rescue someone, and ends with the murder of that same someone by the rescuer.
- Splash of Color: Klaus's crayon drawings are shown in full, vibrant color.
- Suicide by Cop: Dr. Muller goes out this way.
- Turn in Your Badge: After Karas implies that Da Chief is on the take from Avalon.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The film is set in the year 2054.
- Wham Line: "You understand nothing. She's the danger!"
