Sylvain Chomet | Joker: Me and My Shadow – Opening Sequence

‘Me and My Shadow’ –is a chaotic overture to ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Directed by Sylvain Chomet—the visionary behind ‘The Triplets of Belleville’, ‘The Illusionist’, and even a whimsical segment for ‘The Simpsons’—this animated short film serves as the riotous opening to Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. The sequence is a delirious love letter to the anarchic spirit of ‘Looney Tunes’, infused with Chomet’s signature wit and visual poetry.Produced over 10 months by Chomet’s own Picture Box studio, the project brought together a lean but mighty team of 15 animators, illustrators, and designers. Their mission was translate Arthur Fleck and Harley Quinn’s twisted romance into a 4-minute cartoon that balances slapstick humor with existential dread. Think ‘Tasmanian Devil’ meets ‘Francis Bacon’: Harley’s heart-shaped mallet smashes through fourth walls, Joker’s grin stretches into a Cubist scream, and Gotham City morphs into a rubber-hose playground where gravity is optional.The sequence pulses to the tune of ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love’—a cheeky, irony-laden choice as crooned by a chorus of squeaky-voiced henchmen. Chomet’s team reimagined the 1965 Burt Bacharach classic as a vaudevillian earworm, complete with kazoos and off-key accordions. Chomet explained. “In a world this broken, even love becomes a punchline.”Visually, *Me and My Shadow* is a technical marvel. Chomet blended hand-drawn 2D animation with digital flourishes, creating a hybrid style that nods to ‘1940s Merrie Melodies’ while feeling utterly modern.Despite its comedic veneer, the sequence carries Chomet’s trademark melancholy. Harley’s heartbreaks flicker in watercolor flashbacks, while Joker’s shadow—a sentient, grinning entity—whispers doubts in his ear.