[FOUR DAYS ONLY] The title (and its country of origin) suggest a cartoonish, Altman-esque exploration of the tawdry bedrooms of urban France. But Tales of the Night is much more innocent: a feature-length continuation of a made-for-TV trilogy of folk tales released 20 years ago. That the subject matter is kid-appropriate does nothing to detract from French animator Michel Ocelot’s dark, drastic aesthetic, which brings to mind the ancient shadow puppetry of the Far East. There are a few notable technological updates to Ocelot’s 1992 approach: Sparing use of computer imagery adds contrast to his now-iconic visual narrative. The effect is beautifully off-putting visual trickery and forged depth perception. Plotwise, six vignettes are tied together by the pretense that a troupe of three urban performers collaborate from dusty desks at the back of a condemned theater. They neither have nor seem to want an audience—whether they’re driven by delusions of grandeur or simple fantasy fulfillment, two young romantics and a crotchety theater veteran stage six productions of folk tales that are simultaneously familiar and unpredictable. Much like Jim Henson applied his own unmistakable brand to take on timeless mythology (with his at times harrowing series The Storyteller), Ocelot’s subtle wit and poetic tone make Tales undeniably trippy.