Product Description: Rene Laloux's mesmerizing sci-fi classic based on the book Om en Serie by Stefan Wul is a landmark of European animation. La Planete Sauvage tells the tale of a race of humanoid creatures called Oms fighting for their freedom from the giant blue-skinned Traags who keep them as pets. A group of rebel Oms travel to a strange planet where they try to uncover the secret of the Traags' existence. The film which won the Grand Prix Award at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival prefigures much of the work of Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke Spirited Away) with its palpable political and social concerns cultivated imagination and memorable animation techniques. "Laloux's film is a provocative foray into the psychology of state-sponsored terror...it is difficult to watch any scene without being aware of its symbolic and metaphorical potential" (Senses of Cinema). In French with English subtitles.System Requirements:Running Time: 72 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ANIME UPC: 736899110925 Manufacturer No: DV94805
DVD Incompatibility DVD did not work at all except for the title preview. Why should anyone continue to sell this particular disc knowing it's incompatibilities?
Still looks great! I was surprised and happy! to see this has been made available to purchase as a DVD. I saw this when it was originally playing in theaters and I never forgot it. And I'm happy to report it still looks great. In fact, everything about this movie has stood the test of time. And that Includes the Floyd-ish soundtrack, which I purchased here as well.
I watched this with my 10 year old, she dug it too ; - ).
Buyer Beware! Like some of the others here, I ordered this classic with great anticipation. I remembered it from years ago. Truly an artistic masterpiece. However, when I received the DVD it would not play in any of my three DVD players. You can read the other reviews, but beware, it most likely will NOT play in your player! Don't waste your money!
I WAS RIPPED OFF BY AMAZON ! I remembered this movie from the 70's and was very excited to see Fantastic Planet. It was beautifully animated and a compelling, thought provoking story. My first copy didn't play (I played it after the 30 day warrenty period), so I ordered another one. That wouldn't play either. I sent both of them back immediatly and have not gotten any of my money back. I have bought a large amount of used items from Amazon with pretty good luck. Buying from their inventory was a mistake..........
In a word: strange. But you know what? I kind of like it that way. This animated movie almost touches on being more of a concept piece than science fiction as far as execution is concerned. Fantastic Planet is definitely not for your average sci-fi fan, but it is a very unique experience.
The animation for Fantastic Planet is drawn in a rough yet artistic way. It reminds me of the animation done in the classic Pink Floyd videos. Not exactly something the frame rate maniacs out there would enjoy. The animation does look choppy but considering this was done in 1971 I can forgive that. I can also forgive the animation because the art form in which the movie is done affords a low frame rate. You will be hard pressed to find science fiction content like this in a cartoon in those days.
The planet this movie is done in is just a freaky as those Pink Floyd videos I was talking about. The clothing, plants, creatures, all of it is like looking at a surreal painting done by some French expressionist. I don't mean they are rendered in a strange way. I just mean the things themselves are strange. In a way it adds to the mood of the animation and music (also very Pink Floyd-esque). All this moodiness and artistic content is also a two edged sword. The movie tends to drag in places and there are few scenes that just seem to indulge in the strangeness of it all. The plot itself is solid enough if not totally original. It's just the execution tends to drag at times.
Now there's something you should know in case you're thinking that since this is a cartoon it's appropriate for kids. That may not be the case. There are a fair amount of scenes with partial nudity and a fair amount of violence in it too. Just giving you fair warning.
Bottom line is if you can get into conceptual movies or science fiction that is more avante garde artistic than mainstream then you will find Fantastic Planet interesting. If you only like cutting edge animation then its likely you won't get into this movie. A fair amount of you might just finish the movie scratching your heads so keep that in mind.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
