Review of Fantastic Planet (1973) by Valerie R — 26 Jun 2008

A real oddity this, Rene Laloux's most famous animated feature is certainly unique. Almost everything is tinged with a Surrealist edge, from the designs of the characters to their clothes, the environment and the strange customs and rituals seen throughout.

It's all animated in a simple stlye reminiscent of a children's picture book, but with a more unsettling tone, such as the emotions on the faces of the Draags being more ambiguous without any eyebrows.

Fast moving and with an interesting story, "Fantastic Planet" is a real treasure, but there's more to it than that. Originally begun just after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, it was adapted and configured from its original source material into a parable about the increasing dangerousness and the desire for peace in the climate of the Cold War.

It's effective and easy to spot the parallels, but on its own the film stands as a tale about peace and liberty that can speak to all nations of all times. Rarely is an animated feature so keen to keep in tune with ordinary humanity.