Fantastic Planet (1973)
The French do animation exactly as you’d imagine they would.
Presentation:
This is one of those psychedelic films where you watch thinking, “WTF?”, but gets better the longer it marinates in your memory. But this may be because I’m a more open-minded cinema lover and appreciate weird and exciting experiences. I can’t think of another film that looks like this but its style is somehow familiar to other art styles I’ve seen in my childhood. The visuals of this animation have a newspaper cutout look with Dali-esque surrealism. I really enjoy this art style, so I may be inflating my appreciation for this piece as many could find it simply outdated. The story is low effort, but I think its limitation can be explained by how short this film is at 70 minutes. They probably didn’t have enough resources to tell a more substantial story, even though the themes and universe building clearly have immense potential. More steelmanning, the brevity of this film is what adds to its charm and makes for an even more watchable recommendation in the Hall of Spice.
Conclusion:
I finished thinking this was a restrictively shallow plot, no different than all the other wabi-sabi French films I’ve watched. But I ultimately enjoyed it immensely and appreciate its unique art style even more than Color of Pomegranates. I would definitely recommend this film for those looking for obscure or spicy cinematic experiences when you’ve already seen it all.
Recommendations
The French do animation exactly as you’d imagine they would.