Fantastic Planet

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Horrorphile - January 2009

La Planète Sauvage (Fantastic Planet)

January 29th 2009 02:09

I remember a pictorial book on the history of modern sf movies I owned when I was a lad and one of the images that stuck in my mind was a still from a French animated feature called Fantastic Planet. The bizarre grotesque imagery stuck with me, and I told myself one day I would find the movie and watch it.

Based on a French novel called Oms en Serie by Stefan Wul and adapted by Roland Topor and director René Laloux, La Planète Sauvage (1973, The Savage Planet), or Fantastic Planet as it was re-titled in America and subsequently the rest of the world, is a dark satire dealing with speciesism and intelligence, war and peace. Despite its simplistic, almost child-like animation style and technique, the subject matter – and much of the imagery – is definitely adult material. There is sexuality, cruel violence, and complicated socio-politics. Think a darker, hallucinogenic Gulliver’s Travels on an alien planet and you’re on your way …

Terr, a Draag, with her pet Om, also named Terr

The movie deals with a nightmare premise, but packaged like a psychedelic acid trip. The fact that it was made in the wake of the international counter-culture can not be dismissed easily. The movie was actually conceived as a huge metaphor for the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, and is in fact a Franco-Czech co-production. The deep satirical elements regarding one “superior” species using another “inferior” species as pets runs as a backbone through the movie’s narrative. But the basic story is thus: the terror, the confinement, the knowledge, the escape, the preparation, the revenge, the realization, the compromise, the peace.

A Draag political arena

On a distant planet live the Draags, giant blue humanoids with advanced intelligence, but they live amidst a cruel and destructive environment, a planet not their own. Their own planet, the Savage Planet, is too inhospitable for them to habit any longer, yet they still astral travel to it via meditation to conduct strange nuptial rituals.

Terr is mesmerised by the Draag's xenomorphic r&r

The Draags have pets: tiny humans they called Oms (stolen from Earth it appears). There are the tamed Oms, and there are the wild Oms. Terr, a baby Om named after his young female Draag owner, narrates the entire story, describing how he was orphaned and raised as a pet, but inadvertently learnt much of the Draag’s complicated social patterns and history through a special knowledge tool, which he then steals and escapes with. He is befriended by a female wild Om, and ingratiates himself into her clan, eventually leading a revolt against the Draags, and eventually heading to the Savage Planet via re-built rocketships from the Draag’s abandoned rocketship city.

Adult Terr and his Om lover

Om combat training

Despite the animation’s crude style, there is much to marvel at. The visual imagination of director Laloux is at times nightmarishly startling. Black humour is streaked through the movie, while at other times there is tenderness and poignancy. It’s a delicate balance of elements, and certainly not to everyone’s tastes. In fact I’d go as far as saying many viewers would be put off by the animation very quickly, especially in the digital Pixar climate.

Alien grotesquerie

Terr is about to be adorned with new threads

Fantastic Planet is pure sf, but it’s no WALL-E. It could be described as a neo-hippie diatribe, but infused with an unbridled imagination of originality and innovation. Not too dissimilar to the kinds of otherwordly (yet Earthly clever) tales of greed, lust, power and abuse illustrated in pioneering French adult science-fantasy magazine Metal Hurlant (known to the rest of the world as Heavy Metal). The movie was nominated at Cannes for the Palm D’Or, and won the Grand Prix Award.

Om revenge

If you’re looking for something different when it comes to analysing the class struggle in an animated feature, but you’re not so keen on the Anime style, and don’t want the obviousness of Disney or Pixar, then try Rene Laloux’s Fantastic Planet, it’s “fantastic” in the pure sense of the word, but as its original title states, its also savage.

Here's the "stoned" original U.S. trailer:

Fantastic Planet DVD (with two bonus short animated films from Rene Laloux) is courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, many thanks!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

8 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Cibbuano

January 29th 2009 02:17

Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak

I reviewed this, too... I loved the surreal images and the bizarre story, but I thought the end was rushed, as if they ran out of money to finish it...?

Comment by Bryn

January 29th 2009 02:31

Horrorphile

hey Cibby, that's right, I thought someone else had already reviewed it. Yes, I guess the first two-thirds are kinda languid, and then the whole revolt and reconciliation is compressed. It's only 68 minutes, so I suppose it could've been another fifteen or so mins longer, although I was growing a little weary of the animation style and story-telling toward the end.

Comment by Damo

January 29th 2009 06:29

I absolutely loved the visuals of this film. However I think you would have to be a a true hippy accepts all of its weirdness.

I remember watching this years ago and it still stick in the mind.

You do not need to understand it.
Just enjoy the trip.

Comment by Bryn

January 29th 2009 07:44

Horrorphile

Damo, I knew you'd come out smiling ... You'll be dismayed to know that an American live action (?!) remake is planned for release next year ... (groan)

Comment by Damo

January 29th 2009 07:53

Remake?

Dear God, why are we being punished so?

Comment by Bryn

January 30th 2009 00:49

Horrorphile

Damo, welcome to Hell.

Comment by Quin Goot

January 30th 2009 01:52

Cinema Banana

I recently saw this at the Sydney festival on a big screen accompanied by the sounds of Ben Walsh & the Orkestra of the Underground. It was an awesome experience and I enjoyed the film. It initially impacted me as coming from a bit of an animal liberationists perspective. I was afraid of treading on ants for some time afterwards.

Comment by Bryn

January 30th 2009 05:27

Horrorphile

Quin, yes I saw that screening listed, but couldn't make it. I wanted to make the Run, Lola, Run screening too.

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