3 Surreal-Fish-Headed-Aliens out of 4
I’ve never been the greatest fan of surrealism. I’ve always felt that the strange colours, odd lines, and overcomplicated themes are confusing. Surrealism has always seemed like a strange way to examine reality; looking at an apple through a kaleidoscope lens to better understand the apple and the kaleidoscope has never made sense to me.
Fantastic Planet, a 1973 French-Czechoslovakian animated film based on a novel by French writer Stefan Wul, is an example of a surrealist mess. Wul’s novel, Oms en serie (Oms linked together) was published in 1957, and Laloux’s film shares much of its themes and plot with its novel inspiration. What the film does not share with the novel is a spectacular score by Alain Goraguer, surrealist cinematography by Boris Baromykin and Lubomir Rejthar, and a visual style created by renowned French artist Roland Topor.
Utilizing the unique combination of cut-out drawings in tandem with stop motion animation, Laloux and his team produce a feature that entrances, entertains, and challenges its audience’s notions of film and art. The movie is weird and it is a surrealist mess, but it works in a satisfying way.
Telling the story of humanity’s pet-like enslavement at the hands of 100-foot-tall blue humanoid aliens with flippers for ears, Fantastic Planet examines the relationship between the human Oms and the flipper-eared Draag. Calling into question the nature of intelligence, the virtue of slavery, and the safety found in ignorance, the film defies the idea that any particular group should have power over another.
Oms come in two varieties: domesticated and wild. Though the wild Oms are shown to be free from Draag control, their ignorance of the Draag home planet and their stunning refusal to learn raises the film’s most prominent question: “What’s the point of freedom if you don’t have any knowledge to utilize it?” Wild Oms, due to their uncivilized violence, are considered dangerous pests in need of extermination. Domesticated Oms are considered cute pets worthy of being dressed up in funny costumes.
The Draag-Om relationship is reminiscent of humanity’s relationship with nature; whatever can’t be controlled must be exterminated, regardless of the virtues of control. Laloux emphasizes this connection by portraying Draag cities as pristine utopias controlled and maintained by scientific achievement. Anything beyond the realm of Draag control is relegated to strange wastelands populated by uniquely alien flora and fauna, brought to life by Topor’s distinctive art-style.
Goraguer’s psychedelic score helps set the mood and tone for much of Fantastic Planet. Trippy guitar riffs play during the especially bizarre scenes, string chords play during moments of sadness and deep reflection, and percussion takes over during scenes conveying power and loss of control. Due to Fantastic Planet‘s unique style and the lack of strong emotion emanating from Draag characters, voice actor performances are generally unreliable. It’s unfair to claim that the actors deliver weak performances – the film simply renders the vocal performances irrelevant.
Much of the film’s plot is told visually and musically, with a sparse narrator providing explanation for particularly confusing scenes. The film’s unique art-style and distinctive musical motifs make watching Fantastic Planet akin to reading a picture book. Baromykin and Rejthar’s cinematography add to the picture book motif. Scenes feature simple movement with far greater detail paid to the creation of a fascinating universe.
Despite the film’s successes, I have notable concerns with certain plot choices and the story’s conclusion. I recognize that my gripe with the film’s ending is a result of the evolution of animated features. Animation today is a valid form of cinema that is more than just entertainment for children. However, the film’s simplistic one-note conclusion is weak writing, nonetheless.
Regardless of how strong a particular story may be, if the conclusion is weak and abrupt, the overall flow of the plot is irrevocably shattered. Under almost every conceivable circumstance, Fantastic Planet is a brilliant film that withstands the test of time. That its conclusion disappoints its audience instead of satisfying them is a shame.