Fantastic Planet

1973 "A sublime trip to a fine new world"
Fantastic Planet
7.7| 1h12m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 01 December 1973 Released
Producted By: Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française
Country: France
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

On the planet Ygam, the Draags, extremely technologically and spiritually advanced blue humanoids, consider the tiny Oms, human beings descendants of Terra's inhabitants, as ignorant animals. Those who live in slavery are treated as simple pets and used to entertain Draag children; those who live hidden in the hostile wilderness of the planet are periodically hunted and ruthlessly slaughtered as if they were vermin.

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Reviews

Red-Barracuda Fantastic Planet is famed French animator René Laloux's most famous film. This co-production between France and Czechoslovakia is a highly dream-like and imaginative work whose trippy visual ideas would make a mark in the psychedelic early 70's era. Set on the planet Ygam where the Oms (humans) are wild pests and domestic pets of the Draags, intellectual beings who tower above them. One Om escapes with a Draag learning device and uses it to assist other Oms to rise up and revolt against their overlords.There seems to be an analogy embedded within the narrative but I personally don't think the story is especially important or interesting. What this film is all about is the look and feel. The animation is truthfully very basic but the art work is beautiful. The fantastical world created here is a work of true creative imagination. Amongst many other things, we have the giant blue Draags with their red eyes who meditate and are carried sky-ward in bubbles, there are tall elaborate plants, weird creatures who produces pink foam which in turn generates clothing for the Oms, there is a giant winged creature and a planet of headless statues. All this visual invention is accompanied by a great sound design of alien sounds accompanied by a score of light prog rock. Fantastic Planet is a work of pure sci-fi creativity and one of the most distinctive animation films ever.
ladymidath I remember watching this movie when I was about nine or ten. I recall being struck by how beautiful the artwork and the animation was then although being so young, I did not really understand the story.I was lucky to be able to find an old VHS copy. It was a double feature with An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.(Also a beautiful film.) I have re-watched it many times since and I am always struck with how simple, yet complex both the artwork and the story are.On the planet Ygam huge blue Draags keep humans called Oms as pets. An Om mother is teased and chased until dying of exhaustion, her orphaned infant is found by Master Sinh, a key Draag leader and his daughter Tiva and she takes him as her pet.As Tiva grows older, so does her pet that she named Terr. Tiva uses headphones to gain knowledge and that knowledge is transmitted to Terr through a fault in a collar that he wears. He escapes and takes the headphones with him in order to teach other Oms. I will not give away anymore of the storyline as I do not want to spoil it for anyone. In my opinion, it is a movie that needs to be experienced without any spoilers.This film is one of the finest examples of science fiction or speculative fiction if you prefer. Made in 1973, it is a Franco-Czech production and it was directed by René Laloux and also written by Laloux and Roland Topor. It really is a classic of both animated and science fiction movies. A must-see for anyone who loves either genre.
JLRVancouver Fantastic Planet is a French-Czechoslovakian animated science fiction film. The story is simple and allegorical (which is more obvious when the French origin of some of the names is considered): the tiny Oms are tolerated as pets but ultimately seen as vermin by the towering, spiritual Draags. The imagery is outstanding: colourful, stylized, imaginative, and surreal. Not surprisingly, the movie had a rep (at least in my circles) of being best watched while stoned. I remember seeing this in the theatres in the 70's (straight) and the final images of the dancing statues stuck with me for decades. Definitely worth watching, if only for the artful (albeit not very 'hard scientific') depiction of an alien world. Note: the animated humanoid characters are frequently partially nude.
Woodyanders The tiny human-like Oms are treated as pets and totally at the mercy of intellectual blue giants the Draags. However, domesticated Om Terr manages to escape from his Draag master Tiwa and joins up with a tribe of wild Oms who Terr encourages to learn all about the Oms and their culture with the help of a special learning device.Director/co-writer Rene Laloux and co-writer Roland Topor use the quirky and compelling premise as a means to state a powerful message not only on the intrinsic evil and cruelty of one race totally subjugating another race (the de-Om sequence with numerous Oms being slaughtered in mass volume is genuinely nightmarish and disturbing), but also on how enlightenment and liberation go hand in hand. The Draags register well as a convincingly odd extraterrestrial race. Moreover, the vivid and fascinating depiction of a hostile planet populated by all kinds of dangerous and predatory creatures rates as this film's key triumph. The nifty stylized animation offers a wealth of striking and surreal images. Alain Goraguer's funky-digging score hits the right-on groovy spot. Although slightly marred by an annoying abrupt conclusion, this film still overall deserves its cult status.