Fantastic Planet [dir. Rene Laloux]

1973, 72 minutes
Animated
[Let me start out by saying everyone should see this film. Almost everyone gets caught in the sand trap of genre films and it's necessary to see a Fantastic Planet at least every once in a while to broaden one's mind and appreciate how artistically creative cinema can be. Pic tells the story of a planet where advanced creatures called Traags rule, fifty times larger than humans who are essentially kept as pets/slaves, and because they reproduce so much quicker, are exterminated every so often. The story follows a human (called Oms as in 'hommes) who because of a flaw is able to gain the knowledge of the Traags and begins an uprising against the suppressive Traags. The storyline is far less important than the unmatchable atmosphere of the movie, made better by its eerie score and imaginative creatures including an animal that traps birds in its branch like arms and throws them down to their death--this is just a transition between scenes. Planet contains themes of slavery and war and is incredibly poignant despite its black humor in the most sublte ways. Fantastic.

****