Fantastic Planet - René Laloux - (1973) DVD

La Planète Sauvage AKA Fantastic Planet is a surrealist story based on the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia. Set in a far distant world human beings or "Oms" have been domesticated by the gigantic Draags. Wild Oms however are a problem and are exterminated by the dozen. One domesticated Om, Terr is able to escape his masters with a headset that puts information directly into the brain. Armed now with the Draags technology he leads the Oms in an attempt to make life better for them...But will the deomizing destroy them?

A very interesting political parable, apparently intended as an allegory on Czechoslovakia's struggle against the Russians. But like any good allegory, it works as a statement on any struggle to topple a giant.

The art and animation are superb, filled with more detail and imagination than any ten standard animated films (the works of Miyazaki excluded).

This sci-fi movie, has a curious and very strange plot that strikes you from the very beginning. You have a race of superior beings (Draags) who master all branches of knowledge through the use of technology which liberates them from work, work which is carried out by an inferior race of tiny human-like slaves (Oms). This exquisite story is backed up by extremely surrealistic scenarios and an excellent music. Animated characters representing this ruling race are well-conceived and far apart from stereotypes. You enter a weird world with a fantastic atmosphere which satisfies the most demanding whims of this genre's fans. Though the plots looks simple in appearance it is a rather clever political satire.

As an interesting final note, the theme of knowledge overcoming power, and particularly the use of a "knowledge machine" suspiciously appeared later in L. Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth (4th worst movie ever made)".

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