Fantastic Planet (1973)
Fantastic Planet is an adult science-fiction cartoon. It isn’t adult for eroticism, but rather deeper themes and violence, not appropriate for young children. The animation won the Grand Prix special jury prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. And Fantastic Planet still holds esteem, as in 2016 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it number 36th in the greatest animated movies of all time.
Fantastic Planet was originally released in French. A collaboration between the French and Czechoslovakians, based on a 1957 novel,”Oms en série” by Stefan Wul (aka Pierre Pairault). The novel’s title loosely translates to “Man, mass-produced” where Oms, a play on the french word for man “homme”, are the name given to the human-like species of the main characters. Mass-produced gives the prevailing attitude towards the Oms, they were kept by the dominant species, as pets and servants. But they replicated like rodents and wild one’s were similarly treated much like we treat an invading population of vermin.
Fantastic Planet stands the test of time because it captures the human condition. Even though an alien face is given to the dominant species, we can relate because we are the dominant species on this planet. We consider ourselves cultured and sophisticated, yet in our comforts, we often become callous to those around us that fail to meet our expectations. Some would argue this is about how we treat animals, yet it is our fellow man that suffers the most from our rules.
Bitcoin
Buy Low Sell High
But as much as Fantastic Planet gives justifications for war, and compromise, it also holds the secret to eradicate tyranny. That secret is knowledge. The Oms are kept desperate, scurrying around like terrified animals because they have no way of understanding their captors, or what gives them power, besides their relative size. When one escaped “pet” brings the ability to read to his people, he must first use savagery to be heard. But, he becomes a leader among them, because he can teach and predict exterminations, thereby protecting the Oms who follow him. This upsets the utopia that his captors once had. A lesson for us, that utopia for some often means slavery for others. It is only when we treat each other with respect that compromise and a balanced existence is possible.
