Our third episode this season is about the semi-obscure but recently-Criterioned 1973 French animated film FANTASTIC PLANET, or La Planète Sauvage (literally, "wild planet"), from the minds of René Laloux and Roland Topor, with music by Alain Goraguer, based on a novel by Stefan Wul. It's a psychedelic audiovisual trip, and tells the story of an advanced alien society of blue people who like to meditate almost as much as they like to toy with the fates of the comparatively-tiny humanoids who roam their planet. It's a film about interplanetary race relations, or maybe it's unfamiliar environmentalism, or telling the difference between pest control and genocide. Also discussed in this episode: what other animated works would you like to see get a Criterion release?
Episode links:
Fantastic Planet on IMDb Fantastic Planet on Wikipedia Fantastic Planet on Filmstruck New York Times review from 1973 AWN obituary for René LaLoux Senses of Cinema review in 2005 LA Weekly evaluation in 2011 Weird Fiction Review in 2013 Criterion essay on Fantastic Planet Criterion essay on Roland Topor Slant review upon 2016 Criterion release PopMatters review upon Criterion release AV Club review upon Criterion release Nerdist review upon Criterion release Fantastic Planet trailer on YouTube Alain Goraguer score on SpotifyShow links:
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