Aka: La Planète Sauvage
Blu-ray review (region 2)
Directed by René Laloux
Starring the voices of Jennifer Drake, Eric Baugin, Jean Topart, Jean Valmont
Release date Out now

Animated tale of life on an other-worldy planet where humans are kept as pets…

Giant blue meanies on an alien world keep captive Oms (a homophone for Hommes, the French for ‘men’) as pets. Terr escapes into the wild having absorbed the knowledge of his Draag oppressors, teams up with other wild Oms and leads a revolt.

This French/Czech co-production from 1973 was distributed in the US by Roger Corman (both the original sub-titled French version and the US American dubbed version are included on this new disc) and won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Although fairly simplistic, the film is short enough that it doesn’t outstay its welcome. The art backgrounds are occasionally striking and weirdly alien, in a way that films like Avatar can never manage.

The Cold War echoes are obvious enough, but there is also a uniquely 1970s mixing of the mystical and the scientific. The meditation rituals of the Draag are revealed to be core to their existence, as the Oms find out when they venture to the ‘savage planet’ itself.

Neither a children’s film, nor really adult enough, Fantastic Planet is often in danger of falling between two stools. Occasionally, some of the animation echoes that of Terry Gilliam during his Monty Python days, while too much of it features lengthy still scenes.

Extras are lavish, including an informative and entertaining documentary/interview on Laloux, two versions of the film, the soundtrack and a good selection of Laloux’s other short films. Brian J. Robb

VERDICT: 8/10
Occasionally fantastic, but too often mundane, Fantastic Planet is a soft animated fantasy for film buffs.

Click here to read a review of René Laloux’s Les Maîtres Du Temps and Gandahar.