Fantastic Planet has about a hundredth of the technical proficiency- or just money- that any given Pixar film might have in just its first couple of reels. But there's probably just as much invention and eye-popping mind-blowing madness, if not exponentially more-so, than any recent CGI film. It's, well, art. Yes, to throw a word as big and all-encompassing like that is tricky, Fantastic Planet qualifies as some kind of weird artistic feat of surrealism and pure science fiction. And by sci-fi I mean the cream of the crop in storytelling and ideas: it's about the impact of images in a strange land being somehow completely relatable, if only in social construct or satirical forms, as though we were witnessing Gullivers Travels mixed around with Dune and then filtered through some renegade animator that got through the gates at a studio and churned something out fast. It's like a strange revelation that won't leave your mind.

And yes, leave no mistake, it also works very well as a "stoner movie", one of those ridiculously warped visions that goes into the world of the imagination so heavily, with tangential moments in scenes (the 'blending' of the Draags in one scene, the constant flow of various monsters, the 'mating' ritual, the de-Oming),with a soundtrack that's like a outstanding, unlikely collaboration between Isaac Hayes and Pink Floyd (you don't know whether it'll split into Dark Side or Shaft). Premise is simple: a little oprhaned Om named Terr is taken in as a 'pet' of Tiwa, and is half tortured half loved by her. But, as case happens, she outgrows him, and he runs away after being filled with knowledge by some machine. Then he gets sucked into the underground world of the Oms, where there's lots of mating and other activities, such as fights (wacko scene with those teeth-filled monsters strapped on like Gonzo gladiators). But their civilization is in peril, and it's time to fight back!

Lots of classic myths pumped in, but at times you almost forget there's story, which might be half the point. The director Rene Laloux, along with collaborators like Roland Topor, creates a world unequivocally unto itself, where there are real strokes with pencils and colors and inks, where it seems very much like a collection of pictures from some obscure European fable book for kids, only loaded with some kind of life-force that moves like no other animated film (maybe it's slightest, closest-distant relative is Yellow Submarine, which is still a stretch). Characters move in and out occasionally like a Terry Gilliam short- giant hand and other objects placed in almost jokingly, which makes it a lot of fun at times- and there's something eerie in Laloux's dedication to pushing the expectation-level, mainly because, as noted, we haven't seen this style before. It's a quiet form of sensationalism, where it sneaks up on the viewer, and then takes over a scene, growing little by little, like some weird plant.

In short, he does his job as a genre director, probably on par with the great visionaries, while using some primitive methods of animation. But through imperfections there's more expressive tendencies, moments of chance and random visions like a monster springing organically about to eat another, or to go through bizarre mating rituals as Venus de Milo statues with blue heads. Or, in other words, as my long-winded adulation goes to say, a superb "stoner movie". Not that being sober will make you absorbed any less; it's a compliment, in a sense, that in its glory of its time it reaches a true cult impulse, where children can enjoy its wonderful glimpses of the "fantastic", and adults can have another more mature, thought-provoking input in its implications on power and human nature.

If when you view this film, you are expecting a simple cartoon, you are in for a surprise and an educational treat as well. The film is called " Fantastic Planet " and is perhaps one of the finest examples of creative journalism ever. It tells the story of Terr (Eric Baugin and Jean Valmont) who's life literally begins on the run. His mother, Indeed, the entire race of fleeing Humans are not the dominate species on the planet. Hardly, the Humans are tiny when compared with the giant size Draags who rule the world. On this Alien sphere, the Draags consider the little humans, whom they call Oms, both charming play toys and at the same time, a pesky, intrusive and troubling nuisance. After losing his mother, Terr is adopted and accepted as a household pet by a female Draag. Despite being little more than a toy, Terr is nevertheless able to learn enough to escape and eventually mature into an adult Om. Later he meets other Oms, one of which is called Tiwa (Jennifer Drake). As time passes, the Oms become so dangerous to the Draags, that they decide to eradicate the entire race of humans. However, the Oms, having become aware of the plan, hurry to find and exploit the Draags' one main weakness. Failure means extinction, success promises to change the world of both. The film is certainly unique and its moral offering is not lost on the thinking and compassionate viewer. Subtitles make for a hindrance, but it's importance message allows it to stand on its own laurels as an all time Classic. ****

"Fantastic Planet" is one of the stranger sci-fi films I have ever seen. Some of this strangeness is good, as the film has a great other-worldly look to it. This planet truly is odd. Additionally, the story has some interesting elements as well. But, on the flip side, the animation quality is just horrible and sometimes the film seems weird just for the sake of being weird. It is definitely NOT a film that the typical person would enjoy!!

As far as the animation goes, I think part of the problem was when it was made. Quality standards in the 60s and 70s for animation slipped drastically compared to the great 1940s and 50s. Cell-counts now had dropped and sloppy drawings were becoming more and more acceptable--and this is very evident in "Fantastic Planet". The number of cells per second is so low that instead of appearing animated, at times it looks more like a slide show! And, often almost everything is non-animated and only an arm of mouth moves--again, this is very poor. What is amazing is that this film took five years to animate. You'd think this would result in a great looking film--and in this case you would clearly be wrong! To me, the animation is simply ugly.

So, if I hated the animation so much, why do I still give the film a 5? Well, the story is pretty cool, though the ending is really, really rushed. In this strange world, it's ruled by the Draags--gigantic strange looking blue beings. They are intelligent and technologically advanced but spend a lot of their time meditating and doing very little that is obviously useful. Their pets are the Ohms--which appear to be itsy-bitsy humans. The Draags view them like we'd view rats--making some pets and occasionally exterminating large colonies. This makes you think about our own pets and how we treat them! I'd say more, but it's really just something you need for yourself--rushed ending and all. This is, provided you can stand the god-awful animation.