The Man Who Planted Trees: How It Shows The Beauty of An Animator's Work

"When I consider that a single man, relying only on his own simple physical and moral resources, was able to transform a desert into this land of Canaan, I am convinced that despite everything, the human condition is truly admirable. But when I take into account the constancy, the greatness of soul, and the selfless dedication that was needed to bring about this transformation, I am filled with an immense respect for this old, uncultured peasant who knew how to bring about a work worthy of God" - The Narrator of The Man Who Planted Trees. 

Hello! I would like to talk about this wonderful film, The Man Who Planted Trees by examining its importance to every animator and why I believe every animator should see this film. After seeing this film, I felt not only admiration towards Elzéard Bouffier, but towards every animator that has ever animated anything.

Elzéard Bouffier, to me, represents a lot animators. Many animators take so much of their time and go through so many hardships in order to get into a great result that can make great entertainment for other people. While not every animator achieves this, it is a goal that we all share and are determined to achieve. Elzéard Bouffier is the same way with his determination of planting trees. He didn't care about what other people thought or what other people did, he just wanted to plant some damn trees. He wanted to restore beauty in such a desolate world. Animators make entertainment for people so that we can provide a way to "escape" the real world. We as animators dedicate ourselves to bring such entertainment. I have heard people refer to animators as somewhat "gods" in their own universes. While this is a somewhat egotistical comment about ourselves, there is some truth in this. I would like to reword the previous quote above and use it to answer the "gods" comment:

"Animators rely on their own physical (literally like no sleep and sitting at a computer/drawing board for days) resources to create entertainment from the real world into a land of Canaan, I am convinced that despite everything, the human condition is truly admirable. But when I take into account the constancy, the greatness of soul, and the selfless dedication that was needed to bring about this entertainment, I am filled with an immense respect for even animator who knows how to bring about a work worthy of God."

This is a film where animators, who feel down about their path, can feel more determined and feel hopeful to create great entertainment. From personal experience, I can definitely tell you this has made me very hopeful, and I hope you find it hopeful as well for your own creations.

Thanks for reading fellow animators! If you would like to expand on this idea, comment down below!

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