Analyzing the Strange Worlds of The Triplets of Belleville and The Fantastic Planet

Easily my favorite part of the movie! :)
I'm just gonna point out that I was listening to music as I wrote
this post, and Gangam Style came on while I was looking at
this gif... and it was hilarious. Yay, unfitting music.

I really enjoyed the The Triplets of Belleville. Its unique art style was the perfect vehicle for capturing the quirky world in which the story took place, and the fact that the feature-length film was told almost entirely in pantomime is very impressive. My one critique of the film visually would be that it was very obvious when the film used CGI to shortcut certain scenes (many of the biker shots, the boat, etc.). As for the meaning of the film, I for some reason got the sense it had something to with not getting too attached to possessions. Multiple scenes seemed to hint at this for me. The Grandmother, for example, was unable to make her grandson happy except through gifts, and at points her efforts in his training seemed more focused on his career than his happiness. Smaller scenes, such as the run in with the homeless man when they first reach Belleville also appeared to suggest this. The Triplets' happiness despite a general lack of possessions is also a clue. Additionally, it also seems to preach the value of perseverance, as the Grandmother is willing to go to any lengths to rescue her grandson. Both these messages came across clearly to me. Also, side note, but the incompetence of the Mafia was hilarious. They were shooting from six feet away and still didn't even manage to hit one of four old ladies! Also, they must buy pretty bad cars if they can't catch up with a bicycle power vehicle.

Really, Mafia? Really?

Now, onto The Fantastic Planet. Admittedly, I liked this movie a lot less than the first. I appreciate all the effort that must have gone into creating such detailed animation frames, but it made for rather limited and inorganic movement. One could argue, however, that this was intentional. The inorganic nature of the animation might serve to further the sense of dehumanization in the Oms. I've heard fellow students interpret this film as a protest against the mistreatment of animals and morality of keeping pets, which may very well be the case, but I personally interpreted it differently. Considering animals' lack of higher intelligence, I saw the situation to be something more of a parable against assuming your superiority over others. This idea could be applied societally, industrially, and interpersonally. I think, at least to some degree, the film wants the audience to remember to put itself in their companions' shoes before reckless actions. This seemed clear enough to me. The story, however, seemed fairly formulaic, and none of the characters incited any real sense of connection in me. The random insertion of Torr's kiss with his friend, in particular, seemed rather out of place, that said, I recognize the value of the film as a whole.

Alright guys, I'm out