It’s a story without words, but one that speaks volumes. Planetsreleased in theaters on Wednesday, tells the epic tale of four dandelion seeds, achenes, who find themselves thrown into space after escaping the nuclear explosions that destroyed the Earth.
Their uncontrolled landing on an unknown planet brings these resilient people into perpetual flight, in search of welcoming soil to ensure the survival of their species. A touching and poetic way of approaching climatic migrations in a world where the elements are unleashed.
The universe imagined by director Momoko Seto for this animated film accessible from 8 years old is both magical and extremely realistic. For her first feature film, she mixes 3D animation and real macro or timelapse shooting, for a polished aesthetic rendering, which sends us to the front lines alongside these unexpected heroes.
A major dive into the heart of a tiny species, ones that we could crush without even noticing them. We begin to get attached to these little balls of plant hair and their rage for life. If they don’t speak to each other, they communicate constantly, demonstrating courage, self-sacrifice, love and solidarity, to offer us a dreamlike and exciting ballet.
The opinion of Ada, 8 years old
“I liked it, out of five stars I give it five! It starts with explosions of the Earth and suddenly the little dandelions are thrown outside the Earth, because they can no longer live there, and they fly away for a new life. For me it’s a bit like what we will have to do when the Earth explodes. On the new planet, the setting is great: there are giant things and very small things, it’s funny. It’s not the same proportions as in real life, like giant flying fish for example or the giant potato on the water. At times, you really shouldn’t miss a bit otherwise you won’t understand anything about the adventure of the dandelion men. They are so cute and we say oh noooo as soon as something happens to them. I wouldn’t have thought we’d really get attached to dandelions, when it’s just a little stem with a little circle at the top.”
