Planet 51 (2009)

Directed by: Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, Marcos Martínez | 91 minutes | animation, comedy, adventure, family, fantasy | Dutch voice cast: Sigourney Korper, Niels Littooij, Sherman Mitchell | Original voice cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, John Cleese, Freddie Benedict, Alan Marriott, Mathew Horne, James Corden, Lewis Macleod, Rupert Degas, Rebecca Front, Vincent Marzello, Emma Tate, Pete Atkin, Laurence Bouvard, Brian Bowles, Eduard Farelo

As a small animation studio, it is difficult to compete with the violence of leading competitors such as Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks. Their budgets are often many times smaller, they cannot boast of an impressive track record and often have less expertise in-house. However, the love for the profession is no less. Every now and then a smaller animation studio dares to launch a film on a grand scale. Spain’s Ilion Animation Studios, which is also involved in video game design, took the plunge and created ‘Planet 51′ (2009), an animated film that mocks the paranoid science-fiction films of the 1950s. Joe Stillman, one of the people responsible for the screenplays of the ‘Shrek’ films, was brought in and no expense was spared to make ‘Planet 51’ a success. But that was only partly successful.

The most important asset of this animation film is the fact that humans are now put in the skin of an alien. So the world upside down. Chuck Baker is a wimpy astronaut who is sent into space to do research. However, he ends up on Planet 51, in the town of Glipforg. Time seems to have stood still here, because everything looks just like it used to be in any American city in the 1950s: neat suburbs where smooth, green creatures sit behind the barbecue and where rock ‘n roll plays from the speakers. The younger creatures read comics about aliens and the movie hit of the moment is called ‘Humanoids’. No wonder Chuck is seen as an intruder once he plants his spaceship at the bottom here. A stern general opens a manhunt for the “alien” and a terrifying doctor wants to experiment on him. Fortunately, there’s Lem, a galaxy-interested boy who is initially afraid of Chuck, but soon befriends him. Together, they try to get Chuck back home safe and sound.

As is the trend in animation films these days, there is also plenty to see and experience for adults in ‘Planet 51’. The film is full of references to science-fiction classics, the most striking of which are those to ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968), ‘ET: The Extra Terrestrial’ (1982) and ‘WALL-E’ (2008). There is also a striking nod to America in the 1950s. General Grawl is strongly reminiscent of communist fighter McCarthy, there is a short ode to ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ (1951) and evergreens such as ‘My Boy Lollipop’, ‘Mr. Sandman’ and ‘Be Bop a Lula’ from the speakers. Seen in that light, it is remarkable that one of the supporting characters is a hippie, who protests and breathes new life into Bob Dylan’s ‘Times There Are A-Changing’ in a contemporary way. The makers are really wrong here by a full decade. It’s not a disaster, just a little sloppy. Worse, the primary target audience of ‘Planet 51’ is far too young to recognize movie or time references. They are purely tucked in to please the parents who came along.

As long as there is an exciting and funny adventure in return, the little ones will not mind. ‘Planet 51’ certainly offers enough entertainment, although the film does not excel in originality. Predictable paths are trodden, the well-known moralizing messages (‘don’t be afraid of the unknown’) pass by – all’s well that ends well. The animations are of a very nice level. Of course it can’t be compared to what big brothers Pixar, DreamWorks and Disney present to the public, but they have clearly spent a lot of time and attention on it. The final reckoning tells us that the Spanish Ilion Animation Studios is an interesting new player in the animation world that has delivered a creditable debut. In terms of innovation, originality and creativity, ‘Planet 51’ clearly falls short compared to the more experienced competition. The film is also not completely balanced. All beginnings are difficult, shall we say. But this debut certainly sets expectations for the future.