Vintage Vinyl #6 - La Planète Sauvage (Fantastic Planet) OST

This LP almost had me doing a spit take upon finding it in Redscroll Records. I instantly knew I had to have it, the incredible soundtrack to French animated film La Planète Sauvage, released as Fantastic Planet here in the States. Rene Laloux’s 1973 adaptation of the 1957 Stefan Wul novel Oms en série is a visual feast, and stands out as the director’s signature film. Winning the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1973, the film’s universe of miniature humans and blue-skinned, fin-eared giants stands starkly compared with other animated films of time, not only in terms of visuals and plot, but musically as well.

The movie’s dramatic arc is reflected in the soundtrack, echoing the fear and confusion at the film’s outset, painting a wider picture as it continues placing the viewer/listener in someplace that’s decidedly otherworldly. This world of the Oms and Draags is brought to life, with its washed out deserts, dynamic landscape, and psychedelic plant life. Composer Alain Goraguer’s atmospheric, space-jazz perfectly accompanies the film, featuring a continued motif that blends foreboding synthesizers with roughly twanged guitar. That theme of sorts is showcased in “Deshominisation (I)” (embedded below), as is the film’s imagery in the “Striptease” sequence (also embedded). Enjoy, and be sure to check out the film, available on DVD from Anchor Bay, or the soundtrack, available on LP and CD through D.C. Recordings.