Gandahar (1988): “René Laloux, director of Fantastic Planet [La Planète sauvage]

Gandahar (1988): “René Laloux, director of Fantastic Planet[La Planète sauvage], createdGandahar, his final animated feature film, in 1988. Based on an original story by Jean-Pierre Andrevon, and a huge hit in France at the time of its release, it combines Laloux’s famous imagination with that of animation designer Philippe Caza. Gandahar is a fascinating, adult animation which examines genetic mutation, the importance of organic farming, and urges a respect for nature that resonates today more than ever.

Life in the idyllic paradise of Gandahar seems peaceful and in joyous order, until the Mirror Birds report that inhabitants of whole villages have been turned to stone. A council of women chooses Sylvain Lanvère to uncover Gandahar’s mysterious metallic attackers. In doing so, he finds an underground race of deformed Gandaharians and an oversized motherbrain, both the result of botched genetic experiments.

The Weinstein Company released the film in English-speaking countries as the alternatively titled Light Years. Significant changes to the original film were presided over by Harvey Weinstein, who then credited himself as “Director”, instead of René Laloux. The English title is a translation, not of the original title, but of the original tag line “Les Années lumière” (The Light Years) as seen on the French poster. Changes included editing out sexual imagery and using almost an entirely new soundtrack. Light Years was considered a hack-job of the original film and has fallen into obscurity. The original, unedited film has since been restored and re-released with English subtitles. 

Based on Les Hommes-machines contre Gandahar [The Machine-Men vs. Gandahar], which was published in 1969 by Jean-Pierre Andrevon.”