Momoko Seto<\/a>, who is most known for her Planets series, (‘Planet A’ [2008], ‘Planet Z’ [2011], and ‘Planet \u2211’ [2014]) and for her work with CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research), will have its premiere during Cannes\u2019 Critics\u2019 week.<\/p>\nThe French\/Belgian film was produced by Miyu Productions<\/strong> and Ecce Film (Belgium), and co-produced by Umedia Productions, Arte France Cinema, and CNRS. Shot over two and a half years in Iceland, Japan, and France and containing 260 days of time-lapse photography, the feature film (at 75 minutes long) is a remarkable technical achievement.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe opening shot of \u2018Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey\u2019 is a galaxy, containing stars and nebulae, backed by a soundtrack reminiscent of sci-fi blockbusters, signifying the grandiosity of the cosmos. The shot eventually pans out, however, and the galaxy reveals itself to simply be a cluster of seeds on a single dandelion.<\/p>\n
As with the films in her Planets series, in \u2018Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey\u2019, Seto manipulates time and scale to offer new perspectives on the small and seemingly inconsequential\u2014We are faced with the stark reality of the unfathomable scale of the world in which we live, and the presence of all life within it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Using a blend of techniques like time-lapse, live action, and 3D, Seto\u2019s approach to animation makes the visible invisible, and the obscure tangible. The audience is put on the same level with small-scale flora and fauna, and the inner workings of their lives are laid out before us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Drifting away from the more experimental and scientific feel of the films in the Planets series, ‘Dandelion\u2019s Odyssey’ focuses more on story and utilizes anthropomorphism more. With these tools, Seto tells a very recognisable tale, one that on its surface seems distinctly human\u2014a tale of survival and persistence.<\/p>\n
Watch a ‘Dandelion’s Odyssey’ excerpt:<\/em><\/h4>\n