Director Momoko Seto’s avant-garde animated experiment “Dandelion’s Odyssey” floats somewhere between ecological fable and abstract art piece. Relying heavily on a hauntingly beautiful original score, this wordless journey is as niche as it gets, yet is also undeniably bold in its ambition.
There’s no traditional cast, no dialogue, and no narrative in the conventional sense. The stars of the film are four dandelion seeds named Dendelion, Baraban, Léonto, and Taraxa, who are ejected into space after a nuclear catastrophe wipes out life on Earth. From there, they drift through cosmic landscapes and navigate alien terrains in a surreal odyssey of survival and rebirth.
Despite its minimalist setup, the film manages to evoke strong emotional reactions. Leroy gives these tiny, floating seeds a sense of personality and camaraderie, a feat made all the more impressive by the total lack of human presence.
The film is visually stunning, blending time lapse photography, live-action footage, and 3D animation to create a microcosmic world that feels vast and otherworldly while exploring real-life ecological concerns.
Some serious themes like displacement, biodiversity, resilience, and environmental collapse are woven into the visual storytelling with care. This is a film that never preaches, but instead lets the expressive animation and evocative score do the heavy lifting.
As meditative and imaginative as it is, this is undoubtedly a very taxing, difficult film. Intentionally slow, the pace suits the film’s mood and message, but may test the patience of even the most arthouse-inclined viewers. The film’s rhythm reminds me of a modern gallery installation more than a traditional cinematic narrative. It’s abstract and experimental, making it the type of film that’s meant to be felt and absorbed rather than followed beat by beat.
“Dandelion’s Odyssey” is not not a film for everyone. In fact, I’d say it’s for very few. But for those with an appetite for experimental storytelling, nature-based animation, and conceptual ecological art, the film offers a beautifully crafted, serene experience.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 