René Laloux
Encyclopedia
René Laloux was a French
animator and film director.
in 1929 and went to art school to study painting
. After some time working in advertising
, he got a job in a psychiatric institution where he began experimenting in animation with the interns. It is at the psychiatric institution that he made 1960's Monkey's Teeth (Les Dents du Singe), in collaboration with Paul Grimault
's studio, and using a script written by the Cour Cheverny's interns.
Another important collaborator of his was Roland Topor
with whom Laloux made Dead Time (Les Temps Morts, 1964), The Snails (Les Escargots, 1965) and his most famous work, the feature length Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage, 1973).
Laloux also worked with Jean Giraud (Mœbius
) to create the lesser known film Les Maîtres du temps
(Time Masters) in 1981. Laloux's 1988 film, Gandahar, was released in the US as Light Years
. The US version was redubbed by Harvey Weinstein
, from a screenplay adapted by Isaac Asimov
. The US version was not as successful as the French version, grossing less than $400,000 on its release.
Laloux died of a heart attack
on March 14, 2004 in Angoulême
, Charente
, Poitou-Charentes
, France.
Short films
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
animator and film director.
Biography
He was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1929 and went to art school to study painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. After some time working in advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, he got a job in a psychiatric institution where he began experimenting in animation with the interns. It is at the psychiatric institution that he made 1960's Monkey's Teeth (Les Dents du Singe), in collaboration with Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault
Paul Grimault was one of the most important French animators. He made many traditionally animated films that were delicate in style, satirical, and lyrical in nature....
's studio, and using a script written by the Cour Cheverny's interns.
Another important collaborator of his was Roland Topor
Roland Topor
Roland Topor , was a French illustrator, painter, writer and filmmaker, known for the surreal nature of his work...
with whom Laloux made Dead Time (Les Temps Morts, 1964), The Snails (Les Escargots, 1965) and his most famous work, the feature length Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage, 1973).
Laloux also worked with Jean Giraud (Mœbius
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
) to create the lesser known film Les Maîtres du temps
Les Maîtres du temps
Les Maîtres du temps is a 1982 Franco-Hungarian animated science fiction feature film directed by René Laloux and designed by Mœbius. It is based on the 1958 science fiction novel L'Orphelin de Perdide by Stefan Wul...
(Time Masters) in 1981. Laloux's 1988 film, Gandahar, was released in the US as Light Years
Light Years (film)
Light Years is a 1988 French animated science fiction and fantasy film. The original version was directed by René Laloux, and was based on Jean-Pierre Andrevon's novel Les Hommes-machines contre Gandahar .An English version was directed by Harvey Weinstein and produced by Bob Weinstein, while noted...
. The US version was redubbed by Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
, from a screenplay adapted by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The US version was not as successful as the French version, grossing less than $400,000 on its release.
Laloux died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on March 14, 2004 in Angoulême
Angoulême
-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
, Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
, Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is an administrative region in central western France comprising four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. The regional capital is Poitiers.-Politics:The regional council is composed of 56 members...
, France.
Filmography
Feature films- Fantastic PlanetFantastic PlanetFantastic Planet is a 1973 animated science fiction film directed by René Laloux, production designed by Roland Topor, written by both of them and animated at Jiří Trnka Studio. The film was an international production between France and Czechoslovakia and was distributed in the United States by...
(1973) - Time MastersLes Maîtres du tempsLes Maîtres du temps is a 1982 Franco-Hungarian animated science fiction feature film directed by René Laloux and designed by Mœbius. It is based on the 1958 science fiction novel L'Orphelin de Perdide by Stefan Wul...
(1982) - GandaharLight Years (film)Light Years is a 1988 French animated science fiction and fantasy film. The original version was directed by René Laloux, and was based on Jean-Pierre Andrevon's novel Les Hommes-machines contre Gandahar .An English version was directed by Harvey Weinstein and produced by Bob Weinstein, while noted...
(1987) (released in the U.S. in bowdlerized form under the title Light Years)
Short films
- Tick-Tock (1957)
- Les Achalunés (1958)
- The Monkey's Teeth (Les Dents du singe) (1960)
- Dead Times (Les Temps morts) (1964)
- The Snails (Les Escargots) (1965)
- The Play (1975)
- Quality Control (1984)
- How Wang-fo Was Saved (Comment Wang-Fo fut sauvé) (1987)
- The Captive (La Prisonnière) (1988)
- Eye of the Wolf (L'Œil du loup) (1998) (screenwriter only)
External links
- René Laloux biography at Le Palais des dessins animés
- eurekavideo.co.uk, Masters of Cinema series - Craig Keller: The schizophrenic cinema of René Laloux, 2006.
- Comment Wang-Fo fut sauvé review at Lessons From the School of Inattention