Annecy 2024: Diplodocus
Annecy 2024One of the most exciting veins of cinema over the last few decades has been the world of animated features. Seeing a worldwide boom of imagination and fresh ideas being brought to the medium, every year there are more and more animated projects that push beyond the basic expectations of what one would expect from an animated feature and deliver something impressively new. Screening as part of the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Wojtek Wawszczyk's Diplodocus is undeniably one of these features.
Starting as a more traditional animated narrative of a young dinosaur named Diplodocus who is desperate to escape the cramped safety of his family home and go on a grand adventure, the film quickly transforms into something far more complex and unique. The film pulls out of Diplodocus' animated arc and introduces the artist who made him and his world, a man named Ted. Working for an intense publisher who demands something more marketable and universal than Diplodocus, Ted is forced to erase what he has been working on and start over. Little does Ted know, this action causes the animated world around Diplodocus to be erased. Right before Diplodocus himself is erased, he discovers he has magical powers that transport him to another one of Ted's drawn worlds. Desperate to save his family and home, Diplodocus embarks on a magical quest that sees him encounter various other characters and travel through different worlds.
If the plot sounds chaotic, one should know this is only scratching the surface of what Diplodocus has to offer. Both in actual narrative and cinematic form, the film is constantly evolving and challenging what can be achieved within an animated film. While one might be quick to think the film is simply taking a page from 2014's The Lego Movie in it’s blend of animated and live-action drama, the movie quickly goes far beyond anything found within that film to be truly one of the most creative and dynamic animated features in recent memory. The film consistently makes an effort to challenge itself and expand. While some of the results can feel somewhat messy as a result, this is an absolute positive for the feature and is sure to not only engage audiences of all ages but also inspire many to redefine what they can expect from the medium and continue to push it forward.
It is somewhat disappointing that the actual narrative in message and purpose isn't quite as inventive. Especially in the film's third act, an incredibly predictable conflict is used to tie everything together in a way that feels noticeably dull compared to the rest of the feature. In a vacuum, these choices are not overly terrible but when every other choice in the film feels creative and inspired, it feels like a letdown to have such a stale final direction. While not as noticeable, largely thanks to the incredible delivery and packaging the story comes in, the overall emotional takeaways of the film also feel quite basic when boiled down. The messages of valuing creativity and courage are nothing new and will speak the best to younger audiences who haven't had these concepts beaten into them yet by the endless pieces of media sharing the same concepts.
While quite simple when one looks at the true depth of the film, Diplodocus remains a notably entertaining and inspired film that really should be seen by all to truly showcase the possibilities in the animated medium. The film continually shows the efforts and creativity of its filmmakers without ever losing its entertainment value. It is hard to imagine anyone watching Diplodocus and not having a great time.
