Animated Films With Environmental Themes

Green Movies From Anime Classics to Hollywood Hits

Aug 20, 2009 Irene Tanner-Yuen

Whether rendered using computers or by hand, animated movies can entertain both children and adults, while addressing concerns about ecology, wildlife, and conservation.

When thinking of environmentalism and cinema, it's likely that what come to mind are documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth or dramas like Safe and Erin Brockovich. Yet one popular and effective type of film to feature environmental themes is the animated film. Hollywood films such as WALL•E and Happy Feet are examples, as are several of noted anime director Hayao Miyazaki's films.

Animated Films About Earth Ecology

WALL•E (director Andrew Stanton, 2008)

In the distant future, the Earth has become inundated with trash and is no longer liveable. As a result, humans now live on board massive space ships that intermittently send probes back to Earth. Meanwhile, trash compacting robot WALL-E is left alone on Earth to sift through the detritus of human culture, including old films, toys, music, and other trinkets. When an advanced probe robot named EVE appears, WALL-E falls in love. The film's pace is slow, and not everyone enjoys its bleaker aspects, but there's no denying the story's inherent sweetness.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (director Hayao Miyazaki, 1984)

After an apocalypse destroys the Earth's ecosystems, vast toxic areas cover the world. An area called the Sea of Decay borders the Valley of the Wind, where a princess named Nausicaä lives. Nausicaä often explores the Sea of Decay and befriends its denizens, giant insects called Ohmu. Using her courage and scientific experiments, Nausicaä discovers that the Sea of Decay holds the key to returning the land to its pure state. Though not as accomplished as some of Miyazaki's later work, Nausicaä is nonetheless an important film in the oeuvre.

Spirited Away (2001), Miyazaki's most critically acclaimed film to date, also addresses the issue of pollution, though the theme is not central to the story. In a memorable scene, protagonist Chichiro frees a river spirit who is stuck inside layers of waste and trash.

Animated Films About Conservation

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (director Bill Kroyer, 1992)

Set in an Australian rainforest, this story concerns a fairy named Crysta, who helps a group of loggers after they unwittingly release a malevolent fairy named Hexxus from enchantment. Hexxus regains his strength by guzzling exhaust fumes, and starts to deforest the good fairies' home in revenge. With its catchy music and use of comic relief in Robin Williams, the movie bears more than a passing similarity to many Disney films.

Happy Feet (director George Miller, 2006)

Non-conformist penguin Mumble sure loves to tap dance. Unfortunately, the rest of the penguins all find their 'heartsongs', but Mumble can barely muster a tune. Eventually the penguin elders excommunicate him for his strange ways, even blaming him for a fish shortage. After embarking on a long journey, Mumble discovers that humans are the cause for the depleted fish stocks. Though its heart is in the right place, the film's plea for cessation of overfishing seems out of place and inappropriate. On the bright side, children generally like this movie, despite some scary scenes.

Princess Mononoke (director Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)

Ashitaka must journey to a forest where animal gods live in order to be cured of a demon god's curse. When he arrives, however, the animal gods are in the midst of a war with the nearby town that is exploiting their natural resources for industrial uses. Moreover, the animal gods view him as one of the enemy. Further complicating matters is young girl San, who was raised by wolves in the forest. San is raised to hate humans, but she and Ashitaka fall in love. Before long, the pair become embroiled in the war. Princess Mononoke is perhaps one of Miyazaki's darkest films.

Animated Films For Older Audiences

The Plague Dogs (director Martin Rosen, 1982)

This film is unsettling and patently not for children; indeed, some adults would undoubtedly find it disturbing. Dogs Snitter and Rowf escape from a research lab, only to find that life in the wild is harder than they expected it would be. In addition to learning to fend for themselves, they must also avoid being re-captured: they are called 'plague dogs' because it is feared that they may be carriers of disease engineered at the lab.

The Man Who Planted Trees (director Frédéric Back, 1987)

This short film (running at 30 minutes) tells the story of a shepherd who single-handedly grows a forest in the middle of a barren valley. The narrator of the story observes the shepherd (and later, beekeeper) seed and nurture the forest over the years, silently and without expectation of extrinsic reward. Bit by bit, the flourishing forest transforms the land and peoples around it. In the English version, Christopher Plummer's narration provides the perfect amount of gentleness and gravitas.

Watch The Man Who Planted Trees online at Viddler.com.

Choosing a Green Animated Movie

Whether you're most interested in the feel-good didactic movies that often come out of Hollywood, the spiritual and fantastic ways in which anime represents nature, or something else altogether, there are many green titles from which to choose. No matter where they're from, animated films allow narratives to be told in ways and in contexts not possible in traditional live-action cinema.

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