Fantastic Fest 2009

Ever since TOY STORY graced the screen in 1995, the miracle of computer animation has given audiences around the world numerous sights to behold, but none as beautiful, graceful and majestic as the one to be found in Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen, Thorbjorn Christoffersen and Craig Frankís Journey to Saturn: film historyís first-ever floating piss bubble. Granted, you may think that since youíve seen numerous floating piss bubbles in your everyday life that such a thing would not impress in a CGI animated epic, but trust us when we say that youíve never seen a piss bubble looking quite as regal as the one in Journey to Saturn. It truly is a sight to behold.

 

If Journey to Saturn were merely about floating piss bubbles then weíd still play it in a heartbeat, but itís also a clever and hilarious satire of both science fiction and contemporary Danish society, which, as we all know, is one giant sitting target just waiting to get whatís coming to it.  Like Terkel in Trouble, the equally hilarious 2004 film made by the same directors, Journey to Saturn is rude and crude and out to offend as many people as possible, but Saturnís sociopolitical edge, skewering every part of Danish society it can possibly get its hands on, gives this goofy gross-out cartoon much more of an edge than the piss bubble would lead you to believe. Anyone who saw our Danish sidebar at Fantastic Fest 2008 will note that the Danes are an unusually self-reflective society, but you wouldnít expect that a CG-animated film with alien rectal probes, tons of space vomit and the aforementioned piss bubble would be as smart as it is funny. This only goes to prove that Journey to Saturn is not your average Danes-in-space movie, and beyond all that, itís also a wonderfully goofy parody of alien invasion films and '50s sci-fi (imagine an R-rated episode of Futurama in Danish and youíll get an idea of what weíre talking about) with computer animation that is as unsophisticated as itís subject matter and is all the better for it. Definitely do not take the kids to this one, but order a lot of beer and have a real good time on your Journey to Saturn at Fantastic Fest! (Matt Kiernan)