Spectacularly imaginative, with beautiful animation. Some of the animation is very colorful and cartoonish, particularly an intentionally hilarious sequence imagining the kind of intelligent life that might exist on Mars (this being the 50s, when speculation about life on Mars was at his height). Another sequence goes for a more serious though obviously speculative take on the kind of animal and plant life that might exist on Mars. The latter is my favorite sequence in this film - ingeniously imaginative. The final animated sequence is a more realistic kind of animation, reminiscent of the Max Fleischer style in the Superman cartoons. This sequence speculates on what an excursion tomorrow's might look like using the latest 1957 atomic spaceship and landing craft imaginings. Very enjoyable for any science fiction fan or fan of animation. Also, the show is narrated by the great Paul Frees, who is well familiar to fans of classic American sci-fi, having appeared in, for example, the 1953 film adaptation the most famous work of fiction cited in this film, HG Wells' The War of the Worlds.
It's fascinating to think about the historical and cultural context within which this film was created. It's the height of the UFO craze and deep into the space race. White men are all the rage, so all we see are, well, white, male scientists. This small parade of mostly-bespectacled egg heads includes a former Nazi: a cameo by none other than Wernher von Braun. His presence lends a very bizarre touch.
All things considered, this is one of the coolest educational films I've seen from that era. It's a must-see for fans of animation, science fiction, or 1950s American television.
It's fascinating to think about the historical and cultural context within which this film was created. It's the height of the UFO craze and deep into the space race. White men are all the rage, so all we see are, well, white, male scientists. This small parade of mostly-bespectacled egg heads includes a former Nazi: a cameo by none other than Wernher von Braun. His presence lends a very bizarre touch.
All things considered, this is one of the coolest educational films I've seen from that era. It's a must-see for fans of animation, science fiction, or 1950s American television.