Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

GreenPlanet275 Honestly I could not remember the name of this film, yet I have been recommending it to many people over the years. Knowing over these years that it received the Oscar I was confident people would be able to find it once they knew the simple beauty of the story and the passion of this profoundly touched film lover. Funny.... I always started telling about this film with.... its about this one guy who plants trees while he is goes about his life as a Shepard in the hills..... What a beautiful testament to human spirit and the blessings of nature.

SnoopyStyle Christopher Plummer narrates this animated short of a young man who takes a walk into the French Alps. In 1913, he finds a desolate land. Water is scarce and the villages are barren. The poverty stricken villagers had cleared the land to produce charcoal. He encounters shepherd Elzéard Bouffier who hand selected acorns and planted them in the barren landscape. He would return after the Great War to find a forest had grown where none existed. People assumed the forest grew up naturally while Bouffier toiled in obscurity.The hand drawn style animation gives a natural fable feel. It has such a gentle touch. It really tugs at the heartstrings. The beautiful aspect of the story is the dignity and the unassuming nature of the man. It is so well told that it has the feel of a true story.

Omar Sow The Man Who Planted Trees is a work of art, a masterpiece brought to life. What aspect is there to critique? The effects? The plot? The music? I personally find myself unable to detect a flaw in any of these.The story is narrated by, and follows a young man who hikes through a barren valley. Just when he can no longer bear the ripping wind and dryness, and has run out of water in his gourd, he comes across a lone farmer, a hermit, a wordless, mysterious man. Here he stays and gets to know the man, and learns of his "mission" that he has been working on for years: to plant 100 trees everyday for years. At that time, no noticeable progress can be seen, but years later, when the traveler returns, he finds a growing, beautiful forest, full of life, where before there was none. As the traveler leaves and returns over the next few years, he continues to find the growing forest, and soon he is not the only visitor, and this new forest has been deemed "natural", a "miracle". Amazing how the farmer, the father of this new forest, remains in silence the entire time, not expecting the credit he so rightfully deserves. It is here that I find the most wonderful part of the story: this character's relentless unselfishness, his lack of want for fame, or even company.This story is a beautifully animated rendition of man's greatest qualities, of our ability to not expect payment for our services, a beautiful example of the most extreme form of altruism. The Man Who Planted Trees is a flawless work of art, one whose message remains unparalleled.

PRAWNBALL11 This isn't a review...others have already covered that to excellent effect....I write this piece simply to praise a wonderful piece of animated art, that (in my humble opinion) couldn't have been improved on. I first watched this short with no prior knowledge of it's origins or it's story...so I had no idea what to expect....Within only a few scenes it begins to weave it's magic on you...and like the slightest touch of pencil to canvas it lays something quite special before you. The covering of a lifetime in only 30 minutes has never been achieved so sweetly....In fact, I defy anybody to find one solitary sour note...Animation, Voice-Over, Score and Script are all made in heaven.I feel so sorry to those of you out there who will miss this beautiful experience simply because you believe that animation is for the kids or the uneducated....To you I say...take any twelve directors you choose, let each of them make a live action version of T.M.W.P.T...and I dare bet that none of them will come anywhere near to the perfection of the original.I feel quite envious of those who have yet to view this awe inspiring treat for the very first time.Perfect films are as rare as pig feathers....Watch this and you just might believe that pigs can fly after all...Please, please and PLEASE...a DVD release soon.