Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

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.

Galina Frédéric Back's 30 minutes long Oscar winning animated film "The Man Who Planted Trees" is astounding work of art with its beautiful story and the images that equal it. The story written by the French writer Jean Giono that tells about Elzeard Bouffier, a quiet shepherd, and later bee keeper who never talked much but over 35 years of hard work singlehandedly cultivated a magnificent forest in a desolate area of Provence, France and made it a peaceful and happy home for over 10, 000 people, is highly moving, inspirational, and life-affirming. It makes a viewer proud of what a man can achieve if he is determined to create, not to destroy. Every frame looks and feels not like a flat drawing but like a beloved painting of a celebrated impressionist painter (Monet, Sisley, Morisot, and Pissarro, the "purest" impressionists come first to mind). To achieve this effect, Back worked on unpolished acetates using crayons and modulating the colors. During the film, the colors change dramatically from barren and lifeless desert like palette in the beginning to the tender glowing delicate colors of blossoming eternal Spring in the final scenes. I was absolutely mesmerized by Back's visual style and his ability to beautifully translate such a literally story to the screen and not to lose any of its appeal but on the contrary to enrich it with incredible taste and unique exquisite beauty and tenderness of his images. For the first time, I came across the work of animation that reminded me so much of my all time favorite animated film "Tale of Tales" by Yuri Norstein, artistically and spiritually. It was not surprising for me to find out that Norstein and Back have met, respect and admire each other work and that Norstein studied Back's techniques and took with him to Moscow Back's acetates and coloring pencils that he was going to use while working on his ambitious project, full feature animation "Overcoat".There is one question that pops up from time to time on the different IMDb boards, "Is there any movie that all viewers would love and cherish"? I am always skeptical and up until tonight used to believe that the universally loved movie simply does not exist. I am happy to admit that I was wrong. I don't think that anyone who saw this little marvel may not be affected by its clear message, its kindness, beauty, and artistry.

intheaudience I can't remember the last time I was so moved by an animated film. It is truly a work of art, lyrical, and inspired. The story is a very nice parable, but the way it was told by the artist here is incredibly moving. Many years of work (eight?)by the team of animators headed by Frederick Back created this 30-minute film. Only the loving product of the heart and of the right brain could yield art like this. Christopher Plummer's voice evokes the wise elder of the film's subject, and the music provides a background that blends well with the gentle crayon and charcoal drawings that form this work, but it is the drawings that are the centerpiece, in my opinion, although some might say it was the story. The work moved me to tears without any of the manipulation of most modern films. I could imagine children and teenagers being inspired and moved by this, also, and I think it should be shown to all children. I echo other viewers' recommendation that this would make a wonderful gift for someone you love, at any age.

legra A magical animated feature about one man's life work to restore a barren land to forest by planting trees. Seen through the eyes of a young man who comes across a shepherd the story unfolds over many years. The narration is provided in the English version of this French Canadian animation by Christopher Plummer. A film not to be missed that leaves you feeling good and wanting to spread the wonderful message amongst others. I am not surprised that this feature won an oscar, which is rare for an animation, but this just goes to show how overlooked animation can be as a powerful medium. The only thing that does surprise me is that this feature is currently deleted on video/dvd? Two simple words: watch it!