Alien Planet (2005)

The CGI or computer animated drama/documentary takes place on Darwin IV, a planet 6.5 light years from earth, with 2 suns and 60% of Earth's gravity. Having identified Darwin as a world ... See full summary »

Director:

Pierre de Lespinois

Writers:

Peter Crabbe, Steve Eder

Stars:

Wayne D. Barlowe, Curtis Clark, James Garvin

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Wayne D. Barlowe	...	Himself
Curtis Clark	...	Himself
James Garvin	...	Himself
Jamie Hanes	...	Himself (as Jamie Haines)
Stephen Hawking	...	Himself
Jack Horner	...	Himself
Joan Horvath	...	Herself
Michio Kaku	...	Himself
James Kirkland	...	Himself
George Lucas	...	Himself
John C. McGinley	...	Narrator
Victoria Meadows	...	Herself
David Moriarty	...	Himself
Randy Pollock	...	Himself
J. Craig Venter	...	Himself

Storyline

The CGI or computer animated drama/documentary takes place on Darwin IV, a planet 6.5 light years from earth, with 2 suns and 60% of Earth's gravity. Having identified Darwin as a world that could support life, Earth sends a pilot mission consisting of the Mothership Von Braun and three probes: Balboa, Da Vinci, and Newton. This robotic fleet is responsible for finding and assessing any life forms on Darwin IV. Initially, the expectation is to find microscopic life, but the probes soon find themselves in the middle of a developed ecosystem teeming with diversity of life of all sizes. The drama on Darwin IV is motivated by real science missions, such as the NASA Origins Program and the NASA / JPL Planet-Finder Mission, as well as the European Space Agency's Darwin Project. "Alien Planet " is a cosmic expedition along side Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Jack Horner, Craig Venter, and George Lucas, and NASA's Chief Scientist Jim Garvin. No longer just the domain of science fiction, "Alien...

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Plot Keywords:

planet | alien | nasa | expedition | scientist | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Animation | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Discovery Channel [United States] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Idegen bolygó

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Discovery Channel,Evergreen Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The program was based on the work of science fiction writer and illustrator Wayne D. Barlowe, specifically the alien lifeforms presented in his 1990 speculative fiction book "Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV". The main difference is that the book is presented from the writer's point of view, as if he were an explorer on an alien planet, whereas this documentary focuses on robotic exploration probes.

User Reviews

Galactic Mind Trip

Ordinarily, I hate documentaries. And I mean *hate*. So why is it that I love "Alien Planet"?

Simple. Using cutting-edge animation technology and fascinating (not mind-bogglingly boring), jargon-filled interviews with experts in various fields, the makers of this real winner have successfully created an interesting testament to the fact that mankind is not even a drop in the bucket, cosmically speaking. This fantastically done doc almost plays out like a motion picture as it interweaves the documentary with pieces of interstellar adventure and drama. Particularly interesting is the segment featuring an alien life form called a "groveback."

Take it from someone who is usually bored stiff by documentaries-- one look at this astounding, mind blowing extravaganza, and you want more. Immediately.