Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Flatland: The Movie

  • 20072007
  • 34m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
835
YOUR RATING
Flatland: The Movie (2007)
  • Animation
  • Short
Based on Edwin Abott's book "Flatland", this is an animated film about geometric characters living in a two-dimensional world. When a young girl named "Hex" decides to "think outside the box... Read allBased on Edwin Abott's book "Flatland", this is an animated film about geometric characters living in a two-dimensional world. When a young girl named "Hex" decides to "think outside the box" (in a world where such thought is forbidden), her life becomes in danger and it is up to... Read allBased on Edwin Abott's book "Flatland", this is an animated film about geometric characters living in a two-dimensional world. When a young girl named "Hex" decides to "think outside the box" (in a world where such thought is forbidden), her life becomes in danger and it is up to her grandfather to save her life.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
835
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Dano Johnson
    • Jeffrey Travis
  • Writers
    • Edwin A. Abbott(book)
    • Seth Caplan
    • Dano Johnson
  • Stars
    • Martin Sheen(voice)
    • Kristen Bell(voice)
    • Michael York(voice)
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Dano Johnson
    • Jeffrey Travis
  • Writers
    • Edwin A. Abbott(book)
    • Seth Caplan
    • Dano Johnson
  • Stars
    • Martin Sheen(voice)
    • Kristen Bell(voice)
    • Michael York(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Hex (Kristen Bell) imagines higher mathematical dimensions, despite the warnings of her grandfather, Arthur Square (Martin Sheen).
    Arthur Square (Martin Sheen) encounters the three dimensional Spherius (Michael York).
    Helios (Lee Eddy) intimidates her Ministry employee, Arthur Square (Martin Sheen).
    Flatland: The Movie (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Martin Sheen
    Martin Sheen
    • Arthur Squareas Arthur Square
    • (voice)
    Kristen Bell
    Kristen Bell
    • Hexas Hex
    • (voice)
    Michael York
    Michael York
    • Spheriusas Spherius
    • (voice)
    Joe Estevez
    Joe Estevez
    • Abbott Squareas Abbott Square
    • (voice)
    Tony Hale
    Tony Hale
    • King of Pointlandas King of Pointland
    • (voice)
    Curtis Luciani
    • King of Linelandas King of Lineland
    • (voice)
    Danu Uribe
    • Arlene Squareas Arlene Square
    • (voice)
    Garry Peters
    • Pantocyclusas Pantocyclus
    • (voice)
    Lee Eddy
    Lee Eddy
    • Heliosas Helios
    • (voice)
    • …
    Robert Murphy
    Robert Murphy
    • Pentagon Reporteras Pentagon Reporter
    • (voice)
    Shannon McCormick
    • Triangle Guard #1as Triangle Guard #1
    • (voice)
    Seth Caplan
    Seth Caplan
    • Triangle Guard #2as Triangle Guard #2
    • (voice)
    Dano Johnson
    • Radio Triangleas Radio Triangle
    • (voice)
    T. Lynn Mikeska
    • Heptagon Motheras Heptagon Mother
    • (voice)
    • …
    Jeffrey Travis
    • Circle Priestas Circle Priest
    • (voice)
    Cynthia Oelkers
    • Queen of Linelandas Queen of Lineland
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • Dano Johnson
      • Jeffrey Travis
    • Writers
      • Edwin A. Abbott(book)
      • Seth Caplan
      • Dano Johnson
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Flatland
    6.8
    Flatland
    Flatland
    5.1
    Flatland
    Flatland
    5.8
    Flatland
    Flatland
    7.2
    Flatland
    Flatland
    6.9
    Flatland
    Flatland
    Flatland
    Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed
    7.5
    Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed
    Dragon Day
    3.9
    Dragon Day
    The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay
    6.5
    The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay
    Deepwater
    5.3
    Deepwater
    Infinity
    6.1
    Infinity
    Gracie's Choice
    7.4
    Gracie's Choice

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The forbidden area in Flatland is named "Area 33H". "33" in hexadecimal ("H") is "51" in the decimal system, making this a sly reference to Area 51.
    • Goofs
      The spinning cube at the center of Area 33H shows up as a changing hexagon within Flatland. By analogy, the spinning hypercube at the end of the movie should appear as a changing polyhedral solid, but instead it appears as the full convex-hull three-dimensional projection.
    • Quotes

      Female Boss Circle: [to A Square, who is late arriving at the office] Get to your Square-icle! NOW!

    • Crazy credits
      The film opens with the following message: 'This movie has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit your Spaceland screen. Certain elements from Flatland have been altered to be recognizable by three-dimensional beings. Any similarity to people, places or objects in our world is purely coincidental.'
    • Connections
      Referenced in Dragon Day (2013)

    User reviews8

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Two reviews in one
    This review covers both versions of "Flatland" released in 2007, one by Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. with a mostly unknown voice cast, and the other by Jeffrey Travis with some Hollywood big names providing the voices.

    The source material for both is the 1884 novella by Edwin A. Abbott, but the approaches of the two films differ radically. The book is a staple of science fiction, and one of the few to address mathematical issues at its core. Being a product of its time, the book is technically naive, and politically incorrect based on current sensibilities.

    The Travis film is visually slicker, but significantly shorter, and tackles philosophical issues relative to the passage of time from initial publication. As such, it tampers with the plot to mixed effect. Unlike some others, I have no problem with some of the revisions to the underlying plot since they do help bring some of the book's major issues into somewhat sharper focus. On the other hand, they also add a "feel good" and politically correct sensibility that seems out of place.

    The Ehlinger film is much truer to its source material, which is both a strength and a weakness. Given a current perspective, its 19th century depiction of the political and social subjugation of women is a distraction that the Travis film avoids. It's also a longer film and could have been more effective with some of the same plot and editing license employed in the Travis film. Where it does tamper with the plot, some of the decisions are questionable as other reviewers have pointed out.

    So which is better? In my opinion, the short answer is the Ehlinger film. Despite its length, political incorrectness, and technical inferiority (the animation of the Travis film is much more sophisticated), it resonates at a technical level to a degree that the Travis film can't match. As a scientist, this means a lot to me. On the other hand, the Travis film resonates on an emotional level that the Ehlinger film can't match. So the answer may be whether you're looking for technical insight or emotional satisfaction.

    Most jarring in the Travis film is that, unlike the Ehlinger film, the animators never quite caught on to the implications of a two-dimensional universe. It is filled with objects which are instantly recognizable to us, yet would be clearly impossible or meaningless in the film's reality (e.g. the protagonist's daughter has toys which only make sense to someone with a 3-D perspective, and how does he open his briefcase?). The cover art is an obvious first impression example. The Travis film's characters look more human, but ask yourself how their eyes work. One detail of the book is that looking at a Flatlander from above, all of his internal organs are clearly visible, as they should be. Travis' animators hint at this, but don't meet it head-on. The Ehlinger film's animators may not have had the resources to make as slick a film as Travis', but they obviously gave a great deal of thought to what they were doing (or maybe not, since the necessary designs were all in the book). In short, Travis had the budget, but Ehlinger had the passion for the project - albeit perhaps a bit too much respect for the source to create a truly superior adaptation.

    The differences reflect different target audiences, though. The Travis film is an educational short film which was obviously meant to be viewed by classrooms of middle school and high school students. As such, it had to be socially inoffensive while conveying concepts of geometry that would never occur to non-mathematicians. That it includes recognizable names voicing the characters will help it grab a bit more attention - an educational short film for the "X-Files" generation. The Ehlinger film would mostly appeal to people with a college level interest in mathematics, or others who are already familiar with the book.

    Neither film is perfect, but I'm giving the Ehlinger film a rating of 8 and the Travis film a rating of 6. Depending on your sensibilities, your conclusion may be exactly opposite of mine, so I hope this review includes enough information to guide you to an informed selection.

    Or, like me, you could simply buy both... ;-)
    helpful•34
    2
    • rbsjrx
    • Apr 8, 2008

    FAQ1

    • Two "Flatland" movies come out in 2007, within months of each other! How to tell them apart?

    Details

    Edit
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Flatland
    • Filming locations
      • Austin, Texas, USA
    • Production company
      • Flat World Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      34 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Flatland: The Movie (2007)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Flatland: The Movie (2007) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:02
    LGBTQIA+ Movies and Shows to Watch This Summer
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.