It’s not really much of a surprise that many of the best sci-fi films that don’t contain significant human characters are animated movies. Not only is it more common for children’s content to contain non-human characters than films made for adults, but the animation also allows for bigger ideas to be explored without seeming quite so unrealistic.
Partly, this is because kids have a bigger imagination than adults and are able to connect to unfamiliar character experiences than adults are. However, regardless of whether storylines following non-human characters are created for kids or adults, they tend to possess the same themes. Generally, the themes in these storylines are used to represent humanity’s downfall, or are used to represent a group of people that are ostracized and othered by the rest of society.
There are plenty of live-action sci-fi films that examine such themes around prejudices through non-human characters that are clearly intended for adults. The difference with these films, however, is that they nearly always also include human characters. In part, they must include human characters for the sake of the budget, because it would be very expensive to bring to life an entire world where everyone requires heavy costume, makeup or CGI effects.
That said, it makes more sense for certain sci-fi plot lines to exclude humans and imagine new beings, relying on animation to bring the world to life. Animation allows the concepts to be as big as they need to be without it making the ideas seem corny. While most animation is child-friendly, these animated sci-fi films are sure to put into perspective what it means to be human, while also making for an enjoyable watch for a child or an adult audience.
The Dark Crystal
The Dark Crystal’s creator, Jim Henson, had an apparent interest in non-human worlds. This is clear through this film and other such works, including his the Land of Gorch series. The concept of the Dark Crystal itself was actually inspired by an illustration for a Lewis Carroll poem that Henson saw, which featured a party of crocodiles wearing fancy robes and accessories. Thus, it was clearly intentional for the characters in this movie to be non-human. While this series isn’t animated, the characters were created using puppets, which still gave creators a nearly limitless span of creative possibilities.
The visual result of these characters gained the film a lot of praise, especially for its time period. Despite the characters not being people, they still reflected some very human habits and qualities. More than anything, they reflect a human theme. The theme of this movie is focused on being the change and speaking up, pushing back when there is injustice happening to a group or groups of people. It encourages any viewer in the audience to stand up for others and to do the right thing, even if it’s challenging.
Chicken Little
The characters in this Disney animated sci-fi film are simply animals, rather than allowing the sci-fi genre to determine their species. The purpose of these characters being animals is to pay homage to the Anglo-Saxon folk tale that inspired the film, which follows a cowardly chicken. In order for the chicken to make sense as a character, it only seemed sensible to make the characters around him animals, as well. Aside from staying true to its roots, the use of animal characters also makes the story more digestible for an audience of children.
Again, the characters all still have human elements to them that make them relatable to viewers. The most essential theme in this movie is the message to accept who you are and embrace what makes you different, because those qualities often end up being strengths. The characters are all different kinds of animals, which emphasizes this point and illustrates how different but the same we all really are.
Robots
The entire concept of this film examines the value of community and connection. In other words, living among others like us should be more than just a way to make money; it should also be a source of acceptance and support.
While still living in a relatively flawed society, the robots are appropriate characters to examine this concept because robots are a human invention and are thus a direct reflection of humans and human behavior. While the world in this film has different priorities than ours, it functions much the same and serves as a valuable example to the audience, without being too direct.
Mune: Guardian of the Moon
This French film is set in a different realm with a different species of beings, whose entire world revolves around the sun and moon. In some ways, their world reflects our own, but in other ways, this world is simpler than ours, in that it relies more on what is essential and not so much on excessive things that are present in our society.
Ultimately, the main theme in this film is believing in one’s self, despite what their position in the world makes them believe about themselves. While this movie didn’t have a particularly big global impact, it painted a world much like our own, without being too on the nose, that helps us reassess our priorities in our own lives.
9
Unlike the other films in the list, a couple of humans do play a crucial role in this sci-fi film. The scientist is responsible for creating the world that the story is set in, and the chancellor is the driving force of it all. They are essentially the origin story for the film. They are not, however, the characters that propel the plot points in the story forward.
The characters that actually make up the story are sort of animated dolls, brought to life using alchemy. The message of the film emphasizes the importance of considering others and not always putting oneself first. This is an essential component of any community. Perhaps, since we don’t always do so well upholding this priority in our own societies, we’ll at least be able to recognize through this theme that there’s a need for it.
If all of these non-human-focused films prove anything, it’s that the best films about non-human characters actually teach us a lot about being human. The best part of these films being animated is that they are accessible to both kids and adults, making their valuable themes appeal to both also. As graphics and makeup capabilities continue to advance, such storylines may transition from being animated to more commonly being live-action. But no matter what form they take, they will likely always reflect these same essential themes that remind us what it truly means to be human.