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chosen A Square to convince
Flatland about the existence of the three-dimensional Spaceland. A Sphere plucks A Square out of Flatland, finally making him understand the third dimension. Having business himself at the Great Hall, A Sphere brings A Square to look for his brother there. On their arrival, A Sphere expounds upon three dimensions to President Circle and the Priests, who anticipated this event. After rejecting A Sphere's message and attempting to kill him, the Flatland leaders execute all who have witnessed the event, except B Square, who is imprisoned for life on pain of death in exchange for his silence.
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Schneider points out that where A Square's experience was originally religious, the film makes it a "wow moment used to lead into some cheap gags", and states that "the story dissolves". He found the film's satire "predictable", and described it as "best when sticking to the book's original points". Schneider faults writer Tom Whalen's script for changing Abbott's story "too much", the music by Mark Slater as "sometimes apt", but at other times "a mess", the intertitle cards as "annoying", the ending for being "muddled" and trying "too hard for the relevance of
640:, described the intertitles as fine for children, but "annoying" for adults, and found the math exposition to be "painless" but "a touch too long". She found that too many plot threads were not tied up, and an "overabundance of possible meanings", for example a "slew of referencing" around the character of Senator Chromatistes, which "disperses our understanding". Wood noted flaws in pacing and the intertitles, but found the expression of emotion via color and music to be "effective". Ultimately the film was "a mixed feast" with frustrating "cluttered logic".
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Arriving home, A Square informs his wife that they are going to defect to the
Northern Kingdom where he might be able to spread the gospel to a more open-minded populace. Soldiers arrive and A Square escapes with the help of Frau A Square's "war cry" that stuns them. Before he can reach the border, A Square is cornered by the soldiers whose attempt to kill him is thwarted by the Northern Kingdom army's attack. In the fracas, Flatland itself begins to disappear, until a voice welcomes A Square into another dimension.
676:, showing more biological detail, and even dreams. She remarked that the film "vividly mimics" Abbott's description of the physical remolding of children's bodies to conform to societal norms, and "adheres closely" to the discrimination against women in Abbott's story. She noted that some variations from the book were confusing: one of A Square's sons is a hexagon, unlike the all-pentagon siblings in Abbott's story.
604:, Paul Di Filippo gave the film a rating of "A", stating that it "entertains, enlightens and educates", and that "Ehlinger manages to retain the Victorian satire on pomposity and cultural blindness while updating it to modern conditions. And ... conceptual breakthrough is brilliantly handled." Di Filippo's single criticism was that the superimposed text exposition got "a bit heavy-handed".
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Meanwhile, A Square's intrusion into
Spaceland has become a national emergency, which prompts the Spaceland Senate to call to him to appear for a hearing, to explain this breach of protocol of bringing a Flatlander into their midst. They claim that it will be viewed as an act of, and provocation for, war by their enemies, the X-Axis.
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gave an overall negative review. He criticized the departures by the film from Abbott's book, such as the character of the king instead being a president (who wears a crown), and the divergence into satire when A Sphere visits A Square, where the sphere is a CEO, instead of Abbott's "mystical guide".
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called it "captivating", "an enjoyable mental amusement park ride", and "something amazingly different and intriguing to watch". But he noted, "the complexity of the world being explored does not coherently coalesce", and that the film attacks divisive topics "with an undisciplined flurry of jabs".
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The Senate session has been called to discuss the increasing hostilities between the government and the
Chromatist movement, led by Senator Chromatistes, which seeks the legalization of Flatlanders coloring themselves as they wish. The Great Southern Republic distinguishes itself from its enemy, the
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A Square learns that the X-Axis wants to destroy
Flatland as they consider it an abomination, contrary to the beliefs of the Great Senate. As the debate rages, an ailing A Square tries to explain his theory of multiple dimensions to an unsympathetic crowd. Air-raid sirens wail as A Square collapses
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Against his brother's warning, A Square meets his new client, the first female charged as a
Chromatist. On his way home he is caught in the melee leaving the Senate. President Circle's soldiers killed Senator Chromatistes and his supporters, sparking a riot across the city. A Square just gets home
258:
A Square awakens to learn that the deadly riots originated in the Senate meeting that B Square was attending. He scours the city, now under martial law, seeking B Square. The family prepares for another night, only to be terrified by the sudden appearance of A Sphere, CEO of
Messiah, Inc, who has
647:
that the film is one of "two of the best movie versions ever made" of the story. He states that the film "preserves the biting social satire of the original story with ideas and abstract violence (bleeding polygons) not appropriate for little kids (teens will be fine)". He continues, the "film
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In a two-dimensional world called
Flatland populated by sapient polygons, it is three days until the celebration of the year 3000. "A Square", attorney at law, struggles to instruct his son, A Hexagon, in the art of sight recognition. The lesson is interrupted by A Square's brother B, a clerk to
262:
Realizing that time in
Spaceland is short, at least for A Square, A Sphere brings him to Messiah, Inc. to finish his education on the gospel of Three Dimensions. Enthralled by the complex world of Spaceland, A Square posits about the existence of even higher dimension, which A Sphere dismisses.
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A Sphere manages to send A Square back to
Flatland as Messiah, Inc. is bombarded. A Square wakes up on his bed and learns that preaching about a third dimension is illegal now. He finds B Square jailed and explains Spaceland to him, but fearing execution, B Square knocks A Square unconscious.
622:"...there's not a single thing about it that's disingenuous or unworldly or superficial. It's by a serious and gifted filmmaker who brings a light touch to his craft and does it without an ounce of pretentiousness or Hollywood phoniness or a sense of self-consciousness."
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reviewer Phil Hall referred to the film's "bold originality and vibrant intelligence", stating, "Sequences throb with raw power, provoking visceral emotional responses". Hall flatly called it "a work of genius," and gave it five stars (of five).
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touches on current events, including allusions to the Iraq war and anti-gay prejudice, to conclude apocalyptically (the book just ends with the protagonist in prison). Most adults will want to see both Flatland versions, sooner or later."
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Northern Kingdom, by its stances on Chromatism and Irregulars along with a democratic government. Relaxing the laws has already been perceived as weakness by the Northern Kingdom who are massing on the borders.
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and others, Ehlinger animated and edited the film by himself over the course of two years, starting in 2005. He sent completed animations to composer Mark Slater for scoring, who sent back audio files.
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an "A", referring to it as "smart, without being cheeky", in taking the likely unfilmable source material, and creating a "spirited avant-garde" film. He summarized:
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Green was intrigued by the film's "glib omniscient" title cards, writing that their presence "almost makes for a character in and of itself."
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Ehlinger recorded dialogue for the film throughout 2005 in his home studio. Using off-the-shelf 3D animation software packages such as
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from the overwhelming effects of gravity on his two-dimensional body and chaos ensues.
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safely, then barricades his family against the chaos for the night.
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President Circle's personal assistant and A Square's brother.
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A lethal triangle soldier in the Southern Republic Army.
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The CEO of Messiah, Inc. and a resident of Spaceland.
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The chief doctor at the Hospital of Reconfiguration.
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The president of the Southern Republic of Flatland.
860:Wood, Aylish (2008). "Flatland the Film (review)".
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902:. The Global Intelligencer. Archived from
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755:. flatlandthefilm.com. Ladd Ehlinger, Jr.
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702:. flatlandthefilm.com. Ladd Ehlinger, Jr.
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226:. The film was directed and animated by
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219:Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
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614:Dennis Schwartz (Ozus' World) gave
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924:Schneider, Dan (August 15, 2007).
839:"Independent Animation Spotlight:
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926:"DVD Review: Flatland - The Film"
894:Schroeder, Carl (November 2007).
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435:An elderly, demented trapezoid.
417:One of A Sphere's many workers.
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212:) is a 2007 American animated
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959:"Flatland in Popular Culture"
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385:An accused Chromatism line.
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1226:American independent films
1206:2007 science fiction films
957:Marz Harper, Lila (2012).
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151:January 14, 2007
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355:A Sphere's secretaries.
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971:McFarland & Company
896:"Film Review: Flatland"
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40:Promotional film poster
1152:Flatland 2: Sphereland
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1057:Edwin Abbott Abbott's
661:2001: A Space Odyssey
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331:The King of Lineland
1118:The Dot and the Line
393:The Pentagon Doctor
214:science fiction film
137:Flatland Productions
126:Flatland Productions
16:For other film, see
1216:2007 animated films
1144:Flatland: The Movie
673:Flatland: The Movie
589:Adobe After Effects
505:Catherine Ehlinger
224:Edwin Abbott Abbott
847:Ain't It Cool News
841:Flatland: The Film
629:Ain't it Cool News
288:Dimensional shape
203:Flatland: The Film
200:(also released as
23:2007 American film
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877:Project MUSE
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376:Ashley Blackwell
315:President Circle
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868:(1): 167–171.
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167:Running time
144:Release date
91:Chris Carter
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1085:Flatterland
942:October 29,
931:Blogcritics
798:Film Threat
656:Blogcritics
607:Film Threat
533:Mark Carter
312:Greg Trent
236:Mark Slater
112:Mark Slater
83:F.X. Vitolo
80:Produced by
46:Directed by
1201:2007 films
1195:Categories
1175:Dimensions
1077:Sphereland
986:2012-10-29
910:2012-10-29
874:A243358535
680:References
579:Production
572:Bill Wells
552:Chris Kolb
548:Raven Hood
478:A Hexagon
363:Soldier Y
285:Character
171:95 minutes
155:2007-01-14
119:Production
59:Tom Whalen
56:Written by
1111:Spaceland
771:(review)"
602:SciFi.com
596:Reception
494:B Square
445:A Square
431:trapezoid
299:A Sphere
135:FilmLadd
100:Edited by
1136:Flatland
1061:Flatland
1016:Flatland
1005:Flatland
818:Flatland
792:Flatland
769:Flatland
749:Archived
727:Archived
696:Archived
616:Flatland
397:pentagon
367:triangle
351:pyramids
197:Flatland
184:Language
108:Music by
88:Starring
64:Based on
29:Flatland
1069:Sequels
497:square
482:hexagon
379:A Line
188:English
176:Country
153: (
121:company
1163:Themes
1139:(2007)
1088:(2001)
1080:(1965)
977:
881:269154
879:
872:
794:(DVD)"
449:square
319:circle
303:sphere
282:Actor
1180:Space
961:. In
511:line
382:line
291:Role
1010:IMDb
975:ISBN
944:2012
900:Arts
870:Gale
465:line
413:cube
335:line
275:Cast
242:Plot
206:and
1019:at
1008:at
666:In
654:of
230:in
222:by
72:by
1197::
969:.
928:.
898:.
864:.
845:.
806:^
796:.
738:^
587:,
238:.
1049:e
1042:t
1035:v
989:.
946:.
913:.
883:.
866:1
849:.
843:"
820:"
816:"
800:.
790:"
767:"
157:)
20:.
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