Created and written by Victoria Lauren and directed by Rickey Boyd, Planet Blue: Journey to Eco is a multiple award winning animated short film that showcases the voice talents of Kerry Butler, Buddy Dyer, Luke Drewell, Rickey Boyd and the creator Victoria Lauren.

With their home, the rainforest, smouldering and bare after devastating wildfires; Wizard the Blue Dart Frog, Toucan Petey and Blinky the Tree Frog undertake a magical adventure to find their friend Frazzie the monkey. This journey takes these cute animals to outer space where Planet Blue and Sunny Sun spin through the galaxy. Together, the friends hatch a plan to save the rainforest and the world from a climate catastrophe.

Planet Blue: Journey to Eco is for family audiences and as a prelude to several more shorts and feature films in the franchise, it gets a lot right. The visuals are attractive, the voice actors fantastic and there is a discernible push to get the kids involved in saving the planet. Films made for social messaging often get preachy but this short thankfully manages to avoid the complexities and pitfalls that often come with such an approach. Lauren and Boyd have thus made a cool animated short, one that manages to introduce the characters and sets the course for future adventures all in a slick time of five minutes.

Perhaps the most stunning thing about this film is how clean the CGI looks. The anthropomorphic animals look photorealistic and their natural movements (in line with how their real life counterparts would behave) show the level of detail that the visual artists have managed to infuse into these characters. This adds a layer of realism that makes the film even better.

Every film ultimately boils down to its message and the message here is clear: save the rainforests or the planet gradually wilts away. Walking amongst the burning remains of the forest, the main characters discuss their next plan of action. Utilising both the detailed sets and the witty dialogue, the filmmakers not only display the urgency of acting upon mitigating climate change but manage to convey the risks as well if the planet is not saved in time.

Perfect for inspiring children to apprise them of the importance of saving our rainforests, Planet Blue: Journey to Eco is a win in more ways than one. Not only does it have a resonant central message but its colourful characters and stunning CGI will make this short an instant hit amongst young audiences who will be both awed and inspired by this effort. Victoria Lauren and Ricky Boyd have created a film that hits it out of the park in more ways than one and acts as a solid foundation for the expansion of the franchise.

A Journey begins to save the amazon rainforest from further deforestation.

Rickey Boyd, Victoria Lauren, and Luke Drewell in Planet Blue: Journey to Eco (2020)

Pay tribute to [link=/name/nm0000469/]James Earl Jones[/link], [link=/name/nm0001167/]Shelley Duvall[/link], and more stars we lost in 2024.

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Pay tribute to <a class="ipc-md-link" href="/name/nm0000469/?ref_=tt_eds_right-3_lk">James Earl Jones</a>, <a class="ipc-md-link" href="/name/nm0001167/?ref_=tt_eds_right-3_lk">Shelley Duvall</a>, and more stars we lost in 2024.

Planet Blue: Journey to Eco

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An animated short film that takes you on a visual journey.

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