In a world powered by steam and covered in smoggy factories, scientific discovery has completely vanished. The French animated steampunk film, “April and the Extraordinary World,” explores this premise, taking place in an alternate history in which a laboratory accident kills Napoleon III before the Franco-Prussian War, altering the course of France’s future.
In the years that follow, scientists around the world begin to vanish, and technological progress comes to a stop. Society continues to rely on coal and steam, as nations compete for fleeting resources.
The story follows April, a young girl in Paris who comes from a family of chemists forced into hiding. After her family dies in a lightning strike while escaping arrest, April continues her family’s scientific work in secret while caring for her talking cat, Darwin. She has lived alone for years until she receives a message that may be connected to her long-lost father.
One of the film’s most interesting features is its detailed world-building. Reliance on coal turned Paris into a grey, smoggy city where environmental effects are evident in the smallest details, such as citizens wearing gas masks and frequent coughing fits.
“April and the Extraordinary World” explores the environmental damage of a world without innovation. In this film’s version of the twentieth century, extreme pollution is a part of everyday life. Coal-powered machines cover the air and landscape in soot, and trees have become extremely rare, with Paris having only a single oak tree left.
Additionally, vehicles are mechanically powered, making transportation slow, and the Napoleonic Empire shapes the world through statues representing the dynasty.
Prasanth Chandran, secretary of the Wildcat Film Appreciation Society, shared one of his favorite details of the film’s environment.
“The details are great, like you see them building the statue of Napoleon V in the beginning,” he said. “You just see the leg and the globe he steps on. Ten years later, you see the whole statue complete.”
While “April and the Extraordinary World” tells an adventurous story, it also explores distrust in science. The few remaining scientists are taken by the French military, and conducting independent research is a crime. The imprisoned scientists struggle to discover anything, and without the freedom to think and explore, the world suffers.
Aileen Wang, a staff curator at the Beach Museum of Art and member of WFAS, discussed how the kidnapped scientists behaved.
“I thought it was ironic how the captured scientists didn’t seem that smart,” Wang said. “They can’t figure out what the technology they’re working on is. They’re just following orders and can’t actually improve.”
Through directors Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci, “April and the Extraordinary World” tells an imaginative story that offers more than a typical animated film. By following April’s search for answers, the film touches on social themes such as the consequences of dependence on non-renewable resources and the rise of anti-intellectualism. For the incredible storytelling, “April and the Extraordinary World” is a must-watch film, deserving five stars.
