We are probably past the point where our world will not be reclaimable. I'm not a morbid person, but I have little faith in the human race. Due to selfishness and indifference, politics, and, dare I say, religion, we have pretty much squandered what the earth has produced. If one wants to look in the cosmic sense, if there is a spirit in the universe, the earth will replenish itself at some point. Probably without our being around. This is a film of great depth and gentleness. A man sets out to plant huge numbers of trees on barren land, getting up every morning with his seeds in hand and finding spots to put them. The animation here is without peer. Christopher Plummer's lovely voice takes us on a journey through two wars and an evolution of both humanity and achievement. The movie is incredibly optimistic. Because of an innate cynicism born from observation, I expected that all would come crashing down. See this. It is one of the most beautiful things I've seen.

Christopher Plummer narrates this animated short of a young man who takes a walk into the French Alps. In 1913, he finds a desolate land. Water is scarce and the villages are barren. The poverty stricken villagers had cleared the land to produce charcoal. He encounters shepherd Elzéard Bouffier who hand selected acorns and planted them in the barren landscape. He would return after the Great War to find a forest had grown where none existed. People assumed the forest grew up naturally while Bouffier toiled in obscurity.The hand drawn style animation gives a natural fable feel. It has such a gentle touch. It really tugs at the heartstrings. The beautiful aspect of the story is the dignity and the unassuming nature of the man. It is so well told that it has the feel of a true story.

Simple story of the power of a life of hope, generosity, and perseverance.Animated, well-drawn.A man spends years planting trees, gradually transforming a wasteland into a forest; changes the area from one supporting a few ornery people into thriving towns.Seems like a true story.Set in the years between WWI and WWII in Provence, in southeastern France, at an altitude of about 1000 meters.Well done, worth a look.

Animation changed greatly after the major studios (Warner Brothers, Disney, MGM, etc.) stopped producing their own animated works. This 30 minute short is one of the best of the period since the major studios regularly produced animated shorts based on cels.This 30 minute, Oscar-winning production of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is an animated portrayal of a French "Johnny Appleseed", who did his work among the turmoil of World War I. Both men, Johnny Appleseed and Elzear Bouffier, the subject of this film, were real men who appreciated the importance of trees on the land. This film is not widely available. Videotapes can be ordered from Direct Cinema in Harriman, New York.