Parumu no ki

At the base of a huge tree lives a botanist with his malfunctioning wooden robot named Palme. One day a wounded female warrior arrives there just ahead of her pursuers. She makes Palme to deliver a capsule to Tamas, a world deep underground.

This movie is not all about the animation, but based heavily more on the morale and symbolism, it wants to explore the meaning of humanity. About how Palme encounters various people, less mechanical but some are more "soulless", how he wanted to become a human to protect the girl he loves, Popo. Even sometimes we can see that Palme is "more human" than any others (makes mistakes like human too).

So, if you want to watch an alternate version of pinocchio movie, watch this , its a good movie.

Whilst this can be a bit slumpy in places. I feel that it does depict the depth of palmes love and inner torment.

"One minute, Palme is a humble hero in search of himself, the next a violent psycho with an unhealthy fixation on a girl" ¬Mindboggling, by Sarah US

is that not love? it is not illogical and complex, conflicting and overwhelming? It is beautifully portrayed through the eyes of palme. a boy made of wood to be a companion of a girl. the tree from which he was cast was sentient so he developed thoughts akin to feelings.

The story is bittersweet. it follows palme as he explores who he is as well as what perceived feelings and attachments truly are. you feel for palme but because he's not 'a real boy' you are with him without feeling uncomfortable. the mesh between Pinocchio and Puppy is a clever and essential device to the telling of the story. If you cannot appreciate that then you have missed the point entirely.

I would class this as slice of life rather than fantasy. but there are 2 types of the aforementioned. If you want an anime that spells it all out for you and leaves you feeling all cutesy-poo then this is not for you. If you like anime that provokes thought and the slice of life you're after is the big questions and quandaries then this is a must see.

I simply cannot understand how so many people can dislike "A Tree of Palme". Allow me to explain.

For one, people complain that the pacing is too slow. Get over it. Some films happen to have slow pacing, and the pacing in "A Tree of Palme" served the plot excellently and with good taste. I can't imagine "A Tree of Palme" being any better with faster pacing; the pacing allowed it to have a "slice of life" feel, while at the same time immersing you in an alien world and a worthy, action-packed adventure.

Furthermore, I hardly think the plot is convoluted as so many suggest. I had no trouble following any aspect of the story. I'll admit that there are many anime films out there with plots that run circles around my head, but this wasn't one of them. It all made perfect sense to me -- symbolism and all. Perhaps I'm either insane or smarter than most. I don't know. All I know was that I truly enjoyed the plot and had no issues with it.

I also very much liked all the characters. That's a rare pleasure I get from movies these days, especially given my extremely jaded nature. With a combination of good writing, great cinematography, and great music, I was able to feel everything the characters felt; when they were happy, so was I; when they were sad, so too did sadness well up from within me. Only the best films can achieve such a goal (should it even *be* a goal, given most of today's trash films).

And then there is the pure artistry in virtually every shot of the film. My god, "A Tree of Palme" is beautiful -- an artistic triumph in every sense. Immersion is practically guaranteed. And the CG? Perfectly integrated. Absolutely perfect. I never felt as if I was looking at CG -- the gorgeous cinematography and haunting music saw to that. It also helped that the modern, intricate CG was sparingly used, unlike so many of today's films. The CG was as CG *should* be.

In the end, "A Tree of Palme" is an amazing film and simply doesn't deserve the terrible wrap so many people levy upon it. It reminds me so much of the early days of film, when special effects weren't everything and pacing was much slower. If you're a fan of film, you owe it to yourself to see "A Tree of Palme".

Once upon a time, 14 Years ago i went with my buddies to my first anime con, Big apple anime fest 2003. There we saw the premiere of a movie called "A Tree of Palme". it was messed up and terrible. 14 years later i thought i'd give it a watch again. It is still messed up and terrible. The end

The animation was good, the imagery was good, although not totally original, however, the story was too long, way too confusing, and over the top dramatic. After about an hour I couldn't wait to get it over with. With so many characters that have nothing to contribute and plot elements that either come from nowhere or go nowhere this movie really wasn't one movie at all and would have been better of as a short series or possibly two movies. If you like this kind of typical story maybe you will like it, but frankly, I've been spoiled by much more creative stories that actually have some sort message to tell. Go rent a Miyazaki film and watch it twice, you'll get way more out of it.