Kaena: The Prophecy
| Industry | Animation, Film production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | France |
Kaena: The Prophecy (original French title: Kaena: La prophétie) is a 2003 adult animated fantasy adventure film created by the studio Xilam.
The concept was initiated in 1995 by Chris Delaporte after departing from Éric Chahi's Amazing Studio during the development phase of the game Heart of Darkness. Although originally intended as a video game, the project later transitioned into a multimedia cinematic production.
The film premiered in French theaters on June 4, 2003, distributed by BAC Films. Subsequently, it was dubbed into English and released in the United States through Columbia TriStar Pictures under the Destination Films label. The English voice cast features Kirsten Dunst, Richard Harris in his final performance, Anjelica Huston, Keith David, and Ciara Janson. While critics largely disapproved of the narrative, the animation quality received commendation.
Plot
After an alien spacecraft crashes on a barren desert world, its crew—the Vecarians—perish, leaving only the ship’s core, Vecanoi, intact. From this core grows Axis, an enormous tree extending into outer space.
Six hundred years later, Axis is inhabited by human-like beings living among its branches. Kaena (voiced by Kirsten Dunst), a rebellious adolescent, yearns to explore beyond her community. Disregarding the village elder’s prohibitions, she encounters Opaz (voiced by Richard Harris), the last surviving Vecarian. Opaz has engineered intelligent worms to assist in his escape and enlists Kaena’s aid to retrieve Vecanoi, which contains his civilization’s collective consciousness.
Vecanoi is situated at Axis’s base and is guarded by the Selenites—native inhabitants led by their Queen (voiced by Anjelica Huston). She holds Vecanoi responsible for her planet’s ruin and has sacrificed her people's future in attempts to annihilate it.
French cast
- Cécile de France as Kaena
- Michael Lonsdale as Opaz
- Victoria Abril as La reine
- Jean Piat as Le prêtre
English cast
- Kirsten Dunst as Kaena
- Richard Harris as Opaz
- Anjelica Huston as Queen of the Selenites
- Keith David as Voxem
- Michael McShane as Assad
- Greg Proops as Gommy
- Tom Kenny as Zehos
- Tara Strong as Essy
- Dwight Schultz as Ilpo
- John DiMaggio as Enode
- Ciara Janson as Kamou, Roya
- Jennifer Darling as Reya
- Cornell John as Demok
- Gary Martin as The Priest
- William Attenborough as Sambo
Production
Initially conceived in 1995 as a video game project, production employed existing software such as Alienbrain and Autodesk 3ds Max 2.5 instead of creating custom tools.
Reception
Kaena failed commercially and was met with predominantly negative critiques. Prominent publications including The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The L.A. Times, and The Boston Globe condemned its dull and confusing storyline. Comparisons were drawn unfavorably against the more acclaimed French animated feature The Triplets of Belleville and the similarly unsuccessful CGI film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Nonetheless, some reviewers appreciated the visual design, noting that the protagonist bore resemblance to Lara Croft.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 7% approval rating from 30 reviews with an average score of 3.90/10; critics summarized it as "visually inventive" yet "incoherent, derivative, and dull." Metacritic lists a score of 40 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, reflecting mixed or average reception.
Video game
The video game Kaena, created by Xilam and distributed by Namco for the PlayStation 2, was launched on April 15, 2004. This title saw a limited release solely within the Japanese market. Despite the completion and marketing of an English localization intended for North America, it ultimately did not receive an official launch there.