''The Secret of the Selenites'' (french: Le secret des sélénites) is a 1984 French animated comedy film directed by

Jean Image Imre Hajdú (; 26 January 1911 – 21 October 1989) better known by his stage name Jean Image () was a Hungarian-French director, script writer and producer of French animation films. His stage name, "Image" is based upon the French pronunciatio ...

, his last film before he died 5 years later. It is also known as ''Moon Madness'' in the United States and ''Moontrek'' in the United Kingdom. The film is loosely based on the novel ''

Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia ''Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia'' is a 1785 novel about a fictional German nobleman written by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe. The lead character Baron Munchausen is loosely based on a real ...

'' (1785) by

Rudolf Erich Raspe Rudolf Erich Raspe (March 1736 – 16 November 1794) was a German librarian, writer, and scientist, called by his biographer John Patrick Carswell a "rogue". He is best known for his collection of tall tales '' The Surprising Adventures of Bar ...

. Baron Munchausen, the titular protagonist, is a fictional

German nobleman The German nobility (german: deutscher Adel) and royalty were status groups of the medieval society in Central Europe, which enjoyed certain privileges relative to other people under the laws and customs in the German-speaking area, until the begi ...

. Raspe based the character on a real-life

Freiherr (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , literally "free lord" or "free lady") and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire ...

(Baron), Hieronymus Karl Friedrich, Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720–1797). The fictional Baron of the novel is a retired soldier and world traveler, who narrates

tall tale A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories ("the fish that got away") such as, "That fish was so big, why I tell ya', it n ...

s about his past. In one of his best-known stories, the Baron travels to the Moon.

Plot

In the year 1787, the astrologer Sirius seeks proof of the existence of the Selenites, a fabled race of

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

dwellers said to possess the talisman of eternal life. He offers his entire fortune to his cousin, the Baron Munchausen, if the Baron journeys to the Moon and retrieves the talisman. Accompanying the Baron on this adventure are his friends Nimrod, who can see great distances; Earfull, whose huge ears grant him superhuman hearing; Hurricane, who can exhale great gusts of wind; the fleet-footed Cavallo; and Hercules, who is as strong as his namesake. They board a tall-masted ship, the ''Clair de Lune'', and deliberately sail into a fierce storm. By inflating a trio of hot air balloons and riding a waterspout high into the air, the ship takes flight and leaves Earth. Arriving at the Moon, the ''Clair de Lune'' descends into a

lunar crater Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth's Moon. The Moon's surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts. The International Astronomical Union currently recognizes 9,137 craters, of which 1,675 have been dated. History The wor ...

where it becomes wedged. The adventurers fall into an underground lake and are attacked by swimming monsters, but are rescued by flying creatures and soon meet the Selenites, who are humanoid but have three legs and crescent-shaped heads that are detached from their bodies. They are given a tour of the Selenite kingdom, which includes many fantastic sights and creatures. The Selenite king informs the Earthlings that their coming was foretold, and that they are prophesied to free the Selenites from their enemies, the small, accordion-headed Green Means, who seek to steal the talisman of life. The Earthlings take part in friendly competitions against the Selenites: Nimrod defeats their jousting champion, Cavallo—with assistance from Hurricane—beats their fastest runner in a race, and Hercules defeats their wrestling champion. The Green Means launch an attack from their nearby spacecraft, sending their

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...

s to invade the Selenite kingdom. Armed with rayguns, they overwhelm the Selenite defenders. The Earthlings join the battle, driving back the Green Means, stopping their leader from stealing the talisman, and rescuing the Selenite king and queen. As reward for their heroics, the king presents each of them with a talisman of eternal life, making them immortal. With assistance from the Selenites, they free the ''Clair de Lune'' from the crater and fly the ship back to Earth. In the year 1997, the Baron, Sirius, and their friends are still alive thanks to their talismans. Surrounded by skyscrapers and flying vehicles, the Baron and Sirius reminisce about their adventures.

Voice Cast

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Secret of the Selenites 1984 films 1984 animated films 1980s science fiction comedy films 1980s French animated films French science fiction comedy films Baron Munchausen Films about astronauts Films about extraterrestrial life Films about immortality Films based on German novels Films directed by Jean Image Films set in the 18th century Films set in the 20th century French animated films 1980s French-language films Fiction about invasions Moon in film 1984 comedy films Films scored by Shuki Levy Films scored by Haim Saban