AFF2012: 'Flatland 2: Sphereland'
Universe needs a hero? Find a mathlete
By Kimberley Jones, 3:00PM, Sat. Oct. 20, 2012
This sequel to 2007's kid-geared Flatland continues to champion curiosity and scientific inquiry.
Based on Edwin A. Abbott's 1884 novella Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, the Flatland films – a collaboration by locals Jeffrey Travis, Dano Johnson, and Seth Caplan – is set in the titular two-dimensional land, with a citizenry staunchly in denial that other dimensions exist. The first film's plucky heroine Hex (voiced by Kristen Bell) returns, and here, in this half-hour sequel, she has a sidekick named Puncto, a "number-crunching navigator."
Puncto is voiced by Danny Pudi, and it's easy to imagine Pudi's Community character, the Inspector Space Time-obsessed Abed, cutting his teeth on Flatland. Its mix of straight math and sci-fi inventiveness made the first film a straight-to-DVD success story and a hit with educators, who'll find just as much to cheer for in this followup.
Flatland and Flatland 2: Sphereland screen together on Sunday, Oct. 21, 1:30pm at the Austin Convention Center Meeting Room 18.
