Is it a dream, a nightmare or a bad trip? Nope, it’s Cryptozoo. This animation film is a rollercoaster ride full of hippies, sex, a US army chase and bizarre creatures such as gorgons and fauns. 

In 1970’s America young people fight for sexual revolution, the freeing of the mind through love and drugs and against the war in Vietnam. But more is going on behind the scenes. The government is aware of the existence of magical creatures, and considers them as possible secret weapons. Veterinarian Lauren Gray tracks down these creatures to save them from cruelty and provide them shelter in her Cryptozoo. This leads to a direct confrontation when the army decides to capture the dream-eating chimaera in an attempt to utilize it as a weapon against the upcoming anti-culture in the United States. 

Cryptozoo is a wild ride in which a utopian as well as a dystopian image of society is being portrayed. Against the backdrop of the culture wars of the 1970’s and inspired by psychedelic comic books from this time, this trippy film mirrors issues of our society that are ever more relevant. 

-Lucas

IMDb

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