Told without words, Simon Cottee’s surrealist hand-drawn animated documentary The Pioneers (2022) features distinctive design work by Malcolm Sutherland and an understated, emotional original score by Kid Koala.
Based on historical records, this unique documentary rhythmically depicts 59 test rocket launches, each carrying an animal (including dogs, mice, and monkeys) before humans were eventually sent into space.
As each rocket blasts off, claiming the life of yet another animal, the viewer, like humanity at the time, gradually becomes desensitized to the tragedies of these unwitting pioneers.
Both tragic and instructive, The Pioneers serves as a sobering reminder of the many sacrifices made for the arguably arrogant and relentless ambitions of humanity. The film also hints at the destructive tendencies of humans, drawing parallels between our inability to fix problems on Earth and our race to new frontiers — destinations we seem destined to exploit and damage in turn, much like reckless teenagers leaving chaos in their wake.
Cottee reflected on the film:
The film had been floating in my head for over a decade. It was the contrast between the innocence of animal test subjects against the harsh reality of the human drive of ‘progress.’ It’s a brutal thing and as time has gone on we’ve only remembered Laika the dog and Ham the chimpanzee, but there were so many others. It’s also just a fascinating period of history where two world powers in a period of incredible tension put their efforts into something more than war. Which feels as relevant today as ever. I also just love space travel and rockets.
Cottee is an Australian/Canadian animator based in Montreal. In 2020, he co-founded Studio Tortu with Canadian animator Malcolm Sutherland. His previous films include The Wedding (2012) and The Duck (2014). Cottee also worked as an animator on several National Film Board of Canada productions, including Torill Kove’s Maybe Elephants.
The Pioneers received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.
