After a shipwreck, a motley group of people end up in a paradise island called Melonia; two of them have sinister plans related to a nightmarish place called Plutonia.

Per Åhlin’s first entirely animated feature film was several years in the making, a partial adaptation of both Shakespeare’s ”The Tempest” and Jules Verne’s ”Propeller Island”, complete with an ecological message. Striking contrast between the green Melonia and the dirty Plutonia, and the filmmakers cleverly use their memorable characters to great effect in an adventure and power struggle for the future.

Endearing score; terrific voice cast.

1989-Sweden-Norway. Animated. 104 min. Color. Directed and edited by Per Åhlin. Screenplay: Per Åhlin, Karl Rasmusson. Music: Björn Isfält. Voices of Allan Edwall (Prospero), Robyn (Miranda), Olle Sarri (Ferdinand), Tomas von Brömssen, Ernst Günther, Jan-Olof Strandberg, Ingvar Kjellson, Eva Rydberg, Hans Alfredson. 

Trivia: Original title: Resan till Melonia. Alternative title: The Voyage to Melonia. Later a stage play. The film received two special Guldbagge awards for creative contributions, honoring Åhlin and Isfält.

Last word: “The Journey to Melonia is a special film to me. Partly because it is my own screenplay and an entirely animated film, and partly because it is largely a good movie! Adding to that is the fact that it required a huge effort from everybody involved and, even though the opposite was said, it was made for less than it should have.” (Åhlin, Filmtopp)