Invention for Destruction (1958)

After watching The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, I was eagerly looking forward to this film though I didn’t think anything could top the creativity seen there. I was wrong. While they both utilize a mix of live action and animation styles to create a fantasy world, here it is used to create the illusion of a world that is a moving, breathing line engraving. Every single part of the visuals are committed to this vision. The costumes are bold in contrasting patterns of dark and light. Even the water and sky have line etched overlays to fit right into the setting. The story brings forth a world where technology is rapidly growing, with fanciful steam machines of all types being shown, and the greatest weapon ever invented is on the horizon. A super villain is willing to do whatever it takes to get his hands on it the moment the weapon is realized. While set in the Victorian age, it is a particularly poignant reflection in the post atomic bomb age.