NEW ULM — The New Ulm Film Society will be making a stop on “Forbidden Planet” in its journey through special effect history.

The screening begins 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 13 at the New Ulm Public Library.

“Forbidden Planet” was released in 1956 and became and is considered a classic in the Science-Fiction genre.

It is the 23rd century and a starship has been sent to the distant planet Altair IV to find a missing expedition sent to the planet 20 years earlier. Upon arrival, the starship crew finds one of the expedition members, Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) are the only human survivors. Morbius and his daughter are aided by a robot servant named Robby.

The starship crew soon learns the other expedition members were killed by a mysterious “planetary force.” Why were Morbius and his daughter spared? Does it have anything to do with the alien technology left behind on the planet? The starship Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) must find out if he and his crew are to escape this Forbidden Planet.

Though the story is considered one of the classic sci-fi stories, it was likely inspired by an older stage play “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare.

The plot of “The Tempest” and “Forbidden Planet” is similar. In both stories, a father and daughter are isolated from the rest of humanity. In the Shakespeare play they are on an island in the film it is a whole planet. In “The Tempest,” the character Prospero has magical abilities to control the weather. In the film, Dr. Morbius has powers created through advanced technology.

In the play, Prospero has Ariel, a spirit of air he summoned. In the film, Morbius has Robby the Robot, created by scientific advancement. Ariel is a spirit of the air and Robby arrives in a dust cloud.

The play has a monstrous Caliban who Prospero cannot control and in the film, Morbius cannot control the energy monster attacking the crew.

The greatest difference between “The Tempest” and “Forbidden Planet” is the story theme. “The Tempest” offers an optimistic message in which magic and nature can exist in harmony. In fact, everyone can live in harmony. The conflicts between the people can be forgiven. “Forbidden Planet” is more pessimistic. Like many sci-fi stories is a warning about rapid progress. If humans do not control their base instincts, technology can be a threat. The irony is this film required significant advancements to be made.

“Forbidden Planet” pioneered many staples of the sci-fi genre. The idea of setting the entire film on another planet or depicting humans on spaceships created by humans was unique for the time, but what initially set it apart was the budget put into special effects.

“Forbidden Planet” was the first sci-fi film to receive a large budget. At the time, many studios did not take the genre seriously and gave them minimum budgets. Since sci-fi films were underfunded, filmmakers had to cut back on props, sets and special effects. The end result was cheap-looking films that audiences could not take seriously. It fed the belief that sci-fi was not a legitimate genre.

Putting money into the film’s budget was a gamble, but it paid off. “Forbidden Planet” was a huge success. Critics and audiences love the special effects of the movie. It was viewed as a credible depiction of a future world. MGM made back its investment and other studios realized they could do the same.

Animator Joshua Meader is credited with creating many of the film’s special effects. He provided the animation for the laser beam shots and the mysterious energy monster.

Meador served as an animator for Walt Disney but was loaned out to MGM to create the effects.

In addition to the animation, “Forbidden Planet” is best known for its practical effects; specifically Robby the Robot. Robby appeared in all the promotional material for the film. Though technically a main character, Robby is also a walking special effects prop. His appearance changed the way people thought about robots and inspired their design for decades to come. Robby would go on to appear in dozens of other sci-fi shows. “Lost in Space” is probably the most well-known.

“Forbidden Planet” has inspired countless sci-fi films since its creation and pushed filmmakers to push special effects.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “Forbidden Planet” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the film’s place in special effects history.