Kaena: The Prophecy 2004

The cinematic odyssey begins on a barren desert planet, where an extraterrestrial vessel, bearing the Vecarians, crashes and succumbs to the unforgiving environment. The sole survivor, Vecanoi, remains, its core giving rise to Axis, a colossal tree that pierces the sky like a celestial giant. Six centuries later, a peculiar society of humanoid tree-dwellers has evolved within Axis’s branches, their existence a testament to the planet’s transformative power.

Among them is Kaena, a curious and adventurous teenager voiced by Kirsten Dunst, who harbors an insatiable longing to transcend her village’s boundaries and uncover the secrets hidden beyond. Her innate sense of wonder is, however, met with hostility by the village elder, who views such aspirations as heresy and demands his people focus on their assigned tasks, toiling for the gods they unwittingly worship – the Selenites, ancient beings dwelling beneath their feet.

As Kaena’s dreams of a world bathed in a blue sun and blessed with an abundance of water become increasingly vivid, she defies the elder’s counsel and ascends to Axis’s apex. There, she encounters Opaz, the venerable last remnant of the Vecarian race (voiced by Richard Harris), who has spent centuries harnessing his advanced technology to cultivate a legion of intelligent worms that serve him in his quest for escape from the planet.

Opaz is drawn to Kaena’s prophetic visions and enlists her assistance in recovering Vecanoi, an ancient repository containing the collective knowledge of his people. However, this sacred relic lies at the base of Axis, where the Selenite Queen (voiced by Anjelica Huston) has dedicated her existence – and sacrificed the future of her people – to destroying it, blaming Vecanoi for the desolation that befell her planet centuries ago.