Outstanding animation and a compelling environmental message make "Origin: Spirits of the Past" an above-average anime feature, especially for younger viewers. Despite an abundance of elements that many anime fans will find familiar, "Origin" distinguishes itself with a story that lends itself (like many anime features) to a variety of spectacular settings. As the fairy-tale story begins, it's been 300 years since terrible events left civilization in ruins. Now, in a post-apocalyptic setting where the crumbling remains of vast cities lie in close proximity to the encroaching forest, humans live on both sides of a brewing conflict. For young Agito, the son of an aging hero, life is relatively peaceful in Neutral City, a community built within the ruins of a once-major city. But when he wanders into a forbidden zone of the forest, where plant-like "druids" protect their world from outsiders, he discovers a cryogenic stasis tube containing Toola, a girl who's been resting in stasis for 300 years. Her father had been in charge of the "Earth Rejuvenation Project" that led to a technological disaster, and her emerging friendship with Agito is threatened when they find themselves on opposing sides of an ideological conflict, and Agito must save Toola from her potentially destructive convictions. He does so by becoming "enhanced"--essentially melding his human form with the forest, aligning himself with the powerful forces of nature. As a colorful mixture of science fiction and "green-friendly" adventure, "Origin" has a lot to say about preserving our planet in the era of global warming, and it's a visual treat from start to finish. "--Jeff Shannon"