April and the Extraordinary World (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

In this alternate timeline, the failure of an explosion meant to kill Napoleon III prevented the Franco-Prussian War from occurring. Without that conflict and its aftermath, the scientific establishment gradually lost support and funding over 70 years, causing technological progress to stall entirely and leaving the world polluted and underdeveloped.

Foreshadowing: The opening narration establishes that Napoleon III's survival fundamentally altered the course of human civilization.

• alternate history
• napoleon iii
• scientific decline
• france
• world war

The black cloud was a weapon or surveillance tool controlled by Inspector Pizoni and the government forces. It was deployed to track down April and recover her family's research on the serum for everlasting life, serving as the primary threat driving April to flee her home.

Foreshadowing: Pizoni's relentless pursuit of April and her research begins immediately, showing the extent of government resources being used against her.

• black cloud
• inspector pizoni
• pursuit
• government agents

Rodrigue and Chimène, the two sentient komodo dragons, had enslaved the kidnapped scientists to help them create a self-sustaining jungle ecosystem beneath Paris. Their ultimate plan was to launch vegetation resistant to all external threats to other planets, allowing them to escape what they saw as humanity's destructive nature.

Foreshadowing: The film reveals early hints that something unusual controls the kidnapped scientists, with the mysterious jungle beneath Paris being referenced before the full revelation.

• komodo dragons
• Rodrigue
• Chimène
• rocket
• paris
• jungle
• scientists

Julius replaced the serum with water because he wanted to prevent the komodo dragons from successfully launching their rocket with the creation seed. By sabotaging the serum, he ensured the rocket would fail, even though this also meant betraying April's trust in him.

Foreshadowing: Julius shows hesitation and moral conflict throughout the film about the consequences of the rocket launch, suggesting he was considering drastic action.

• julius
• serum
• water
• betrayal
• rocket launch

April's father Paul and grandfather Gustave were kidnapped by Pizoni's forces and taken to work alongside other scientists under the komodo dragons' control in the underground jungle beneath Paris. Her great-grandfather Gustave had already died by this point, but his research legacy motivated April's quest.

Foreshadowing: The hidden message in the snow globe from April's father sets the entire plot in motion, hinting at his capture.

• paul franklin
• gustave franklin
• kidnapped scientists
• family

Despite being an antagonist throughout the film, Pizoni was promoted by Napoleon V because he helped stop the komodo dragons' threat to humanity. His actions in the final confrontation, whether motivated by self-preservation or genuine contribution, were enough to earn him a position in the new scientific age.

Foreshadowing: Pizoni's opportunism and adaptability suggest he would align himself with whatever side ensured his advancement.

• inspector pizoni
• promotion
• napoleon v
• government

The Franklin family home contained advanced technology developed by Gustave Franklin, allowing it to transform into a mobile bunker with armored defenses. This secret feature had been hidden within the house itself, activated by April when the cyborg soldiers attacked, facilitating their escape.

Foreshadowing: The family's connection to groundbreaking scientific research hints that their home might contain experimental technology.

• mobile bunker
• house
• franklin home
• technology
• escape

Rodrigue killed Chimène in a power grab when he realized the rocket launch was compromised. Rather than share control over the escape plan with Chimène, who had a more collaborative vision with the scientists, Rodrigue chose to eliminate her and take full control, intending to destroy humanity rather than share the planet.

Foreshadowing: Rodrigue's aggressive and ruthless nature is established early, showing his willingness to use force to get what he wants.

• rodrigue
• chimène
• murder
• power
• rocket

When April used her serum to fulfill Chimène's creation vision and Darwin redirected the self-destructing rocket into space, Darwin was apparently carried along with the rocket's trajectory. The serum's life-extending properties, combined with the space exposure, allowed him to survive until being discovered by astronauts on the Moon in 2001.

Foreshadowing: The serum's ability to grant extended life is established through Darwin already being able to speak, suggesting it has powerful effects.

• darwin
• moon
• 2001
• serum
• astronauts
• talking cat

The serum was intended to grant everlasting life, continuing Gustave Franklin's research. While April hadn't perfected it for humans, she had successfully used it on Darwin, giving the cat the ability to speak. The komodo dragons wanted it to ensure their vegetation could survive indefinitely during space travel.

Foreshadowing: April's work on the serum is introduced in the opening, with Darwin demonstrating its effects on longevity.

• serum
• everlasting life
• darwin
• franklin family
• research