Extinct (2021) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story takes place across multiple locations, starting on the Galápagos Islands where the Flummels live, then shifting to modern-day Shanghai after the time-travel accident, and including a 1915 Antarctic expedition during Shackleton's era. A central hub called the Time Terminal connects all these time periods.

• galapagos islands
• shanghai
• antarctica
• setting
• locations

The Time Terminal is a pavilion that houses time-travel flowers and seeds, serving as the central hub that links different eras together. Dr. Lee Chung works there as a scientist who preserves and studies these time-displacing plants.

• time terminal
• time travel
• dr lee chung
• scientist

The film spans multiple time periods: it begins in 1835 on the Galápagos Islands during Darwin's voyage, includes a 1915 Antarctic expedition, and centers on present-day Shanghai where Op and Ed arrive after their accidental time jump.

• time period
• 1835
• 1915
• present day
• shanghai

Flummels are quirky, donut-shaped, hole-centered rabbit-like creatures native to the Galápagos Islands. They are ostracized by their own community, making Op and Ed outsiders throughout the story.

• flummels
• characters
• creatures
• galapagos

The movie explores three core themes: time travel and the responsibility that comes with using powerful technology, extinction and the fragility of species, and friendship and belonging as the Flummels find acceptance after being rejected by their community.

• themes
• time travel
• extinction
• friendship
• belonging

Clarantine is a white poodle who initially appears friendly but becomes the film's villain. He manipulates Dr. Chung's generosity and seeks to control time-travel power, ultimately directly influencing the Flummels' fate.

• clarance
• villain
• ken jeong
• poodle

The Extinctables are a team of extinct animals who help the Flummels, including Dottie the dodo, Alma the Macrauchenia, and Hoss the Triceratops. They demonstrate solidarity with outsiders and help guide the Flummels through their time-travel journey.

• extinctables
• dottie
• alma
• hoss
• team

The film reveals that flummels became extinct because Clarance, as a villain, caused events that erased their past. The Extinctables fight to save their species from this fate throughout the story.

• extinction
• flummels
• clarance
• villain

The time travel theme examines responsibility for using powerful technology and the consequences of meddling with history. The Time Terminal's malfunctions push characters through different periods, and the story shows how altering history affects the future.

• time travel
• responsibility
• consequences
• history

Dr. Lee Chung is a scientist voiced by Benedict Wong who preserves and studies the Time Terminal's time-travel flowers and seeds. He guides the Flummels through their dangerous journey and represents a hopeful, ethical scientist who helps ensure the species' survival.

• dr lee chung
• benedict wong
• scientist
• mentor

Op and Ed are rejected by their Flummel community despite being hole-centered like other Flummels. Their outsider status drives their emotional journey and makes their search for belonging a central character arc.

• op
• ed
• rejection
• outsiders
• community

Charles Darwin, voiced by Tom Hollander, is the famed naturalist who discovers the Flummels' island. His discovery triggers the events leading to the Flummels' fate, representing both curiosity and scientific discovery and the unintended consequences of intervening in natural history.

• charles darwin
• naturalist
• scientific discovery