On May 4, 2003, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, California screened the Tree of Palme, an animated feature film. Ten years in the development, a team of more than 500 people worked on this film that incorporates a mix of 2D cel and 3D animation.

Palme is a puppet made out of a special wood called Kuroppo wood, oiled with a sap that works as blood, giving him life. Kuroppo wood is said to possess the soul of a civilization. Palme's original purpose was to care for Xian, a young woman suffering from a severe illness. When she dies, Palme becomes lifeless. When a strange woman appears to the cottage of Palme's caretaker many years later, in desperation he mistakes her for Xian and accepts the alien looking woman's request; bring the Egg of Touto to Tamas, a hidden city. With this twisted up purpose, Palme sets out to find this land and fulfill the wish of his "Xian". On his journey he meets the abused waif Popo, falling in love with her instead and wishing to become human in order to win her adoration.

The characters in Tree of Palme seem to shift and change like sand, with vague definition. Popo goes from being totally frightened of Palme to being totally attached to him and eventually helps him to become human. The minor characters do similar flips, which make the story even more mysterious.

A Tree of Palme has some most visually compelling and complex scenery ever found in anime. The character designs are detailed and each fits the role they play in the story. Popo's character design, similar in face and haircut to Xian's, reflects the second attachment Palme goes through in his life. Koran's sharp face and warrior's countenance brings through visually her determination. Palme's wooden body and grain texture, difficult to animate, stays constant. The landscapes are straight out of something like Mamoru Oshii's notebook, added with flora and fauna that would make the Miasma forest in Nausicaa proud. You get the grasp that you are on an alien world instead of the feeling of a dressed up set. Although the storyline undergoes many twists and turns, A Tree of Palme can also be appreciated on its visual merits as well.