On the Brink of Obscurity

We’re going to shake things up a bit. The movie featured in the following review is one of those ones that about two percent of the population knows about. You could probably call it a “cult movie,” and you would probably not be that far off.

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
Japanese release: July 15, 1989
U.S.A. release: August 21, 1992

Yeah, I know. You’re thinking, “Whaaa?” because the name isn’t ringing a bell. This film was animated by a company called Tokyo Movie Shinsha, directed by Masami Hata and William Hurtz, and produced by Yutaka Fujioka. (Here’s some trivia for you: originally Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were the directors, but because of differing visions of the movie and more tempting movies to work on, they left the project early on.) The story is loosely based on an American comic strip by Winsor McCay. The protagonist is a young and very imaginative boy named Nemo, who is constantly plagued by nightmares. One night he has a particularly involved dream about visiting the magical world of Slumberland, in which he must endure the burden of being crowned the heir to the throne, struggle with temptation and guilt, and do what is right if he is to conquer his nightmares forever.

What is central to this movie’s success is its sojourn into the fantasies and motives of little kids. The film is chock full of things that, at first glance, seem unrealistic and ridiculous. But what we really have is simply a young boy who loves trains, circuses, roller-coaster thrills, causing trouble, and other really-random-but-insanely-fun stuff; he hates school and doesn’t like to play with girls.

“Wait a minute. This princess is a girl? But…I’ve never played with a girl.”
“What?”
“A ‘girl’? She’s a princess!”
“Doesn’t matter. She’s still a girl.”

Anyway, I have to say that I really sympathized with Nemo’s desires and woes. He has nightmares that could very well happen to anyone, he’s clearly sick of being told “perhaps tomorrow” by his parents, and he will reject the company of a presumably snobby princess one moment and claim that he’s all for making the trip to see her the next—once he’s been one over by the cookies, of course. Maybe it’s because I’m still such a kid at heart. After all, why else would we be blogging about cartoons?

As usual, it was fun for me to see and take in all the different characters; and for once, I actually liked all of them! Professor Genius is a proper-minded gentleman who is actually quite the comic relief character, always falling victim to gags about his clumsiness. Princess Camille is a strong-willed girl who, despite seeming spoiled at times, cares extremely deeply about her father and is never afraid to have fun (since she is, after all, a kid too). King Morpheus is the slightly clichéd wise ruler with the big beard; he knows when to be professional and majestic, and he knows when to let out his fun-loving side. (“Very like Mufasa,” Mahewa is compelled to add.) Flip is somewhere in between the not-so-innocent good guy and a friendly minor villain, who takes pride in being officially “Wanted” because he has so much fun making mischief. The Boomps (or whatever the heck they’re called) are slightly disturbing but extremely cute, and this time around watching the movie I actually picked up the details of their predicament: the smaller four of them escaped the Nightmare King’s confinement, which was a punishment for not being evil/scary enough, and they’re back to help the fifth. (As it turns out, Oompo manages to escape by himself before the others can get there, bringing insider information with him.) The Nightmare King is a villain who, for once, doesn’t really need much of a background story; he is simply evil, and that’s all he has to be. And let’s not forget Icarus, Nemo’s best flying squirrel friend who follows him to the end. Not to mention the fact that he's adorable.

If I were to give this movie a theme, that theme would definitely be remorse. This is a traditional morality story here. Nemo is entrusted with great responsibility, but the temptation of troublemaking is too great to resist and he accidentally unleashes the inhabitants of Nightmareland. His guilt at breaking his promise to the king and betraying the trust of every other inhabitant of Slumberland is profoundly moving. He realizes that he must take responsibility for his actions and sets out to rescue the king and ultimately his friends as well, paying the ultimate price. Luckily, though, the newly freed king has the power to restore the “dead” Nemo to life, another moderately annoying cliché. In the end Nemo receives priceless rewards for his bravery: the kiss of the princess, understanding from his parents, and most importantly an end to his chronic nightmares.

In summary, this movie is a fine watch for anybody interested in something out of the mainstream. It has an uplifting story and lots of flashy fun to bring out your inner child. What’s to lose?

Mahewa’s rating: 4.4/5




Speaking of Mahewa, next time we’ll probably do a more animal-oriented movie. I feel like I’m leaving her out.

If you'd like to look at some more (and more varied) reviews of this hidden gem, check out The New York Times, Variety, or rogerebert.com.