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ABC Afterschool Specials: The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head (1974)
A sentimental mental journey
Another animated musical starring Timer, keeper of "body time" and star of a series of interstitials and specials about the human body, produced for ABC by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, of Pink Panther fame. If you've seen its predecessor The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical Mystery Trip, you're in for more of the same, more or less.
To better understand the relationship between the body, heart and mind, and how feelings work, two youngsters are shrunken down into their teenage sister Red's head for a tour of the inner workings. What ensues is another Alice-In-Wonderland-style adventure, meeting one set of weirdos as quickly as the next, all allegorical representations of functions of the human head. Adding onto storybook parallels, this Red finds herself in a predicament just like Riding Hood, which comes to an exciting climax when she realizes her grandma is in fact "The Critter", a notoriously cunning wolf the police have been after.
Len Maxwell put on quite the tour-de-force in the first Timer program, giving very distinct voices to the host of quirky characters inhabiting Uncle Carl. In this program, Lennie Weinrib is put to the same task, and while his range is decent, his performances pale by comparison, with greater similarities in the inflections between his characters.
The animation quality, like the previous Timer special, is below the usual standard of the DFE studio, but certainly not their worst effort, which in my opinion goes to their output on Doctor Snuggles (perhaps the episodes done by Topcraft have spoiled me, and yes, I'd say they were even worse looking than their Road Runners!). Fortunately, the characters and their movement are cleverly, appealingly and economically designed to work around the low budget. Some animation sequences and backgrounds are even recycled from the first Mystery Trip!
This special, as you may have guessed, is very much of its time. Lots of psychedelic "mod" imagery, then-nostalgic homages to golden-age Hollywood actors, and a bit schmaltzy at times. Unfortunately you also get a few cultural stereotypes and some nightmarish figures that might unsettle the younger set. Still, the show is spangled with positive messages that still ring true, particularly regarding how to productively handle negativity.
No matter which of the two Timer programs you choose to watch (this one was just recently uploaded to YouTube), you'll be guaranteed a similarly low budget but imaginative adventure, and you or your kids may just learn something all the while!
Toppo Jîjo no botan sensô (1967)
Not quite for the youngsters
This is one of the strangest movies I've seen in a while, particularly for a character like Topo Gigio, a family friendly Italian mouse puppet who was a frequent act on the Ed Sullivan Show and on other TV shows around the world.
The puppetry and effects are as lively and nuanced as you'd expect, but it's clearly written by someone who doesn't know the character. He's known to be very witty and friendly, a traveler of the world, and to have a family and a love interest in a French mouse-ette named Rosie. Here instead, he is portrayed as a lonely, motherless outsider, frequently considering himself and his species as "lazy". He's forced into society one sleepless night by the rumblings of a group of men, who Topo discovers are armed robbers after a vault holding buttons to launch WMDs, in a bid for world domination.
It's a mouse-eye view of crime in Japan, painted in artistic yet dreary spotlights and silhouettes, a tone that is uncharacteristically dark for Topo Gigio. There are some funny bits here and there, and even a cute musical number or two, but there is also his relationship between a sentient balloon which ends in such a way that leaves one wondering whether to laugh or to cry at the whole thing.
Altogether a very fascinating oddity of family film.
Muumi ja vaarallinen juhannus (2008)
"Who told you to make rules against having fun?"
"Moomin and Midsummer Madness," adapted from the stories of award winning author and renown Finnish artist Tove Jansson, follows the Moomin family, their friends and their neighbors, as they survive an unexpected volcanic flood in Moominvalley. The Moomins, trolls who resemble fuzzy hippos, are a rather eccentric and unconventional bunch. Not knowing anything about dramatic arts, they find that a floating stage makes an ideal place to live. Even their friends, like the miniature, chaotic Little My, the old wanderer Snufkin, and lonely Mrs. Fillyjonk, all have admirable quirks and create unique moments of their own throughout the story.
Having just read "Moominsummer Madness," the book on which the movie is based, this adaptation appears to follow Jansson's story very well. Every scene has been optimized well. Even without reading the original book beforehand, this movie felt true to Jansson's typical style of characterization and storytelling. As most Moomin adventures do, they prefer to portray human emotions instead of objective morality. The story presents an anti-establishment message through heart, drama, comedy, and a collection of adorable, abstract and allegorical creatures. It shows that, in the face of danger or in safety, there is no one strict way of going about your life, as long as you can reach your goal.
This movie was originally produced for TV in 1977, by Polish studio Se-Ma-For, as a 7-minute-per serial. You can tell it was done on a modest budget, from its lack of lipsync and somewhat choppy animation, but the animators and designers work around it well. These classic pieces of stop-motion animation, and their accompanying musical score, have been nicely remastered, and strung together to create a longer yet coherent narrative. Crisp, clear, vibrant picture quality makes the stylized models and backgrounds pop out with timeless appeal, just as Tove Jansson's characters and stories naturally are. The only scene where the quality starts to dip is the scene in which Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden meet Mrs. Fillyjonk; the picture turns a bit reddish, as film tends to do over time, but otherwise it all looks great. The music, remixed into faux-stereo, might be a little dated itself (listen to that funky guitar when Moomintroll dives into the kitchen!) but is still a joy to listen to, and sets the mood well for each scene. Additional sound effects have been added where there weren't any in the original Polish version, and do a great job in livening up certain scenes. The English dub was produced in Canada, and therefore the characters bear a North American accent. The original Polish animation was narrated entirely by one man, whereas this movie features a full cast. They're all fine voice actors, even if they get a little hammy at times. The only one I can't personally stand is Snorkmaiden's, whose shrill, whiny voice makes Minnie Mouse sound pleasant by comparison.
If you're unfamiliar with the Moomins now and would prefer to see a movie as opposed to reading a book, this movie is a fine place to begin. It's filled with the same inquisitive, heartfelt and understandable charm that has made the characters so beloved, particularly in Scandinavian and Asian countries, for over 70 years. As long as you don't mind the mellow animation, this is recommended viewing for any family.