Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

Nemo is summoned in his dream to the palace of Morpheus, king of Slumberland. The king gives him the key to the kingdom and tells him one thing: on no account open that door. Nemo opens it. The Nightmare behind it is loosed and carries the king away. Masami Hata and William Hurtz direct, from Winsor McCay's comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, published at the start of the twentieth century. The production is more famous than the film. The project ran for years, Japanese and American crews worked together, directors and writers changed. Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata were both attached during development and both left. Ray Bradbury was among those who worked on the text. The Sherman brothers, who wrote Disney's musicals in the sixties, wrote the songs. The film that came out does not keep the visual idea of McCay's strip. The original was an architecturally memorable work that played with the layout of the page; the animation puts a flat adventure narrative in its place. It failed commercially and later found a cult audience through television and video. Who it is for: viewers who like late eighties hand drawn animation and dream narratives. Who it is not for: the story is weak, the characters are thin, and the Nightmare passages are too dark for small children.