THANK YOU so much for highlighting this brilliant, underrated classic! It DEFINITELY deserves more public attention! And this is by far the best documentation I've found ANYWHERE, even online, detailing this film's production and history! Wonderfully done!
For my money, this movie is the best film adaptation of what an actual dream is like. It has a plot, but the plot moves in random, fluid directions around the bedrock of deeply unconscious imagery. You don't watch the movie to see the story unfold, but rather, to experience the dense landscape of its imagination.
I personally feel like the film has too much of a clear narrative structure-even if it is a very simple "good guys vs. bad guys" story-to serve as a dreamlike viewing experience. With that said, this is an interesting perspective, especially since the plot does move in seemingly random, but creative, ways similar to a dream, and the characters are equally unique.
Finally nice to see more people talking about this! As a kid my local library had some random gems on vhs - this film being one of them. By the age of 5 I'd seen this movie and it has stuck with me ever since. I proudly own the 2015 DVD as well. Great imagery, memorable characters & catchy as hell 80s music - I always recommend this one!
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. As a child this was a personal fav..having the 'adult' version taped off of very very early pay tv cable. Then it was all but impossible to find for a long time. For those interested, the warner archives dvd is the best available way to see it AND it contains both versions. Thanks!!!!
Yeah, the title is song is catchy (Michael McDonald's sister!). I also love the lively saxophone presence-so gloriously 80s. I wonder if it would have been a bigger hit if the movie was successful (I could easily see it being played on an easy-listening radio station alongside artists like Steve Winwood).
I remember recording the Cartoon Network airing on VHS as a kid cuz I thought it looked really cool but would be airing when I could watch it.. Probably well over a decade later I tred to get info about the movie and hopefully watch it again. Sadly the only thing I remembered about the movie was it having a really unique art style, vaguely something about a spring and the ending credits that read "Mum as himself" it probably took me a year to finally find the title of the movie by just going through a massive list of animated movies. But I was so excited to finally be able to watch it again after so long! It's a really unique film and definitely worth a watch. It's a shame that its production was so troubled, far worse than I ever realized. Thanks for putting this together!
Absolute wonderful video there!, Twice Upon a Time is one of my favorite animated films due to it's interesting history and it's unique cut-out animation. I personally have the storybook and the Warner Archive DVD myself and i really hope this overlooked movie (and this video) deserve more attention.
Also, I think fellow UA-camr "TheCartoonSuperhero" put it best; "What IS it with buried films and having AMAZING soundtracks?!" XD So true, so true. =)
This film was in my regular rotation when I was a kid. Just thought about it this week and really appreciate the work you put into telling the story surrounding it.
I looooooooooved this movie as a kid (saw it on Disney channel) and always felt like a crazy person when trying to describe it. Loved seeing your deep dive suggested on my UA-cam.
No audio speed adjustments, I just read my script at a really fast pace, lol. (I was also very familiar with the script by the time I got around to recording narration, having researched and revised it for weeks.) Glad you enjoyed the video-a lot of work went into it!
Man The Whole Movie Is Itself Was Ambitious I Mean This Could Have Revolutised Animation But Instead We Got A Movie That Have Been Changed With Swearing Due To Some Random Collage Students Being Like (I Not Gonna Say It) But Will Let This Bit In 16:22 To Finish My Sentence)
I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention how, by the time this movie was released, Lorenzo Music had become more famous for appearing in a series of TV specials, in which he voiced another orange animal.....one that hates Mondays.....
For a long time I could not remember what this film was, only thinking it was some awesome weird dream. But I'm sure glad I could reacquaint my self with it. Same thing happened with Richard William's film, The Thief and the Cobbler.
"The Thief and the Cobbler" is another great, and incredibly ambitious, animated film! I saw it once over ten years ago (the Recobbled Cut), but it's always stuck out as memorable, and one I want to revisit sometime.
It is available on the Internet Archive ( archive.org/details/twice-upon-a-time-2015-full-dvd ), but I'd encourage buying the Warner Archive DVD if you can
Twice Upon is better than any Disney movie. It contains far more appeal than any of that tired, insipid, Disney tripe. And it was done with a willing and excited crew, as opposed to the environment in the Disney studios, which was pure drudgery, with forced overtime. By far my favorite scene was the office nightmare.
As far as I know, it's not available to stream, but Warner Archive has a DVD that you can purchase (would really love to see a Blu-ray release someday, though it seems unlikely).
I saw this film as a one-off screening at the NFT big screen in London right at the beginning of 1984, when I’d just turned 16. I thought it was great, and all the kids at the screening seemed to like it too, laughing and calling out in places.
Oh, wow, that's awesome to have seen it as a screening, especially one around the time it was originally released! Its theatrical rollout was notoriously limited, so it's cool to hear that there was a somewhat sizable audience. I'm sure the filmmakers would have been delighted to hear that a wide age range (at least kids to teens) enjoyed it.
The only time the kids seemed bored was when there was the pop ballad in the middle, a curiously ‘80s thing. And here’s a fun fact, some of the script was worked on by the English playwright Peter Barnes, who wrote the 1968 anti-establishment play THE RULING CLASS (turned into a film starring Peter O’Toole in 1971). I had lunch with him in 1989 and he said “I make bits of money working on comedy films.” “Such as?” “I worked on this fantasy thing called Twice Upon a Time.” “I said, “You’re kidding! I’ve seen it! Synonymous Botch and the nightmare bombs!” “I can’t remember the plot...but...how on earth did you get to see it? I thought it never got released...”
My friend had a VHS copy of this back in ‘83/‘84. We were 13/14 year olds, enamored with animation. At the time, we were taking classes with John Prusak, who taught many animators in the Detroit area, including Doug Chiang and Dan Scanlon. In one of our clay animations, we even had our “copy” of ratatooey. I really want to find a digital copy of this film! Here’s a bad copy of one of my clay animations from 1985: ua-cam.com/video/qZMHzR_lAGc/v-deo.htmlsi=qbOlZMUpvIK4EcES
Yeah, this is one of those weird instances where the version most commonly seen (at least post-80s), and the version the director prefers, ISN'T the theatrical cut.
Even though "Twice" was produced by Lucasfilm, it was still distributed by Warner Bros. I know Disney must have made some licensing deal for the Paramount-distributed "Indiana Jones" films to appear on Disney+, but that's because it's a popular franchise with an upcoming installment distributed by them; the other Lucasfilm productions aren't going to be getting that special streaming treatment, especially since they aren't very well-known. If anything, "Twice" would probably go to HBO Max (which I guess, as of today, is just called Max). But since this title is so obscure it's highly unlikely to ever see the light of day on streaming, which is why physical media (like this film's only DVD release) is still so important.
I can see that comparison, particularly in the atmosphere and background design. But what I think makes the movie's animation unique is that it transcends any one country's influence.
Saw it, loved it, but I'm glad I quit the bay area film scene. Everybody in film in the 70s and late 80s thought they were more important than anything else, and the artsy look of this film reminds me of the repressive and condescending feel of the people and industry as it stood in the Bay Area at that time. It's a fun little animated film, but film makers at that time were typically hyper liberal to a fault, and the B&W photos and long hair remind me of those time.
THANK YOU so much for highlighting this brilliant, underrated classic! It DEFINITELY deserves more public attention! And this is by far the best documentation I've found ANYWHERE, even online, detailing this film's production and history! Wonderfully done!
For my money, this movie is the best film adaptation of what an actual dream is like. It has a plot, but the plot moves in random, fluid directions around the bedrock of deeply unconscious imagery. You don't watch the movie to see the story unfold, but rather, to experience the dense landscape of its imagination.
I personally feel like the film has too much of a clear narrative structure-even if it is a very simple "good guys vs. bad guys" story-to serve as a dreamlike viewing experience. With that said, this is an interesting perspective, especially since the plot does move in seemingly random, but creative, ways similar to a dream, and the characters are equally unique.
This movie does not get enough love. The animation was so unique ✨📽
Finally nice to see more people talking about this! As a kid my local library had some random gems on vhs - this film being one of them. By the age of 5 I'd seen this movie and it has stuck with me ever since. I proudly own the 2015 DVD as well. Great imagery, memorable characters & catchy as hell 80s music - I always recommend this one!
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. As a child this was a personal fav..having the 'adult' version taped off of very very early pay tv cable. Then it was all but impossible to find for a long time. For those interested, the warner archives dvd is the best available way to see it AND it contains both versions. Thanks!!!!
I'll have to look for that. :D
That song has been stuck with me for decades.
Yeah, the title is song is catchy (Michael McDonald's sister!). I also love the lively saxophone presence-so gloriously 80s. I wonder if it would have been a bigger hit if the movie was successful (I could easily see it being played on an easy-listening radio station alongside artists like Steve Winwood).
I remember recording the Cartoon Network airing on VHS as a kid cuz I thought it looked really cool but would be airing when I could watch it.. Probably well over a decade later I tred to get info about the movie and hopefully watch it again. Sadly the only thing I remembered about the movie was it having a really unique art style, vaguely something about a spring and the ending credits that read "Mum as himself" it probably took me a year to finally find the title of the movie by just going through a massive list of animated movies. But I was so excited to finally be able to watch it again after so long! It's a really unique film and definitely worth a watch. It's a shame that its production was so troubled, far worse than I ever realized. Thanks for putting this together!
This vid didnt even feel like 30 minutes because it was so well crafted
Absolute wonderful video there!, Twice Upon a Time is one of my favorite animated films due to it's interesting history and it's unique cut-out animation. I personally have the storybook and the Warner Archive DVD myself and i really hope this overlooked movie (and this video) deserve more attention.
Also, I think fellow UA-camr "TheCartoonSuperhero" put it best; "What IS it with buried films and having AMAZING soundtracks?!" XD So true, so true. =)
This film was in my regular rotation when I was a kid.
Just thought about it this week and really appreciate the work you put into telling the story surrounding it.
I looooooooooved this movie as a kid (saw it on Disney channel) and always felt like a crazy person when trying to describe it. Loved seeing your deep dive suggested on my UA-cam.
Really terrific video my friend - keep going you have a great future on UA-cam. 😎
Saw this film on VHS many years ago. Now I’d like to see it again on DVD!
Love this movie, one of the all-time great animated films. Thanks for the deep dive!
Was the narration for this sped-up a tad? Excellent documentary. Thank you.
No audio speed adjustments, I just read my script at a really fast pace, lol. (I was also very familiar with the script by the time I got around to recording narration, having researched and revised it for weeks.) Glad you enjoyed the video-a lot of work went into it!
Man The Whole Movie Is Itself Was Ambitious
I Mean This Could Have Revolutised Animation
But Instead We Got A Movie That Have Been Changed With Swearing Due To Some Random Collage Students Being Like (I Not Gonna Say It) But Will Let This Bit In 16:22 To Finish My Sentence)
I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention how, by the time this movie was released, Lorenzo Music had become more famous for appearing in a series of TV specials, in which he voiced another orange animal.....one that hates Mondays.....
9:49 (read the very small text by a certain orange animal)
@@LaughOutLamdaddy I might need new glasses...
(Somehow Mum reminds us of Tak, and their entire animated worlds!)
A human who has a shapeshifting orange dog sidekick.... that's Adventure Time
Also: holy shit this vid kicks ass. Great movie and a great vid.
For a long time I could not remember what this film was, only thinking it was some awesome weird dream. But I'm sure glad I could reacquaint my self with it. Same thing happened with Richard William's film, The Thief and the Cobbler.
"The Thief and the Cobbler" is another great, and incredibly ambitious, animated film! I saw it once over ten years ago (the Recobbled Cut), but it's always stuck out as memorable, and one I want to revisit sometime.
Ugh. I still can't find a non VHS rip of this to watch! I seem to have missed that window when it was uploaded here on UA-cam! :D
It is available on the Internet Archive ( archive.org/details/twice-upon-a-time-2015-full-dvd ), but I'd encourage buying the Warner Archive DVD if you can
Twice Upon is better than any Disney movie. It contains far more appeal than any of that tired, insipid, Disney tripe. And it was done with a willing and excited crew, as opposed to the environment in the Disney studios, which was pure drudgery, with forced overtime.
By far my favorite scene was the office nightmare.
I personally think this movie is just amazing! Do you know anywhere you can buy it?
As far as I know, it's not available to stream, but Warner Archive has a DVD that you can purchase (would really love to see a Blu-ray release someday, though it seems unlikely).
I saw this film as a one-off screening at the NFT big screen in London right at the beginning of 1984, when I’d just turned 16. I thought it was great, and all the kids at the screening seemed to like it too, laughing and calling out in places.
Oh, wow, that's awesome to have seen it as a screening, especially one around the time it was originally released! Its theatrical rollout was notoriously limited, so it's cool to hear that there was a somewhat sizable audience. I'm sure the filmmakers would have been delighted to hear that a wide age range (at least kids to teens) enjoyed it.
The only time the kids seemed bored was when there was the pop ballad in the middle, a curiously ‘80s thing. And here’s a fun fact, some of the script was worked on by the English playwright Peter Barnes, who wrote the 1968 anti-establishment play THE RULING CLASS (turned into a film starring Peter O’Toole in 1971). I had lunch with him in 1989 and he said “I make bits of money working on comedy films.” “Such as?” “I worked on this fantasy thing called Twice Upon a Time.” “I said, “You’re kidding! I’ve seen it! Synonymous Botch and the nightmare bombs!” “I can’t remember the plot...but...how on earth did you get to see it? I thought it never got released...”
@@jonathanmelia AMAZING STORY!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!!!
My friend had a VHS copy of this back in ‘83/‘84. We were 13/14 year olds, enamored with animation.
At the time, we were taking classes with John Prusak, who taught many animators in the Detroit area, including Doug Chiang and Dan Scanlon.
In one of our clay animations, we even had our “copy” of ratatooey.
I really want to find a digital copy of this film!
Here’s a bad copy of one of my clay animations from 1985:
ua-cam.com/video/qZMHzR_lAGc/v-deo.htmlsi=qbOlZMUpvIK4EcES
If I remember rightly n the DVD confusingly the unrated audio is the censored one, the theatrical the sweary one.
Yeah, this is one of those weird instances where the version most commonly seen (at least post-80s), and the version the director prefers, ISN'T the theatrical cut.
Ahhh Rudy Rudy Rudy Rudy Rudy….
Lonkg before Flash animation and Southpark...!
And why isn’t this on Disney+?
Even though "Twice" was produced by Lucasfilm, it was still distributed by Warner Bros. I know Disney must have made some licensing deal for the Paramount-distributed "Indiana Jones" films to appear on Disney+, but that's because it's a popular franchise with an upcoming installment distributed by them; the other Lucasfilm productions aren't going to be getting that special streaming treatment, especially since they aren't very well-known. If anything, "Twice" would probably go to HBO Max (which I guess, as of today, is just called Max). But since this title is so obscure it's highly unlikely to ever see the light of day on streaming, which is why physical media (like this film's only DVD release) is still so important.
Reminds me of some Russian animation.
I can see that comparison, particularly in the atmosphere and background design. But what I think makes the movie's animation unique is that it transcends any one country's influence.
Slow Down!!!!
Saw it, loved it, but I'm glad I quit the bay area film scene. Everybody in film in the 70s and late 80s thought they were more important than anything else, and the artsy look of this film reminds me of the repressive and condescending feel of the people and industry as it stood in the Bay Area at that time. It's a fun little animated film, but film makers at that time were typically hyper liberal to a fault, and the B&W photos and long hair remind me of those time.
(suggestion: a different version of this video (with no jokiness or vulgar (or profane) language)
"Trust me. I'm your fairy godmother"....................Trust ME. I LOVE "Twice Upon A Time"!