Not Ghibli, as the studio was founded a year later, but the animators who worked on the 1984 Nemo pilot followed to Ghibli later. This pilot film is sensational, one of the hallmarks of anime and specifically the Telecom studio (Lupin III, Sherlock Hound). The Dezaki pilot is also pretty good, not quite as inspired but very trippy. I never saw the fabled third Nemo pilot film. The completed movie was terrible, second-rate Disney ripoff. I guess the whole idea of a joint East-West animated feature could never work. “Disney”and “anime” were two completely different species by the 1980s. That said, the Discotek Blu-Ray is really good and everyone should pick up a copy. For many people in the West, “Ghibli”is just a generic term that means “anime that I like”. I never fully understood that, but Japanese animation remains a mystery for most folks and they need a solid reference point to understand it all. Thankfully, they’re no longer using the term “Japanimation”.
Your right, not Ghibli that's more a "sensational" headline to relate it to the talent that made it. I was wondering if you knew anything about the third pilot it almost seems like a myth at this point. The 87 pilot is so intense at points especially with big red sky eyes, its a shame nothing like that got into the final film. It does seem if anything TMS opened itself up to more “collaborations” with Americans in the future since they animated many of the classic 90s Warner Brother Cartoons. Also thanks for the support after you shared my Miyazaki vid it blew up.
Japanimation forever, heard that in the 90s all the time. I remember when anime first arrived in America and all the distributors (Central Park Media, ADV, US Renditions, Manga Entertainment and Media Blasters) had advertisement for anime and on the side of all the pictures they had a little paragraph explaining what anime was and called it "japanimation".... they always made sure you knew it was "not for kids" lol/ good times!
It is a shame there are no HD sources for any or all of the pilots. Are there _any_ versions available to watch? (watches rest of video to 6:03 ... then clicks on "show more") Wow! That was fast! It probably helps to watch a video completely before posting a comment.
How could you fall asleep in the second part, this movie was pure perfection. The whole goofy first part, the horrifying second part had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's so mysterious, so well drawn. In my top five best animated movies off all time!
This movie was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. The VHS got more playtime than any of my Disney movies. Such an immersive, unique, dream-like movie for its time.
Falling asleep was kinda the best part but not for the reasons you think. Being a small child with attension difficulties and taking a quick power nap during the "prince school" sequence makes whatever you wake up to all the more like a confusing fever dream to leave a lasting impression. Suddenly, there are demons everywhere, red-eyed flying sea animals and other fun horrors beyond human compresension. Then boom, it's got a 6-year-olds attension in a vicelike grip and won't let go.
@jollygrapefruit786 me too! When the big bad is first released! I'm born in 88 and the first game I remember playing on either original NES or SNES is based on little Nemo. And I loved watching it with my kid. She however had a 🤔🫢🫣🤨😳🙄😏😆 series of looks on her face the whole time lmao. Eh kids
I think that another problem was that Little Nemo is a material that is very hard to be adapted into a film. Mainly because of how episodic the comics were. If I remember corectly the main "Goal" for a lack of better words was for Nemo to arrive at Slumberland, but he would always wake up, before he was able to do so. Its kinda hard to write a good plot around that. Maybe it would have worked better as an animated series or a mini movie.
Eventually McCay would stop writing those type of self-contained strips and tried expanding Nemo's time in Slumberland further with story arcs of sorts that lasted for weeks depending on where he went with it. Nemo obviously still woke up in the last panel but would continue were he left off in the next Sunday's strip.
Im with Miyazaki on this , hard to have rules when everything is a dream. There would need to be consequences established. Not like it couldn't work but it's true that a mini series would work better. That being said there has been a comic series made not so long ago called Return to Slumberland and I think they pulled off an longer form narrative while winning an Eisner award.
Stevem Miyazaki basically didn't go for the fact this was a "dream world" when he prefer the worlds to be 'real' in his stories. Isao Takahata also left the production as he favored characters to have "growth" in his work.
Yeah, Ebert brought this up in his old review , saying his father has a Mr Banks transformation with none of the build up or arc that makes it work. It's a silly ending.
I actually watched this this movie as child and loved it. I tried to explain it to people and remembered it so well but no one knew of this movie. Thank you for talking about this and bringing my childhood memories to the light!
Fun fact. Capcom produced a video game based on the film for the original Nintendo. The game was really hard to pass and remains a classic for the NES.
Strangely Little Nemo was one of my favs to watch as a kid, no idea why now, my youngest sister obsessed over the wizard of oz when she was the same age.
lol I guess I see this movie with nostalgia goggles. Definitely one of if not my favorite childhood films, personally, but I can definitely see room for criticism
Me and my friends found a VHS of this movie at a local thrift store and we watched it and were amazed by the animation. Glad to know there's so much more to this piece of media to explore!
Once when Rooney passed away, this local newspaper had an article about him but they kept calling him Rourke instead of Rooney. I guess this mixup happens more often than not
I remember seeing stuff for the Little Nemo film and thinking it looked fantastic as a kid. I also remember playing the NES title based on it, and enjoying that pretty well too.
This has to be in my top 5 favourite films; maybe it’s the nostalgia of watching this time and time again with my late grandmother. Thank you for bringing this movie to light, it’s a beautiful kids film - the soundtrack I still listen to regularly and occasionally watch this still. For anyone wondering you can watch the entire feature film right here on UA-cam.
Brooooooo no wayyyyyyy i have been searching for this for 3-4 years , you have no way how my heart is beating, Little Nemo , wow, thank you 🙏🏻 I saw it when i was 6-7 i can never forget it, im crying man
I remember watching this as a child and being completely astonished. As I grew older I only remembered a few fragments of this film thinking that it was just a dream. Thanks for posting this video!
I vastly preferred the Osamu Dezaki pilot film, because of how much it floored me with its shear scope. The technicolor steampunk aesthetic, the various painterly composed shots, the gigantic pulsating eye and erupting clouds of the Nightmare King. All of it served as partial influence for my own short film, "Bill & Maggie's Intergalactic Taxi Service." Even with how detailed many short form animations have been over the years, this is one of the finest examples of short animation I have found, and yet it's only available in sub-SD quality. How sad is that?
Hi! I know this is a really old vid but i just wanted to share some updated info about the pilot! I got in touch with a animator on Twitter who animated both pilots, and I asked him who the character that Nemo was flying with, and I was NOT expecting what happened next! He told me that the character was in Ray Bradbury's screenplay and his name was Omen! :D Not only that he showed me some never before seen CONCEPT ART OF THE CHARACTER!!! 😍😍😍 I was SO amazed!!! From the looks of it, in the second picture he was drawn in that anime style that the second pilot had, it seems like he was gonna also be in that one, but wasn't for some reason??? anyway, it was really amazing to have them!!! Also for all of you who wanted to see this story, in 2012 someone turned this screenplay into a book called Nemo! Thanks for reading! :D
Is there any way you could show me this info? I work for the Walt Disney Archives in Anaheim but am a huge fan of this movie. If not, could you perhaps connect me with who you spoke with? I can be reached with this same username on X/Twitter & Instagram as well.
@@FigmentForever OH absolutely! the animator is Tuzino Yositeru, and if you type the name in google you can easily find his account. just type in Omen in his search bar, and you'll find the post with the info!
GLAD it was the final production it is today. It was fun, immersive, and most importantly, TO THE POINT! The story progresses pretty quick and that's how most like it. Introduction, arrival, play, then the dark undertone begins to take root. I really dislike the other versions. 1st one is typical of its director with that silly paper biplane. The 2nd one is a definite turn off, almost reminds me of that weird raggedy ann film. then there's another one that wasn't discussed her, the graphics were way too wavy and gave you motion sickness. Adventures was appealing to me because I was very much into the video game at the time, and for there to be a film that mirrored it, THAT is what made it a winner for me. Much like the Mario and Zelda cartoons, people bandwagon for no reason and these productions become underrated and hated for zero valid reasons. As for the Mario Anime, totally agree. Its garbage. No one wants to see Mario NOT marry the Princess and everyone HATES the Prince.
When I stumbled upon this video it gave me goosebumps... I had this film on VHS growing up. Thank you so much for making a review of this. It makes my childhood heart sing in so many ways... just thank you
At 5:38, the narrator mentions the actor Mickey Rourke, whereas the voice of Flip was Mickey Rooney. Mickey Rourke played the main villain Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2.
Eh I couldn't stand the Critic's review. It was the one that got me to stop watching him. He just came off as some guy that didn't really understand the film (which...is how he is a lot of times to me) and just whined and complained about every little aspect he could. Said "Even Miyazaki left" as if that's something that's a point against it when Miyazaki's always difficult.
@@edward18517 Well, can you really blame him though? The movie itself is an inconsistent mess that can be downright confusing and annoying to most regular viewers. But to be fair, his review wasn't entirely negative - he gave the movie credit for having incredible animation.
@@edward18517 Anything makes sense when you're a kid. But if a film that appeals to children fails to engage older audiences, than that's a problem. A great movie is one that can appeal to all ages, from young to old. And to many adults, the Nemo film simply doesn't hold up. Sure, the animation and backgrounds are spectacular to look at, but that kinda exemplifies how shallow the rest of the film is when that's the only thing to be interested in.
I’ve had this movie since I was a kid but I actually never knew about any of this history what so ever until today after rewatching it and deciding to see if anyone had ever talked about it in UA-cam. This is so cool.
"Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, released in Japan as simply Nemo (ニモ Nimo), is a 1989 Japanese/American animated adventure fantasy film directed by Masami Hata and William Hurtz. Based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, the film went through a lengthy development process with a number of screenwriters. Ultimately, the screenplay was credited to Chris Columbus and Richard Outten; the storyline and art style differed from the original version. The original soundtrack was penned by the Academy Award-winning Sherman Brothers. It was a box office bomb".............. HAHAHAHAH THE HOPES AND DREAMS CRUSHED!!!!! Stevem thanks for the video, really informative!
Personally I liked it as a kid and rewatching it as an adult I still love it, maybe there were too many cooks but I have fond memories of this film as a kid. Even had a four post bed like Nemo, although I think that was more a decision from my mom than the movie. It has a sort of old time charm mixed with alot of fun stuff you don't see in modern fantasy films. If I ever have kids and that's a big IF, I'd let them see it and as for the "Racist" Flip as a kid I just thought he was a circus clown
I didn’t make the connection of Flip being a racist caricature when I was a kid either. However, a few years ago, I looked into Nemo because I like the artwork of the original comic and discovered that there’s a character called “Imp or Impie” that is basically a racist caricature of an African tribesman. You can see him in the clip of the old animation the original creator did at the start of the video. I’m black and its hard to reconcile liking the movie and artwork while knowing that there’s a racist element to some of the characters. Why the hell were people so outwardly racist back then?
@@Ganbarizer well it was a different time, they didn't really understand how hurtful and damaging they were at the time. Now more people are much more accepting towards others
I see everyone seeing Little Nemo was their favorite movie of all time when they were a child. Little Nemo personally traumatized me. One of my parent found the movie alongside another one (they were being sold together) called Help ! I am a fish ! I first watched Help ! I am a fish because looking at the covers of the movies, I felt like Little Nemo was way better and I wanted to keep the best for the end I really liked Help ! I am a fish, especially because of the music. The ending made me kinda sad but I liked it. Then came Little Nemo, I was so excited to watch it as I had high hopes for this movie. But everything felt weird. The ambiance was strange, I wasn’t comfortable infront of this movie. I knew this was a movie about dreams but watching it felt like I was really in a dream…but not a happy dream, a weird and disturbing dream. Then came the second part of the movie with all of these scenes with nightmares and all… Let me tell you, I did not sleep that night. I recently found a video that recreated Little Nemo but with a horror movie trailer. And this is exactly how I remember it. This movie traumatized me.
this was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I used to make my mom rent this every time we went to Blockbuster (that or Ferngully...why didn't she just save some cash and buy me the VHS?). I rewatched it as an adult and good lord, was it BORING. The art was kinda pretty though. Have to say, that pilot is BEAUTIFUL though. I'd be more interested in watching that version of the movie now.
Back in his days, Windsor McKay hated the "assembly line" process of the early animation industry, and want animation to be an individual's form of self expression much like he did during the vaudeville era. Probably his spirit plagued the Nemo project because he doesn't want his material end up like some "product" to be thrown away later?
It would be great if you could make a video about the movies released by Sanrio as I feel they don't get enough recognition. They have faults but there are some beautiful qualities to them.
@Simple Weirdo One day I want to do a full look at the studio not sure when that will be but I am interested , maybe when I find some concrete info and sources
There's a new Bluray out which has the third short on it I have yet to see it in full, but what I did see looks great GHIBLI PLAYLIST-ua-cam.com/play/PLyhSewr7iiMTT6OSZQ42oKR6MPIqOgwj9.html
I have the movie on VHS. I'm shocked there was so much history behind it. I always knew it looked different yet the same as other movies but i could never put my figure on it. knowing this now I can see how things were made or designed with different animators in mind and I'm disappointed it didnt have one of the other animated styles but its a cute movie so long as you dont hype too much about it and remember its all just a dream maybe XD
The guy that was pinned in the comments said the completed movie was terrible but I don’t think it was that bad. I thought it was vastly different in terms of quality compared to Disney cartoons. The backgrounds and scenery were incredibly detailed and gorgeous compared to typical Disney fare. I noticed the difference when I saw it as a kid! I think the pacing and fleshing out of some the supporting characters could’ve made it better, though. Ghibil is an amazing studio (even though they were not directly involved in making this) but I’m fine with how the style turned out. It was a cool, hybrid anime and American style animation that lets you know that this was a joint project between Japan and the states.
I just watched today after a long time and yeah the animation is really good, but the movie itself its terrible lmao, lot of annoying characters and predictable plot
I fricking loved this movie as a child! I still have on VHS, and a lot of other old stuff, like that story about that little Panda or a story about boys who turned to swans or something, or the Little Mermaid which I still hate because it is so heartbreaking.
I’m so glad I decided to watch this movie when I randomly stumbled across it one day, against my better judgment. While yes it’s no Miyazaki film or Akira, it’s funny, charming and nightmarishly surreal at times and is definitely still worth a watch. Especially cause it’s free on here :)
I saw this movie a few times when I was really young, and never knew the name. MANY years later, I could remember the entire movies, mostly, it was really surreal. I then searched online for a bit, and found it. I honestly think I might have knew the name, but got it mixed up in my head with "Finding Nemo" and just couldn't put two and two together. This movie is so weird, and the animations are so... unnerving.. I think in some way, it might be one of the most favorite movies. It had an impact on me that movies just simply don't, or maybe can't, anymore, and I'll always think that's interesting/important.
As cool as it is, I think that the final production was really good. I'd LOVE to see this redone now, with the newly gained skills and modern techniques, though!
It's unfortunate the original vision wasn't brought to life, in the golden age of hand drawn Japanese animation. That era of animation was groundbreaking and I think in many ways embraced the spirit of Windsor McCay. I do like Adventures In Slumberland, however flawed. The moments of beautiful animation, oozing with style and loaded with cool designs, creates some memorable moments, that pull me through the forgettable ones. Flip is a joy to watch as he casually takes advantage of every situation, causing chaos and destruction at every turn. Morpheus is great too. For me, the songs are the biggest strike against the movie. There is still alot of potential in McCays work for animation.
Ahhaha I always mixed those two up, I noticed when editing I'd said it wrong, the clip even had his name on it, but it was a bit late for me to change it
One other disconnect you can definitely see is if you watch the Japanese version of the film where there, the songs are still in English, particularly in the "Etiquette" song sequence, where it's so odd hear characters suddenly speak and then singing in not only another voice, but another language (though to be far, there were other early anime dubs that had this problem).
I loved the Little Nemo movie as a kid. Watching it again as an adult I always felt like the concept was a huge missed opportunity for a Miyazaki/Ghibli film. I guess I was onto something.
Ghibli only Nemo would have sucked honestly. I like Ghibli just fine (love Nausica, Totoro, Howl's, Whisper of the Heart, When Marime Was There especially) but if Miyazaki got ahold of it alone it would NOT be epic™ Sorry to say to all the Ghibli fans who are like "YaSs GhIBli iS LiFe!!" (9_6)
You didn't find the third short, because the one you thought was the first is in fact the second. The first one was directed by Sadao Tsukioka. Its' probably the best Nemo pilot.
6:29 I suppose that's one reason it took longer for "Sherlock Hound" to come out (if not the lawsuit with the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), and that was an Italian-Japanese effort (though obviously more Japanese involvement than on Nemo).
Sadly, I think if Discotek could not track down the 3rd pilot through their Japanese channels, it either does not exist, or only exists in partial form as designs and concept art. Cause they do include artwork from the 3rd pilot on their US Blu-ray; but I'm assuming a fully completed 3rd pilot was never released.
@@steamboatwill3.367 It's in the Blu-ray bonus features. I think you look for the Pilot films option, and then there should be a button for the 3rd Pilot and its artwork.
Don't confuse Little Nemo in Slumberland with a Ralph Bakshi film. Nor with The Beatles Yellow Submarine. Based on how you describe this gem from the late 80s, you may as well be describing a Ralph Bakshi film. Bakshi is influential, yes, but his story telling chops as a film maker are all over the place. Little Nemo is beautiful, charming, and coherent, both with the visual as well as the narrative. I've seen Little Nemo in Slumberland recently enough to be aware the film makers you show in your video aren't crowding each other out with their own styles. I don't mean to imply I'm not a fan of any of the examples you've included, because I've deeply admired their work for years. Little Nemo successfully stands apart, and is unfortunately too often over looked.
@@dumpling3309 i thought it was latin for no one because it was all in marlins head. and OMEN backwards because OOOOOOHHHHOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOEEEOOOHHH!!!! SPOOKY GHOST👻! lol
Not Ghibli, as the studio was founded a year later, but the animators who worked on the 1984 Nemo pilot followed to Ghibli later. This pilot film is sensational, one of the hallmarks of anime and specifically the Telecom studio (Lupin III, Sherlock Hound). The Dezaki pilot is also pretty good, not quite as inspired but very trippy. I never saw the fabled third Nemo pilot film. The completed movie was terrible, second-rate Disney ripoff. I guess the whole idea of a joint East-West animated feature could never work. “Disney”and “anime” were two completely different species by the 1980s. That said, the Discotek Blu-Ray is really good and everyone should pick up a copy.
For many people in the West, “Ghibli”is just a generic term that means “anime that I like”. I never fully understood that, but Japanese animation remains a mystery for most folks and they need a solid reference point to understand it all. Thankfully, they’re no longer using the term “Japanimation”.
Your right, not Ghibli that's more a "sensational" headline to relate it to the talent that made it. I was wondering if you knew anything about the third pilot it almost seems like a myth at this point.
The 87 pilot is so intense at points especially with big red sky eyes, its a shame nothing like that got into the final film.
It does seem if anything TMS opened itself up to more “collaborations” with Americans in the future since they animated many of the classic 90s Warner Brother Cartoons.
Also thanks for the support after you shared my Miyazaki vid it blew up.
Great point
Japanimation forever, heard that in the 90s all the time. I remember when anime first arrived in America and all the distributors (Central Park Media, ADV, US Renditions, Manga Entertainment and Media Blasters) had advertisement for anime and on the side of all the pictures they had a little paragraph explaining what anime was and called it "japanimation".... they always made sure you knew it was "not for kids" lol/ good times!
It is a shame there are no HD sources for any or all of the pilots. Are there _any_ versions available to watch?
(watches rest of video to 6:03 ... then clicks on "show more")
Wow! That was fast! It probably helps to watch a video completely before posting a comment.
Well said, sir, well said
How could you fall asleep in the second part, this movie was pure perfection. The whole goofy first part, the horrifying second part had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It's so mysterious, so well drawn. In my top five best animated movies off all time!
This movie was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. The VHS got more playtime than any of my Disney movies. Such an immersive, unique, dream-like movie for its time.
Agreed! No idea how he had so much "negative" to say as it's one of the best kids movies I grew up watching and unique!
Couldn’t agree more!
I loved it as a kid in the 90s, and I just rewatched it yesterday. Still holds up.
Falling asleep was kinda the best part but not for the reasons you think.
Being a small child with attension difficulties and taking a quick power nap during the "prince school" sequence makes whatever you wake up to all the more like a confusing fever dream to leave a lasting impression.
Suddenly, there are demons everywhere, red-eyed flying sea animals and other fun horrors beyond human compresension. Then boom, it's got a 6-year-olds attension in a vicelike grip and won't let go.
The Little Nemo movie was one of my favorite VHSs as a small child. Now that I am older I feel very lucky it somehow ended up in my possession.
You’re telling me
Me too, I think I have to bust that out and watch it with my kid.
That scene with the black goo scared the hell out of me as a kid
@jollygrapefruit786 me too! When the big bad is first released! I'm born in 88 and the first game I remember playing on either original NES or SNES is based on little Nemo. And I loved watching it with my kid. She however had a 🤔🫢🫣🤨😳🙄😏😆 series of looks on her face the whole time lmao. Eh kids
I’m ‘89.
I think that another problem was that Little Nemo is a material that is very hard to be adapted into a film. Mainly because of how episodic the comics were. If I remember corectly the main "Goal" for a lack of better words was for Nemo to arrive at Slumberland, but he would always wake up, before he was able to do so. Its kinda hard to write a good plot around that. Maybe it would have worked better as an animated series or a mini movie.
Eventually McCay would stop writing those type of self-contained strips and tried expanding Nemo's time in Slumberland further with story arcs of sorts that lasted for weeks depending on where he went with it. Nemo obviously still woke up in the last panel but would continue were he left off in the next Sunday's strip.
Im with Miyazaki on this , hard to have rules when everything is a dream. There would need to be consequences established. Not like it couldn't work but it's true that a mini series would work better. That being said there has been a comic series made not so long ago called Return to Slumberland and I think they pulled off an longer form narrative while winning an Eisner award.
Stevem Miyazaki basically didn't go for the fact this was a "dream world" when he prefer the worlds to be 'real' in his stories. Isao Takahata also left the production as he favored characters to have "growth" in his work.
The end of this film is literally... Nemo gets to go to the circus! That's that!
Yeah, Ebert brought this up in his old review , saying his father has a Mr Banks transformation with none of the build up or arc that makes it work. It's a silly ending.
I actually watched this this movie as child and loved it. I tried to explain it to people and remembered it so well but no one knew of this movie. Thank you for talking about this and bringing my childhood memories to the light!
Fun fact. Capcom produced a video game based on the film for the original Nintendo. The game was really hard to pass and remains a classic for the NES.
Strangely Little Nemo was one of my favs to watch as a kid, no idea why now, my youngest sister obsessed over the wizard of oz when she was the same age.
Not strange at all! It's an amazing flim, I don't care what he says in this video lol
5:35 "You get to see classic actor Mickey ROURKE play his favorite character"
_says Mickey Rooney under actor's face_
Not sure how one manages to mess that up.
Oh No.........OH NO!
lol I guess I see this movie with nostalgia goggles. Definitely one of if not my favorite childhood films, personally, but I can definitely see room for criticism
Little Nemo is a great movie.
It's certainly not perfect, but man it's beautiful and it was pretty much one of a kind. I'd call it more of a flawed but underrated gen
Me and my friends found a VHS of this movie at a local thrift store and we watched it and were amazed by the animation. Glad to know there's so much more to this piece of media to explore!
Mickey "Rourke???"
Thinkbolt Think he meant Rooney. Lol
Once when Rooney passed away, this local newspaper had an article about him but they kept calling him Rourke instead of Rooney. I guess this mixup happens more often than not
I have a habit of mixing up the two I have no idea why
Stevem I’ll admit I the only way I can remember the difference is Rooney sounds goofy, just like the goofy old actor.
My thoughts exactly T___T Some homework is needed.
Thanks for bringing light to this underrated film. Gorgeous animation!
I grew up on this movie and it's still one of my favorites
I remember seeing stuff for the Little Nemo film and thinking it looked fantastic as a kid. I also remember playing the NES title based on it, and enjoying that pretty well too.
This has to be in my top 5 favourite films; maybe it’s the nostalgia of watching this time and time again with my late grandmother. Thank you for bringing this movie to light, it’s a beautiful kids film - the soundtrack I still listen to regularly and occasionally watch this still. For anyone wondering you can watch the entire feature film right here on UA-cam.
Brooooooo no wayyyyyyy i have been searching for this for 3-4 years , you have no way how my heart is beating, Little Nemo , wow, thank you 🙏🏻
I saw it when i was 6-7 i can never forget it, im crying man
I remember watching this as a child and being completely astonished. As I grew older I only remembered a few fragments of this film thinking that it was just a dream. Thanks for posting this video!
First off... that goblin song was a masterpiece so jot that down.
I vastly preferred the Osamu Dezaki pilot film, because of how much it floored me with its shear scope. The technicolor steampunk aesthetic, the various painterly composed shots, the gigantic pulsating eye and erupting clouds of the Nightmare King. All of it served as partial influence for my own short film, "Bill & Maggie's Intergalactic Taxi Service." Even with how detailed many short form animations have been over the years, this is one of the finest examples of short animation I have found, and yet it's only available in sub-SD quality. How sad is that?
It might be interesting to see something on how Ghost in the Shell went from its original manga to its various adaptations and the pros/cons of these.
Hi! I know this is a really old vid but i just wanted to share some updated info about the pilot! I got in touch with a animator on Twitter who animated both pilots, and I asked him who the character that Nemo was flying with, and I was NOT expecting what happened next! He told me that the character was in Ray Bradbury's screenplay and his name was Omen! :D Not only that he showed me some never before seen CONCEPT ART OF THE CHARACTER!!! 😍😍😍 I was SO amazed!!! From the looks of it, in the second picture he was drawn in that anime style that the second pilot had, it seems like he was gonna also be in that one, but wasn't for some reason??? anyway, it was really amazing to have them!!! Also for all of you who wanted to see this story, in 2012 someone turned this screenplay into a book called Nemo! Thanks for reading! :D
Is there any way you could show me this info? I work for the Walt Disney Archives in Anaheim but am a huge fan of this movie. If not, could you perhaps connect me with who you spoke with? I can be reached with this same username on X/Twitter & Instagram as well.
@@FigmentForever OH absolutely! the animator is Tuzino Yositeru, and if you type the name in google you can easily find his account. just type in Omen in his search bar, and you'll find the post with the info!
I actually like Flip as a character, never had an idea that he is race caricature
The best part is in those days this seemed extremely progressive.
Hes hella not, theyre over analyzing, i mean he did call Mickey Rooney Mickey Rourke.. id say Flip inspired the Simpsons tbh
I thought he was a frog
@@iamlokittyofmeowsgard2934 well, he looks like a frog-man, kind of
I adored this movie when I was younger. Would watch it over and over again. Still love it.
Little Nemo was seriously my favorite movie growing up. I loved it.
Growing up this was one of my favourite movies, I still have the VHS and still watch it 💙
WHoa, this was one of my favorite movies as a child! I had no idea some of the Ghibli creators worked on it
Has the proper name of the infamous actor. Still calls him the wrong name.
GLAD it was the final production it is today. It was fun, immersive, and most importantly, TO THE POINT! The story progresses pretty quick and that's how most like it. Introduction, arrival, play, then the dark undertone begins to take root. I really dislike the other versions. 1st one is typical of its director with that silly paper biplane. The 2nd one is a definite turn off, almost reminds me of that weird raggedy ann film. then there's another one that wasn't discussed her, the graphics were way too wavy and gave you motion sickness. Adventures was appealing to me because I was very much into the video game at the time, and for there to be a film that mirrored it, THAT is what made it a winner for me. Much like the Mario and Zelda cartoons, people bandwagon for no reason and these productions become underrated and hated for zero valid reasons.
As for the Mario Anime, totally agree. Its garbage. No one wants to see Mario NOT marry the Princess and everyone HATES the Prince.
lol was thinking the same thing. the paper biplane is something that studio WOULD do xD not at all in my favor.
When I stumbled upon this video it gave me goosebumps... I had this film on VHS growing up. Thank you so much for making a review of this.
It makes my childhood heart sing in so many ways... just thank you
The characters always reminded me of how the characters looked in Disney's Peter Pan. Nemo looks like a dark haired Michael Darling.
At 5:38, the narrator mentions the actor Mickey Rourke, whereas the voice of Flip was Mickey Rooney. Mickey Rourke played the main villain Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2.
I saw the Nostalgia Critic's review of this years ago (back when he was still worth watching). This movie had so much potential it didn't live up to.
Eh I couldn't stand the Critic's review. It was the one that got me to stop watching him. He just came off as some guy that didn't really understand the film (which...is how he is a lot of times to me) and just whined and complained about every little aspect he could. Said "Even Miyazaki left" as if that's something that's a point against it when Miyazaki's always difficult.
@@edward18517 Well, can you really blame him though? The movie itself is an inconsistent mess that can be downright confusing and annoying to most regular viewers. But to be fair, his review wasn't entirely negative - he gave the movie credit for having incredible animation.
@@geoffreyrichards6079 I watched it when I was like 4 and understood it just fine.
@@edward18517 Anything makes sense when you're a kid. But if a film that appeals to children fails to engage older audiences, than that's a problem. A great movie is one that can appeal to all ages, from young to old. And to many adults, the Nemo film simply doesn't hold up.
Sure, the animation and backgrounds are spectacular to look at, but that kinda exemplifies how shallow the rest of the film is when that's the only thing to be interested in.
I’ve had this movie since I was a kid but I actually never knew about any of this history what so ever until today after rewatching it and deciding to see if anyone had ever talked about it in UA-cam. This is so cool.
It’s a kids movie. If you weren’t a kid when this movie came out, you won’t get it.
Princess or not..this is no way to treat a great movie
"Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, released in Japan as simply Nemo (ニモ Nimo), is a 1989 Japanese/American animated adventure fantasy film directed by Masami Hata and William Hurtz. Based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, the film went through a lengthy development process with a number of screenwriters. Ultimately, the screenplay was credited to Chris Columbus and Richard Outten; the storyline and art style differed from the original version. The original soundtrack was penned by the Academy Award-winning Sherman Brothers. It was a box office bomb".............. HAHAHAHAH THE HOPES AND DREAMS CRUSHED!!!!! Stevem thanks for the video, really informative!
Personally I liked it as a kid and rewatching it as an adult I still love it, maybe there were too many cooks but I have fond memories of this film as a kid. Even had a four post bed like Nemo, although I think that was more a decision from my mom than the movie. It has a sort of old time charm mixed with alot of fun stuff you don't see in modern fantasy films. If I ever have kids and that's a big IF, I'd let them see it and as for the "Racist" Flip as a kid I just thought he was a circus clown
I thought he was simply a clown too. I think Mickey Rooney was perfect to voice him here.
I didn’t make the connection of Flip being a racist caricature when I was a kid either. However, a few years ago, I looked into Nemo because I like the artwork of the original comic and discovered that there’s a character called “Imp or Impie” that is basically a racist caricature of an African tribesman. You can see him in the clip of the old animation the original creator did at the start of the video. I’m black and its hard to reconcile liking the movie and artwork while knowing that there’s a racist element to some of the characters. Why the hell were people so outwardly racist back then?
@@Ganbarizer well it was a different time, they didn't really understand how hurtful and damaging they were at the time. Now more people are much more accepting towards others
I see everyone seeing Little Nemo was their favorite movie of all time when they were a child. Little Nemo personally traumatized me.
One of my parent found the movie alongside another one (they were being sold together) called Help ! I am a fish !
I first watched Help ! I am a fish because looking at the covers of the movies, I felt like Little Nemo was way better and I wanted to keep the best for the end
I really liked Help ! I am a fish, especially because of the music. The ending made me kinda sad but I liked it.
Then came Little Nemo, I was so excited to watch it as I had high hopes for this movie.
But everything felt weird. The ambiance was strange, I wasn’t comfortable infront of this movie. I knew this was a movie about dreams but watching it felt like I was really in a dream…but not a happy dream, a weird and disturbing dream. Then came the second part of the movie with all of these scenes with nightmares and all…
Let me tell you, I did not sleep that night.
I recently found a video that recreated Little Nemo but with a horror movie trailer. And this is exactly how I remember it. This movie traumatized me.
One thing is for sure - that Flip is a frightful fellow.
this was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I used to make my mom rent this every time we went to Blockbuster (that or Ferngully...why didn't she just save some cash and buy me the VHS?). I rewatched it as an adult and good lord, was it BORING. The art was kinda pretty though. Have to say, that pilot is BEAUTIFUL though. I'd be more interested in watching that version of the movie now.
I just watched it at 35 and I STILL love this film!
I've been seeing this thumbnail in my recommended all week, I guess I'll watch it X'D
@Laura Toton
I'm not complaining but it's funny how youtube is recommending all my 8 month plus old videos
@@Stevem lol
I loved this movie. My Dad blindly bought it for me as a gift, and I spent years thinking it was a film adaptation of the game.
Ive always loved the movie since I was a kid
Back in his days, Windsor McKay hated the "assembly line" process of the early animation industry, and want animation to be an individual's form of self expression much like he did during the vaudeville era. Probably his spirit plagued the Nemo project because he doesn't want his material end up like some "product" to be thrown away later?
It would be great if you could make a video about the movies released by Sanrio as I feel they don't get enough recognition. They have faults but there are some beautiful qualities to them.
I've watched Ringing Bell, I might have a look into the company and see what I can find.
I think I will do it at some point it might take a while to sort a format, just because the sheer research and amount of films
@Simple Weirdo One day I want to do a full look at the studio not sure when that will be but I am interested , maybe when I find some concrete info and sources
STEVEM: I think I fell asleep during the 2nd act
Me: That's fair.
It's so interesting to talk when you compare it to the finished version.
Little Nemo + Mobius + Richard Williams = ultimate dream movie!
Sadly, it'll never happen...
now THAT would be AMAZING.
You can see some influence from McCay in Williams work such as in The Thief and The Cobbler.
There's a new Bluray out which has the third short on it I have yet to see it in full, but what I did see looks great
GHIBLI PLAYLIST-ua-cam.com/play/PLyhSewr7iiMTT6OSZQ42oKR6MPIqOgwj9.html
You should watch lupin III, so glad you brought it up it’s an amazing show and cagliostro definitely compares to little nemo
I have the movie on VHS. I'm shocked there was so much history behind it. I always knew it looked different yet the same as other movies but i could never put my figure on it. knowing this now I can see how things were made or designed with different animators in mind and I'm disappointed it didnt have one of the other animated styles but its a cute movie so long as you dont hype too much about it and remember its all just a dream maybe XD
Much respect for your channel
Little Nemo amv Forever After. I saw that after this review, its good.
The guy that was pinned in the comments said the completed movie was terrible but I don’t think it was that bad. I thought it was vastly different in terms of quality compared to Disney cartoons. The backgrounds and scenery were incredibly detailed and gorgeous compared to typical Disney fare. I noticed the difference when I saw it as a kid! I think the pacing and fleshing out of some the supporting characters could’ve made it better, though. Ghibil is an amazing studio (even though they were not directly involved in making this) but I’m fine with how the style turned out. It was a cool, hybrid anime and American style animation that lets you know that this was a joint project between Japan and the states.
I just watched today after a long time and yeah the animation is really good, but the movie itself its terrible lmao,
lot of annoying characters and predictable plot
awesome channel, you got my sub and attention
I fricking loved this movie as a child! I still have on VHS, and a lot of other old stuff, like that story about that little Panda or a story about boys who turned to swans or something, or the Little Mermaid which I still hate because it is so heartbreaking.
I’m so glad I decided to watch this movie when I randomly stumbled across it one day, against my better judgment. While yes it’s no Miyazaki film or Akira, it’s funny, charming and nightmarishly surreal at times and is definitely still worth a watch. Especially cause it’s free on here :)
The princess here looks like Princess Yum Yum from The Thief and The Cobbler.
Oh my God. LOL! You did not just call him Mickey Rourke. ROFL
I saw this movie a few times when I was really young, and never knew the name. MANY years later, I could remember the entire movies, mostly, it was really surreal. I then searched online for a bit, and found it. I honestly think I might have knew the name, but got it mixed up in my head with "Finding Nemo" and just couldn't put two and two together.
This movie is so weird, and the animations are so... unnerving..
I think in some way, it might be one of the most favorite movies. It had an impact on me that movies just simply don't, or maybe can't, anymore, and I'll always think that's interesting/important.
This channel is gold
You're too kind
Good memories, thanks for share
Wow, both those character designs look better than the final! B - ) but the final is a very detailed film, all of those must be appreciated
As cool as it is, I think that the final production was really good. I'd LOVE to see this redone now, with the newly gained skills and modern techniques, though!
It's unfortunate the original vision wasn't brought to life, in the golden age of hand drawn Japanese animation. That era of animation was groundbreaking and I think in many ways embraced the spirit of Windsor McCay.
I do like Adventures In Slumberland, however flawed. The moments of beautiful animation, oozing with style and loaded with cool designs, creates some memorable moments, that pull me through the forgettable ones. Flip is a joy to watch as he casually takes advantage of every situation, causing chaos and destruction at every turn. Morpheus is great too. For me, the songs are the biggest strike against the movie. There is still alot of potential in McCays work for animation.
Use to love this movie and the game! Good times!
Good video! I was surprised it had so few views when I checked.
Also you called Mickey Rooney Mickey Rourke but there's no going back on that now!
Ahhaha I always mixed those two up, I noticed when editing I'd said it wrong, the clip even had his name on it, but it was a bit late for me to change it
And now I want to know what the japanese dub is like.
Oh, and something something my childhood something.
One other disconnect you can definitely see is if you watch the Japanese version of the film where there, the songs are still in English, particularly in the "Etiquette" song sequence, where it's so odd hear characters suddenly speak and then singing in not only another voice, but another language (though to be far, there were other early anime dubs that had this problem).
You think you could just do these things but you just cant Nemo!!
The only thing i remember about this movie is that it scared me as a child. Actually seeing old films like this reminds me how old I'm getting lol.
There are little sparks of darkness in it, but they aren't as bad as the 87 Pilot.
We're all getting old just a fact of life ahah
forever0forever Its ok,we are all Just going back to where we came from,nothing wrong with getting old,Just a cycle,long one tbf.
0:57 i would love it if my projects were that too.
I loved the Little Nemo movie as a kid. Watching it again as an adult I always felt like the concept was a huge missed opportunity for a Miyazaki/Ghibli film. I guess I was onto something.
Ghibli only Nemo would have sucked honestly. I like Ghibli just fine (love Nausica, Totoro, Howl's, Whisper of the Heart, When Marime Was There especially) but if Miyazaki got ahold of it alone it would NOT be epic™
Sorry to say to all the Ghibli fans who are like "YaSs GhIBli iS LiFe!!" (9_6)
You didn't find the third short, because the one you thought was the first is in fact the second. The first one was directed by Sadao Tsukioka. Its' probably the best Nemo pilot.
This was my favorite movie as a kid
There is a video game on nintendo, I used play it in the early 90s & it's one of my favs:) thanks!
I heard that was a good one though I never got the chance to play it
6:29 I suppose that's one reason it took longer for "Sherlock Hound" to come out (if not the lawsuit with the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), and that was an Italian-Japanese effort (though obviously more Japanese involvement than on Nemo).
If I remember right he left Nemo in 82 and might of started the Hound project right after, since he finished that one in 83.
Stevem Of course TMS had to get someone else to finish the remaining 20 episodes of "filler" in that show!
I don't blame him feeling done with TV Anime after that.
Stevem Keeping up with budgets/schedules like that certainly was a biggie.
Little Nemo is a staple of my childhood.
Congratulations for the 1K subs
Cheers! Yeah that came way faster than I expected.
Sadly, I think if Discotek could not track down the 3rd pilot through their Japanese channels, it either does not exist, or only exists in partial form as designs and concept art. Cause they do include artwork from the 3rd pilot on their US Blu-ray; but I'm assuming a fully completed 3rd pilot was never released.
Where can the artwork be seen?
@@steamboatwill3.367 It's in the Blu-ray bonus features. I think you look for the Pilot films option, and then there should be a button for the 3rd Pilot and its artwork.
@@FilmmakerJ ) thanks.
I still have Little Nemo on VHS in my closet! Hahahah
3:40 - Oh screw off, it's a very good first attempt at a Super Mario movie!
Don't confuse Little Nemo in Slumberland with a Ralph Bakshi film. Nor with The Beatles Yellow Submarine. Based on how you describe this gem from the late 80s, you may as well be describing a Ralph Bakshi film. Bakshi is influential, yes, but his story telling chops as a film maker are all over the place. Little Nemo is beautiful, charming, and coherent, both with the visual as well as the narrative. I've seen Little Nemo in Slumberland recently enough to be aware the film makers you show in your video aren't crowding each other out with their own styles. I don't mean to imply I'm not a fan of any of the examples you've included, because I've deeply admired their work for years. Little Nemo successfully stands apart, and is unfortunately too often over looked.
So this where nemo the fish got his name..
Lool no. Nemo got his name from captain nemo in 20000 leagues under the sea.
@@dumpling3309 i thought it was latin for no one because it was all in marlins head. and OMEN backwards because OOOOOOHHHHOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOEEEOOOHHH!!!! SPOOKY GHOST👻! lol
5:37, Mickey Rourke?? From Iron Man 2 and the Sin City movies? Damn, he got so yoked in his later years.
Classic actor, Mickey Rourke.
I just finished this movie and then this was recommended after
I thought it was pretty cute tbh
5:39 "Mickey Rourke"...? You mean Mickey Rooney?
Even if this never saw the full screen the 1989 version is still quality animation.
It would be really cool if you could talk about Satoshi Kon!
I might do a retrospective on his wholleee career at some point have to time it right.
Dear god the thumbnail killed me.
It’s just like the Adams family is never getting a Tim Burton adaptation.
SHIT YOU MENTIONED RINGING BELL
Ever gonna do a discussion on that? It's one of my favorite films of all time.
I think I'm going to talk about it in a big Sanrio Retrospective. That or the Top Ten 70s Anime Movies.
Were you able to find the 3rd pilot eventually?
someone please upload the making of vhs,dvd, bluray , there all different
"Did Nemo really need a flying squirrel sidekick?" Yes. Absolutely. Because squirrels are adorable and make everything better.
The Making Of Little Nemo Adventures In Slumberland ? any one know where i can watch a copy online? or download?