Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • Page 68

GO! FILM I 'Little Nemo' dreamy to look at, but story's a snooze Little Nemo: Adventures in Siumberland Directors: MASAMI HATA, WILLIAM T. HURTZ; Starring: GABRIEL DAMON, MICKEY ROONEY; 84 mins; BEAVERCREEK, CROSS PCHNTE, DAYTON MALL, SALEM MALL, HUBER HEIGHTS No objectionable material -Good Excellent Fair -Poor nality, and the screenplay was co-authored by Chris Columbus, though little of the playful wit of his scripts for Adventures in Babysitting or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade can be found here. One suspects this to be purposeful, since Little Nemo seems aimed primarily at the very young children who are the target audience of most non-Disney animated features. But the quality of the animation is so high it seems something of a shame to see it wasted on the least discriminating audience. With a little more appreciation for the sophistication level of children, and as much attention paid to Winsor McCay's incredible gift for storytelling as to his artistry, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumber-land could have been made into something more than a pleasant children's dream.

Hi 'little Nemo' is based on a turn-of-the-century comic strip The nigjitshirted Nemo Scepter and a mysterious key, which is told to never ever use. But Nemo's naivete is almost as big as his heart, and that makes him a prime target for the cigar-smoking, trouble-loving Flip, who manages to convince Nemo to use the key to unlock the forbidden door. Behind it lurks a demon who kidnaps the king and whisks him away to Nightmare blance to one Rocket J. Squirrel. Plotwise, the film bears more than a passing resemblance to The Wizard ofOz, with healthy helpings of Pinnochio and Peter Pan and any other handy fables that happened to seem applicable.

Oddly, the story's "concept" is credited to to Ray Bradbury, an author and scriptwriter who does not usually run short of origi Land, a dark and foreboding netherworld ruled by the Nightmare King, a fellow who, trust me, you never want to meet. Nemo, however, has no choice. So off he goes to save Slumber-land, flanked by a reluctant Flip, the plucky princess and his best pal, a flying rodent named Icarus, who bears an uncanny resem Great animation thrown away on very young audience. IN THE TRADITION OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS CRIMINALS OF ALL Outstanding Family Fare! Enchanting. Magnificent Animation.

Enjoy It With' Your Loved Ones Of All Ages." Colleen Hartry, Parent Film Reviews Take Off On A Wondrous Adventure BY TERRY JH mongthevari- UWSON ous claimants mm to the title cute "first American comic strip" is Little Nemo in Siumberland, the tum-of-the-century creation of a billboard and poster painter named Winsor McCay. In truth, Little Nemo was a response to another newspaper feature called The Yellow Kid, which depicted the often anti-social adventures of a gang of street kids. Nemo, by contrast, was a well-bred middle-class lad who pursued all his mischief in his dreams. But if McCay's Nemo was well-mannered, he was anything but unimaginative; his subconscious contained a surrealistic world of wonder and spectacle that not only delighted children but captivated adults as well. Indeed, many of the Little Nemo strips are so vividly rendered and contain such a forceful narrative that they resemble nothing more than an animated cartoon, a form that McCay was to help pioneer.

It is somewhat surprising, then, that it took the better part of a century for Little Nemo to dream his way to the big screen, and at least a little ironic that it arrives courtesy of the Japanese. Little Nemo: Adventures in Siumberland is a handsome and earnest attempt to replicate McCay's unique mix of fairy-tale adventure and fantastical fun, and the Japanese animators have done a good job of bringing McCay's fanciful but formal illustration style to life. They have been sorely let down, however, by their American collaborators, who have to take responsibility for Little Nemo story, which turns out to be almost as mundane as the ones created for the merchandise-oriented features such as Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Care Bears, etaL It sends the night shirted Nemo, via his dreams, to the kingdom of Siumberland, where he has been summoned by Princess Camille, who has been longing for a playmate. Nemo's ingenuity serves him well with the princess' father, King Morpheus, who decides to him his successor, gifting him with the all-powerful Royal C4P0NE BDGSY mr IMIIMI Adventures In siumberland TIH IVKIM1'MM STARTS TODAY IVI i tank BKTTY I.M PERJilSS! CLYDE centerviueohio msmiamisburgrd fihfielobd ,,7 236-1136 434-0144 439-0550 426-2043 837 3308 NO MSSES ACCEPTED She was a nnbou until MMlH'on? found. UU.1? a MM) Air tUMMI a rr it i OnHEIROWN I CUM MOUB ttttt STARTS TODAY i.i n.iim jiir.

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