Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 68

On 7 I DAYTON DAILY NEWS AUG. 21, 1992 'Little Nemo' dreamy to look at, but story's a snooze REVIEW Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Directors: MASAMI HATA, WILLIAM T. HURTZ; Starring: GABRIEL MICKEY ROONEY; 84 mins; BEAVERCREEK, CROSS POINTE, DAYTON MALL, SALEM MALL, HUBER HEIGHTS No objectionable material Good Fair Poor BY TERRY mong the variFilm A to the title LAWSON ous claimants Critic "first American comic strip" is Little Nemo in Slumberland, the turn-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 wellmannered, 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 Slumberland is a handsome and earnest attempt to replicate McCay's unique mix of -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's 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, et al.

It sends the nightshirted Nemo, via his dreams, to the kingdom of Slumberland, 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 make him his successor, gifting him with the all-powerful Royal 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 Slumberland could have been made into something more than a pleasant children's dream.

The nightshirted 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 cigarsmoking, 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 Nemo' is based on a turn-of-the-century comic strip 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 Slumberland, flanked by a reluctant Flip, the plucky princess and his best pal, a flying rodent named Icarus, who bears an uncanny resem- IN THE TRADITION OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS CRIMINALS OF ALL BUGSY CAPONE MO POLICE CLYDE BETTY LOU PERKINS? She was a nobody, until someone The HANDBAG PG-13 MEN IS ICE: ME ONE STARTS TODAY LOEWS DRIVE-IN SHOWCASE CINEMAS SHOWCASE CINEMAS HUBER I CROSS POINTE CINEMA NORTH 5 BEAVER VALLEY WAYNETOWN BLVD.

CENTERVILLE, OHIO 1375 W. SIEMENTHALER AVE. 3349 E. PATTERSON AD. RT.

235 HADDIX 7737 236-1136 434-0144 276-4111 426-8611 878-5022 NO PASSES ACCEPTED blance to one Rocket J. Squirrel. Plotwise, the film bears more than a passing resemblance to The Wizard of Oz, 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- THE BOTTOM LINE Great animation thrown away on very young audience. 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 LITTLE Adventures Slumberland A FILM FROM DO IN SELECTED THE HEMDALE THE MAJOR INDEPENDENT 0 STARTS TODAY SHOWCASE CINEMAS SHOWCASE CINEMAS LOEWS HUBER HEIGHTS CROSS POINTE CENTERVILLE CINEMAS BEAVERCREEK7 SALEM MALL 4 7737 WAYNETOWN BLVD. CENTERVILLE, 434-0144 ONIO 965 MIAMISBURG RD 1274 N. 426-2043 FAIRFIELD RD 837-3306 236-1136 439-0550 NO PASSES ACCEPTED "Hands Down the Best Movie of the Summer!" Neil Rosen. WNCN RADIO NEW YORK A Leaque OF THEIR OWN PG A COLUAMA PICTURES SHOWCASE CINEMAS SHOWCASE CINEMAS HUBER CROSS POINTE DAYTON MALL! 5-8 7 7737 WAYNETOWN BLVD.

CENTERVILLE, OHIO CENTERVILLE NO 1274 N. FAIRFIELD RD 236-1136 434-0144 433-3200 426-2043.