Fuku-chan’s Submarine 1944, Uriko-Hime to Amanojaku 1956, & Beer Mukashi Mukashi 1956

Let’s review three of Tadahito’s films that I can find on youtube. One is 2D animated, and the other is the first two stop motion films in Japan, Uriko-Hime to Amanojaku as his second directed, and Beer Mukashi Mukashi as his first stop-motion animator.

Let’s start with Fuku-chan’s Submarine in 1944. It’s…basically the complete human version of Momotaru’s Sea Eagle. A navy goes out to sea to stop the enemy.

The editing is bad; most of the actions are broken, though the excuse is this film was recovered with scenes missing. Thankfully they don’t show the enemy’s face much this time, though their ships have a big star and one ship literally has a face. Eh, Disney did that too with “How to Sail A Boat”. You can say “Their ship funded by Texaco” or “It’s a Texan Ship”, at least for the first wave of fleet. The second wave is American, so no denying. It was later reveal that there are 13 battleships to represent the 13 Colonies. Umm…Subtle? I don’t know, I might not be a fan of a war genre or have the army as the “foreground”, though WW2 Looney Tunes or Power Rangers is one of those rare exceptions.

The next is Japan’s first stop-motion film in 1956, Uriko-Hime to Amanojaku. Uriko-Hime was born from a magic fruit founded by an old couple. She grew up to be a great weaver. Amanojaku is a Yokai or Mountain Demon who wants to have fun and ruins Uriko-hime’s loom. (Compare to Po Kong, the Chinese Mountain Demon with a Panku Box gate found in Japan in Jackie Chan Adventure, Amanojaku is a light mountain demon) Uriko-hime befriends Amanojaku, as he pulls a Rumpelstiltskin by making strings or solid objects with a spinning wheel. There are these three crooks somewhere in the story. They’re not entirely important.

The story was recently remade in 2D animation with the Uriko-hime shown hatching from the Wintermelon, had a childhood than a fruit that looks like an eggplant, and Amanojako was a playful possessing demon or spirit. I recommend the remake than the original.

I’ll save my opinion about the stop-motion at the end. The design and atmosphere is decent though.

The last one is Beer Mukashi Mukashi is about a mug head to tell the history of beer throughout the world from the Stone Age or Mesopotamian to their modern age, specifically the brand, Asahi Lager Beer; A Japanese Beer that still exist, yet unsavorily to critics today.

A Stop-motion commercial was nothing new, as it was kinda started with George Pal with the Puppetoons, as he usually ties them to Phillip Radio or Horlick’s Energy Drink. The commercial tied to a film is new to Japan, as far as I know, but in stop motion is their first. Advertisement Beer in Cartoons might not be the safest, but then again, Screen Gem did that twice with Mr. Magoo with Stag Beer and Flintstones with Busch Beer.

"Oh there's a lot Busch going to be sold!"

-Fred Flintstones, voiced by Alan Reed.  

This might be harsh to say, but Tadahito was meant to be a stop-motion animator than 2D animator. There’s some good animation in 2D in the short, but debatable since short films usually have more than one animator. There seem to be more control to animating the stop motion than having the 2D animation having the scene dragging out too long with pointless or repetitive scenes. While Uriko-Hime to Amanojaku had decent animation in movement, the lip movement are absent in the film. Doing lip movements to the first Japanese stop-motion would have been time consuming with a deadline, or they didn’t want to ruin the dolls. This is where Beer Mukashi kind of made up of having a lip movement for the Mughead, even if they cut corners by cutting less of Mughead’s scenes for some 2D scenes. I can say that Tadahito may have made the staple of the hand gesture and the simple shaped facials for Rankin Bass. Though maybe this is part of the reason why Japan rarely do stop-motion due to being mostly time consuming. Godzilla vs King Kong is one of those example that it was going to stop-motion.

Overall, skip Fuku-Chan’s Submarine, and give a little thought of a step to see Uriko-Hime to Amanojaku & Beer Makashi Makashi as an interest to see the start of Japan’s stop-motion and Tahadito’s stop-motion career to be influential.

Next time, I’ll start with the first of the Animated Western film with The Man From Button Willow. These are due to the fact that the next options in the list are TV series, and I needed this Western film to start with and get it off my chest. However, Easter is coming up, so I going to review a film that no one will suspect me in reviewing, as long it's kinda Easter theme or related to films such as Rankin Bass Easter films.

Ari-Chan 1941 & Momtaro Sea Eagle 1943

Let’s start with one of the relatives and earliest I can find with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’s animator, Tadahito Mochinaga. It all starts in Japan 1941, as he started his first animation with a black and white silent short cartoon with Ari-Chan. I do mean short for Ari-chan, meaning it’s never enough to talk anything that’s a short silent black and white film that would past the 450 words limit. So I’ll pair it with Tadahito’s second film he animated with Momotaro’s Sea Eagle, which is mostly silent aside from Momotaro and some grunts.

A little ant named Ari-Chan wants to help the worker ants, but he’s small and weak. He found a violin, as he plays with it, along with other insects, but he stumble a band of grasshoppers all playing violins. Ari-Chan joins the band in harmony, then everything changes when the fire nation attack!

OK, I’m kidding on that. I was a simple human, but judging the hand, it looks like an infant or toddler.

“No! Bad Fire Nation baby!”

-         Sokka said to Tom-Tom from Avatar, the Last Airbender. Episode: Return to Omashu.

That’s mostly about it for Ari-chan. I could say its reverse Grasshopper and Ants, but I never see the Grasshopper dies at the end of any of the animated versions. It’s just a peaceful short kid’s film. Momotaro’s Sea Eagles on the other hand is the opposite tone for Ari-Chan.

A naval ship of bunny, dog, and monkey, woodpecker, rooster, and rats are led by assuming Momotaro. Their allies is the Sea Eagles, and their enemy is (by the sound of the music) Hawaii. Yeah, this won’t fly today! The animals attack the American Navy led by Bluto from Popeye?

Momotaro has one the case of bad lips continuity I’ve seen since that Columbia’s rip-off of Paramount’s Song of the Birds; the lips are either lined lips or detailed lips. Nothing happens for about 15 minutes in a 30 minutes cartoon. Part of the film is damaged, as you can see scenes with the edge of the paper crinkle, scenes really drag out with the animals such as the monkey drags, and Momotaro and the Sea Eagles aren't the main focus. Though Momotaro has more than one appearance as his own series at the time, so I'm mostly judging it on its own. The Sea Eagle are probably on par with J.R.R Tolkien's Eagles in usefulness; always around to save despite they could of used them this entire adventure. It’s Momotaro’s army that’s the focus, more on the monkey and dog, which is happy, yet serious. The target audience can vary, but a little higher than little kids. I could say this is offensive, but America has made many WWII propaganda cartoons aiming at German, Italy, and Japan, so the countries they were fighting against making their own propaganda cartoons is about even, but I’m not touching the issue with a 77 feet pole. The only theory on why this film was made that would make some sense is that they made it in revenge against Popeye’s WWII cartoons that was made at the same time that they actually see somehow. Popeye has done the propaganda, but Bluto was in only one out of 3 or 4 of them. Thus is why Bluto is there in the navy. Made worse if Michael Bay put Bluto there in Pearl Harbor.

Bottom line, neither film has much happening in their film in terms of plot, moments, and emotions. Though this was the limitation for Japan at the time, since their animations wasn’t as up to date as Americans or other countries by that timing. Neither of these films is good. If I had to choose which is better, it’s Ari-Chan with some emotions, atmosphere, and some creative ways for different insects to play the guitar or violin. I could say propaganda films like Momotaro’s Sea Eagle would damage the resume, but if Der Fuhrer’s Face and Looney Tunes’ WW2 cartoon gave their directors a continuing career, surely anything is possible to some accept or overlook the past to give them a chance for the animator to be animation director and then to animate Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Suddenly the “There’s Always Tomorrow” and the rabbits in that song gave a new meaning relating this review.

“We all pretend the rain would never end, and you’ll be there my friend, someday…”

-         -The rabbits and raccoons in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

If you’re interested to see old Japanese cartoons or what previous films Tadahito did before Rudolph, give it a watch. If you want to see something exciting or funny, please register to a different class than this one.

Introduction to Retahensid Review 2018

After I reviewed films from Rankin Bass, I decided to move on the next near step, and that's by reviewing all the films that the people in Rankin Bass production did. There's couple of problems that's interfering with that idea; as I'm writing this, I'm in North Carolina with limited time on the laptop, many of the other films the other people in the production are mostly Christmas as other films are well known where finding them free online is impossible such as the film Joseph E. Levine produced.

     

So from February to November of the year of 2018, I’m going to review all the Rankin Bass ' TV shows or review a genre of films that's kinda rare; the animated Western films. Given each of the production and rare genre, it's best to give them attention for something they did on their merit. Just like last year, there’s going to a catch in reviewing them all.

First, all the non-holiday films will be reviewed in chronological order, while the holidays will be reviewed in order of the holidays. So Easter is first, as Christmas is last.

Second, most of the series will be reviewed in whole, not one episode at of time. As I'll analyzed the theme of the shows through characters. Arcs didn't exist much back then.

Third, my limit of every review will be around 450 words, so my reviews are going to focus and not short. On top of that, I’m busy with life and drawing for others and even draw for this review when possible. So these reviews aren’t going to be pushed out quickly.

Fourth, most of the reviews are released when possible, while Christmas may have multiple releases since there are more than about thirty-one of them.

Fifth, The complete live-action films they as Rankin Bass or the production did is optional.

Sixth, I'm not reviewing American Tail 2 and Home on the Range for Animated Western. One is because the first American Tail is to be reviewed, and I don't want to review the worst Disney has to offer. Yes, I'm aware I was suppose to write something about me vs Disney, but after the recent event with Fox, I just couldn't have the spine to work with it.

Seventh, this is my opinion. If you like those films, great.  

So sit back, and enjoy the year of Retahensid’ blogger of some animated western films and the other works done by the production of Rankin Bass!

Santa Baby!

Let’s review their very last animated original Rankin Bass Christmas film with Santa Baby!.

When people think the title, they think of that generic ABC Family Christmas Drama film that we’ll forget quicker, or a song by Eartha Kitt. In fact, Eartha Kitt did play Emerald the cat, not a human that turn into a cat that was saved by a mistaken order of Assembled Giant Trampoline. This was aired once on Fox 5 back when Fox used to air variety of Christmas specials such as Olive the Other Reindeer, Robby the Reindeer, and Cinder Elmo for some reason. Nowadays, Fox just airs mostly nothing of value and Christmas Story Live proves one of that points. This was released on DVD, but that’s hard to find. I know I spotted a whole rack of them at Beach Haven Library, but I didn’t have the credit card at the time of 2012. I got back to Beach Haven (or Long Beach Island I mostly called) 5 years later due to other places for vacation and one Hurricane. I got back to that same library, but both the place and DVD are gone. So I can only find the damaged film on youtube.

A partridge named Melody Birdsong tells a story how a little girl named Dakota is volunteering for the animal shelter in a rundown neighborhood. The Supervisor named Mr. Sweet wants to close the shelter down, because he hates animal, except for a lobster he hopes to cook. Dakota’s Dad named Noel (voiced by Gregory Hines) is having a block on writing new music for his job. Dakota wishes her dad to write a hit song, though not simple. Noel dressed as Santa as part of the wish. As time went on through trial and errors, the people in the neighborhood grow the Christmas spirit, except for Mr. Sweet. Anymore would spoil the story who may predict where it goes.

This was written by Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games. You can never the style difference with the specials tone vs. Hunger Games tone. This is the only Rankin Bass film with the all African American cast, as in the past they’re rarely a background character or Friday from Robinson Crusoe. The animation and style has gotten for last project. I would almost think the animals are a big distraction to the film, but they’re part of the story. If they didn’t speak, it either makes the film better or worst. I could say them mute would ruin the film as seen in King and I, but that’s bad because they’re unnecessary additions to focus on and don’t add the story. The music I’m really split on. When it’s Christmas, it’s decent. When it’s on the animals, it’s kinda annoying.

I like the arc that goes on with Noel. He had to go through effort of making music, but instead he unintentionally helps his town in need, just like Santa Claus. I can relate as this December, as I volunteer for Toys 4 Tots at the Salvation Army at Cary North Carolina to put the stocking in the slots, helped the Angel Runner, and moved the discarded boxes. It’ll give blisters to my feet, but that’s fast effort I give. That’s the best to describe Santa Baby; A little Christmas effort that may have some slow or cheesy moments that can make a lasting impression. I wish it can be seen more on TV as it desperately needs some variety for Christmas than little they can accept. It’s not bad, nor is boring, nor good, it mostly OK enough to be shown on TV than crap.

And folks, that was it for Rankin Bass reviews. It’s really emotional to see the rise and fall of their career. I’ll get to the Rankin Bass TV series, Wacky World of Mother Goose in the future when they’re available. If it’s possible for any specific film to move on to, I think I’ll cover films that the people in the production of Rankin Bass did such as Nutcracker Fantasy.

Here’s my Top 10 best and worst Rankin Bass to describe their strength and weakness. Not counting their related sequel. Let’s start with the worst list.

10. Mad Monster Party: Not a bad Halloween movie, but Felix, love plot, and padding are what break the reason to be full length.

9. Return of the King: Don’t tell about the war you survived in.

8. Pinocchio’s Christmas: A pointless reason to be a Christmas special.

7. The Wind in the Willows: Lose most of the music and you’ll get to be in the honorable mentions

6.  Twas the Night Before Christmas: A short story + a terrible story = A terrible story with a decent short ending and song.

5. The First Christmas: The most boring original Christmas film that Angela Lansbury can’t save.

4. Sleeping Beauty: The most recycling characters I’ve seen from them.

3. Tom Sawyer & Swiss Family Robinson: Either abridged version of the story that’s best to be abridged under 5 minutes than half an hour.

2. Mad Mad Mad Comedian: An animated stand-up that should sit down.

1. Red Baron: Never team up with Filmation, and rely entirely majority on pointless talking.

Now the Top 10 best!

10. Jack Frost: A nice spin-off with one of the best villains.

9. Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters: The best of the Halloween specials.

8. The Hobbit: The redefying film that help the none-Holiday Rankin Bass film.

7. Flight of Dragons: An underrated Middle Earth set animated film that deserves a blu-ray.

6. Life and Adventure of Santa Claus: A nice epic reboot to end, even if it’s the third time for Santa.

5. The Year Without Santa Claus:  A best of the sequels, even if it was unintended. Come for the Miser Brothers, stay for the songs and humor.

4. Frosty the Snowman: A charming snowman film. Once you hear the original dub, you can never unheard it.

3. Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Emperor’s New Clothing: Both are great with Danny Kayes as I recommend them together.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The groundbreaking Christmas film that’s loved every year.

1. Santa Claus’ Comin’ To Town: The best redefying Santa Claus thanks to Rooney.

Thank you for watching my review, Merry Christmas and a have Happy New Year!

A Miser Brothers' Christmas

Apparently people still love to talk about the Miser Brothers from The Year Without Santa Claus and it’s remake that we get A Miser Brothers’ Christmas. 

Or maybe they got reminded from a terrible TV season that came out between the Remake film and this film with Moltar and Flurious from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Coincidentally, this was written by Power Rangers RPM writer for first half, Eddie Guzelian. This is the only Rankin Bass related sequel to be produced by Rankin Bass.

Ms. Claus tells the story how there almost is a year without Christmas. Santa does his usual inspection onto the elves and reindeer before Christmas. He gets to Tinsel, the youngest elf, who constructs the new super sled. Heat Miser (reprised by George S. Irving) and Snow Miser (this time voiced by Juan Chioran) go to the family reunion with Mother Nature. One of the siblings is the North Wind wants to take over Christmas (who I swear is the ghost of the villain from Corpse Bride, after he became a corpse.) Santa had an accident in the middle of the Miser Brothers brawl partly because of North Wind’s minions and unnoticed to the Misers. Santa is out of commission around Christmas. Mother Nature brings the Miser Brothers to punish them by taking Santa’s place.

The design was “intended” to combine the design of Rudolph’s phase designs and The Year Without Santa Claus’ phase designs. That explains why the elves and reindeers. Santa is closer to the original with Rooney’s voice. Though I kinds wish they stick to one phase on style, since this is either feels like a loose continuation or another reboot. It’s still the Miser Brothers, though I miss the insane energy Dick Shawn created for the original, as it was his own as shown in Mad. Mad, Mad World. This is the last time we hear both Mick Rooney as Santa and George as Heat Miser. It’s sad to lose them both.

The stop-motion was done by Cuppa Coffee Studios, who gladly continued Celebrity Deathmatch, and sadly created Glen Martin, DDS. They did an OK job for the animation, but I really miss the original style, wide expressions, and energy. Maybe if they used Stoopid Monkey’s production to do the animation. They proved it a little better with the Animated Elf Musical and Spongebob Christmas. They have experience doing Rankin Bass related in Robot Chicken. The background music can never top Maury Laws’ music. Then again, I ever recall good background music lately aside from Steven Universe and most of MLP:FiM. The only music that worked is the Miser Brothers music, but not much when they did a remix of it.

I didn’t like A Miser Brother Christmas when it first came out, but it got harmless with time, unlike a certain rotten egg (Peter Cottontail: The Movie). I like the backstory of the Miser Brothers they showed through the Naughty and Nice list. It’s just an average Rankin Bass related sequel with Rankin Bass involved, as it’s the last of the sequels. It has some of the spirit of the original, but the spirit of ABC Family and the stop-motion is sorta dragging it down. It’s not the last Rankin Bass film for me to review, that’s reserved for their very last original film.

The Legend of Frosty the Snowman

Will we get a better Frosty sequel than Frosty Returns? *sigh* No we don’t. While they learn their lesson in animation, Legend of Frosty is probably on par with Frosty Returns film. I didn't like this when it first came out, but it got slightly better by an ounce.

In the 50s town of Evergreen, the Tinkerton has a father as the rules strict mayor. (voiced by Tom Kenny. Crap, I’m getting a Peter Cottontail flashback.)

They go to school in an orderly fashion and have a strict principle Hank Pankley. (Voiced by Nutty Professor’s Dean, Larry Miller)

Tommy Tinkerton (voiced by Kath Soucie) was first noticed by a magical hat as it flies to the other kids of Evergreen. The magic hat came and drafted Walter, as once it placed on a pile of snow to create Frosty the Snowman. Frosty’s plan is for the kids are to have fun. He would later have fun with Tommy’s brother, Charlie and Sara (voiced by Tara Strong) to the point of being a secret society.

Tommy discovered the comic about Frosty, as it reveals the slightly different origin including boy in blue shirt and his father, Professor Hinkle from the original film. As Frosty has fun with the children, it’s chaos for Mayor Tinkerton, as its opportunity for Pankley to be mayor with a chance of getting Everlasting Gobstoppers. (General Zod approves in Shape of Water.)

The animation has gotten better, as it was the last 2D animated related sequel. It’s not as good it can, but it’s best to appreciate hand drawn animation before the later films would switched to bad flash animation or bad CGI that the film will be next year that shall not be spoken more than once.

It’s strange that Bill Fagerbakke voiced Frosty, and only gets Patrick out of him as it would make Frosty real dumb and only a shell. Even more strange that we already have a Patrick the Snowman in a Jimmy Neutron Christmas Short, and that’s actually funny! It does show something new with Frosty such as him absorbing snow, creating a double, and to name a few that’s minor to the film.

The kids here are split while the actors are good; Tommy is just there, Walter is either a jerk or wimp, Charles is a bully, and Sara is OK. I can’t tell if they’re better or worst. It’s usually one of the kids I like. If I had to like any kids in this film, it’s an extent of Tommy and Sara. It’s hard to top Karen and maybe Holly. Burt Reynolds, but he’s not an engaging narrator and singer here.

This film is a combination of the original Frosty and the Frosty comic that did exist. The advice of having fun is needed nowadays in what’s mostly a depressing and grim world, something I was advice twice this year by Arthur Burghardt (the voice of Devestator) and Walter Jones (the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) at two different convention.

The Legend of Frosty the Snowman is not bad, nor good. If you can’t stand one of those films where fun is taken away by a stick in the mud, then this is a film can just melt away.

Frosty Returns

After Rankin Bass ended their business, they wouldn’t have the money to create another film on their film unless they produced it. While that’s not entirely bad for them much, CBS desperately wants a Frosty sequel of their own they can air, since they weren’t allow to air Winter Wonderland and Christmas In July because Warner Bros. owned them, despite being aired on the Disney Channel, then Fox Family, as it became ABC Family and as currently as Freeform because of Disney. So the only solution was to make the start of the Rankin Bass related sequels; sequels from a Rankin Bass film not done by Rankin Bass.

So yay, Frosty Returns, again!

Its snow day in the town of Beansboro, the kids are playing out while the adults are miserable shoving away snow. Holly is a lonely girl, tries to be a magician with her only friend Chuck, but loses her hat to the wind. The magic hat landed on a snowman to become Frosty the Snowman to befriend Holly.

Meanwhile, there’s a businessman named (voiced by Brian Doyle Murray) who created a spray called Summer Breeze to instantly clear away snow.

Is Frosty safe from such a product?

This was done by Bill Menedez, the voice of Snoopy and part of the Peanuts Production, and the music was done by Mark Motherbaugh, the same guy who did the Rugrats music.

I remember watching this when I was young on Christmas, along with Rover Dangerfield and when I had a plastic tent. Don’t ask what kind of tent was it!

I liked it OK back then, but it has gotten a lot worst with time. It’s definitely because of the story. Anytime we have an environmental film, they’re usually predictable crap, unless you’re Wall-E, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Power Rangers RPM, and Sonic SATAM. Half the times you root for the villain and the heroes are mostly prissy. Has the plan to remove snow, which can, to the kids it’s destroying their enjoyment, as to the adults, he is doing them a favor. The only way he could be a bigger villain if he uses his Summer Breeze to remove all the snow in the entire world, even the Himalayas, Greenland, Iceland, the South Pole, and the North Pole. If he does success, then he and everyone would be drowned to death, alive while in boats or floating without being killed by sea life or going mutated into sea life or Kevin Costner.

John Goodman is the replacement voice since Jackie Vernon died shortly before the making. Not a bad replacement, you couldn’t tell its Goodman, but nowadays I get a Scoop T. Snowman vibe out of him. Jonathan Winter is kind of a pointless, as he can’t be involved much being the size of Papa Smurf. So pointless that CBS remove Jonathan on a snowflake from the beginning and end of the film. Holly might be the best human character of the Frosty film since Karen. What’s different than the others before and after is she’s not a perfect child, but a lonely smart kid, and so would I when living in this town. She played by Elizabeth Moss, who voiced Michelle in Once Upon A Forest, and her acting is still there as she grows in Mad Man. 

I could say this is a weak start to the related Rankin Bass film, but rarely do any of them go uphill from here. Much like a light flurry, Frost Returns is harmless at most with some salt for the safety sake than a Summer Breeze. It’s best to watch this film with FHE Christmas 1993 promo, as it gives some of the Christmas magic, including the artwork on the Tape Cover. This is just the calm before the storm of the Legend of Frosty the Snowman.