Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (released in Japan as simply Nemo (ニモ Nimo) and credited in some territories as Little Nemo) is a 1989 Japanese-American animated musical 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. The film features the voices of Gabriel Damon, Mickey Rooney, René Auberjonois, Danny Mann and Bernard Erhard.

The film was first released in Japan on July 15, 1989 and in the United States on August 21, 1992 by the Hemdale Film Corporation. It received mixed to positive reviews from publications including the Washington Post, Variety, the New York Post, the Boston Globe, and The New York Times, earned $11.4 million on a $35 million budget and was a box office bomb, but sold well on home video and has since developed a cult following.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Unlike the comic strips, the character designs were set in the standards of the American animation landmark.
 * 2) The western animation was well done by the Japanese anime studio.
 * 3) Excellent voice acting, especially for both English and Japanese versions.
 * 4) Wonderful plot.
 * 5) It was the best family film in America since the last year's film.
 * 6) Both songwriters, the Sherman Brothers decided to do this for an anime film.
 * 7) Thomas Chase and Steve Rucker composed an excellent soundtrack from the London Symphony Orchestra.
 * 8) The Nightmare King was the most fearsome, but the funniest main villain in the film.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) The US theatrical release wasn't well done, due to the fact that the film has been edited out and was given a G rating. Due to the dark nature of this film, this film is supposed to be rated PG.