Twice upon a Time remains sort of a favorite childhood movie of mine. Occasionally I even have dreams about the weird plot and look of it. Watching it, it feels like the art movie for children that no one else thought of. I adore this, plus the joy of the internet mixed with the indifference of the people who created it (George Lucas was involved in production) means that you can actually find it on the internet and watch it without any repercussions:
That’s just the first part, there’s a full (uninterrupted) version on Google, but with considerably worse picture quality. And you’ll really want picture quality with such lush, detailed animation. Lumage is the name of the cutout animation, where little pieces would be cut out and brought over a light table. That’s why the character’s movement is so funky looking, and yet more lovable than traditional forms of animation. South Park and other shows adopted parts of this look but with nowhere near the same attention to detail and scope.
Why do I recommend seeing it online as opposed to buying a DVD? Well, there aren’t any DVDs of this, nor are any planned in the near future. Basically, the big stars in production are more concerned with Stars Wars enterprises. The company that produced it I have more sympathy for. Since Twice upon a Time, the Ladd Company has created some fairly decent films, but due to its small size, probably would have a difficult time releasing this in DVD form, most likely having to use a larger distributor to get it done.
John Korty seems to have been responsible for the fascinating animation held within. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to have intelligent dialogue for the characters and a surprisingly surreal plot for a children’s movie. Sadly, the soundtrack for the movie wreaks of un-salvageable 80s dregs. Yes, I know that the 80s are coming back in a big way musically, but I’m afraid that this music is so bad that it is past the point of redemption.
Don’t let that little quibble bring you down; it is still a fine, fine film. The plot is quite odd, and the humor is dry and likable for anyone who remembers how good children’s programming used to be, before it got beaten down into the dumb offerings we have today. But really it is the animation that will take your breath away: mixing live photography with animation, all of it cut and interposed on each other, fantastic.
HBO played in a few times, but otherwise your best hope is to see it online. No DVD has been released or is planned, and VHS is the only medium that exists for this, and I doubt you have a VCR.
Originally I was going to discuss the plot, but I’ll leave it at: Dream worlds. I hate spoilers, so they aren’t here. Please watch and learn to love this film. The general look and feel of the movie is dark, so perhaps such a dark film might not work well with children, but definitely nostalgic adults. Also, I’d encourage anyone to try and re-dub (soundtrack wise) the film. That soundtrack is very grating.
