Disney loved to mix live action with animation (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks), but this 1977 effort falls on its face. The turn-of-the-century story concerns an orphaned boy whose only friend is a cartoon monster. While the latter is entertainingly rendered, the rest of the film strains to be enchanting and the cast overreaches in a big way. Not for anybody over the age of ten. -Tom Keogh.

These OAVs were among the first Japanese series released as such in the U. S. and are remembered fondly by fans. An early example of cyberpunk that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and Robocop, Bubblegum Crisis depicts the adventures of the female vigilante group the Knight Sabers. In form-fitting, high-heeled mecha suits, Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene fight the rogue cyborgs of the sinister Genom Corporation in MegaTokyo, 2032. Sylia's brother Mackie, and A. D. Cop Leon, Priss's long-suffering suitor, assist them. The first three episodes (1987) form a single continuity; "Revenge Road" (1988) depicts a battle between an embittered man and a motorcycle gang. "Moonlight Rambler" (1988) and "Red Eyes" (1989) pit the Saber Knights against vampire cyborgs prowling MegaTokyo. [+]

Although these three OAVs (original animation videos) were released years apart-and years after the original Project A-Ko feature-they all share a single plot: the battle between A-Ko, who possesses super-powers, and the super-rich, mecha-building B-Ko for the affections of the infantile C-Ko. (The names of the characters play off the Japanese equivalent of "Girl A, Girl B" to designate extras in a script. ) In "Cinderella Rhapsody," A-Ko falls for the dashing motorcyclist Kei. B-Ko wants whatever A-Ko wants, and they're soon fighting over Kei and C-Ko. But Kei only has eyes for C-Ko. In "Final," C-Ko turns out to be a long-lost alien princess whose people come to reclaim her, but the story remains underdeveloped. C-Ko leaves with the alien fleet but turns up at A-Ko's door the next morning and announces, "I came back. " Viewers may wonder why everyone is so gaga about a whiny case of arrested development like C-Ko, whether she's a princess or not. In Japan, the pursuit of C-Ko is seen as a manifestation of the intense, platonic friendships among high school students, rather than lesbian attraction, but a weird sexuality pervades the stories, which include androgynous bodybuilders in dresses. All three episodes are silly enough to make Tenchi Muyo! sound like Nietzsche. [+]

For a film heavily dependent on special effects, the best effect going in this 1994 comedy is the ever-expressive star, Jim Carrey, playing a shy bank teller who stumbles across an ancient mask that turns him into a green hepcat with extraordinary powers. Cameron Diaz plays the love interest, but the real purpose of the movie is to bring cartoonish energy and effects into a live-action production. Toward that end, director Charles Russell does the job, but the gimmick wears out quickly for those easily bored by this sort of pseudo-animation. Lots of kids adore the film, though, and why not? The hero gets to be a whirlwind of mischief and still get the girl. The DVD release includes optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, deleted scenes, trailers, optional French soundtrack and optional French and Spanish subtitles. -Tom Keogh.

The film that officially signaled Disney's animation renaissance (following The Little Mermaid) and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman. (The title song won the 1991 Best Song Oscar, and Menken's score scored a trophy as well. ) The downright funniest song is "Gaston," a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication, and pure joy. -David Kronke -This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The husband-and-wife team of John and Faith Hubley rank among the most influential innovators in the history of American animation. Their short films won three Academy Awards (Moonbird, The Hole, Tijuana Brass Double Feature), four additional nominations (Windy Day, Of Men and Demons, Voyage to Next, A Doonesbury Special), and countless prizes at festivals around the world. The Hubleys recorded their children at play to create rambling, giggling story lines that were heralded as profound explorations of a child's mentality. In Moonbird (1959), two brothers attempt to trap their elusive, imaginary prey using candy as bait. The artists drew the characters in wax, then splashed them with water colors to produce a "resisted" texture that evokes the magic of a moonlit night. As two sisters play in Windy Day (1967), they ponder what the future may hold for them-husbands, adventures, children, and even death. These warm, imaginative shorts depict a child's world as a child perceives it, rather than showing things children do that adults think of as cute. Since John's death in 1977, Faith has continued to make films; Tall Time Tales (1992) and Cloudland (1993) are semi-abstract visual meditations on various aspects of world mythology. -Charles Solomon.