Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland is a 1989 Japanese/American animated film. Chris Columbus helped write the script, the Sherman brothers composed the music, and Mickey Rooney voices one of the main characters. The film (which is set in the year 1905) was based off the Little Nemo comic strip that ran from 1905 to 1911 and was created by Winsor McCay, Little Nemo is one of those wonderful films that fell to the wayside and I consider it to be a hidden gem. Even though it received positive reviews from critics, it was a box office failure. I definitely think more people need to see this film, especially now with, in my opinion, the severe lack of imaginative storytelling and style in animated children's films.
Nemo is a young boy who has incredible dreams every night; sometimes he even sleepwalks. One night, he is sent on a journey to Slumberland, a place in which he has been chosen to rule as the new prince. He befriends many people and goes on a lot of fun adventures before he eventually saves Slumberland from the Nightmare King. There isn't much backstory as to what Slumberland is or where it is, who the residents are, and why they know who Nemo is and why they chose him to the be the new prince. In fact, for a lot of the movie, it becomes unclear when Nemo is dreaming or awake. In this way it has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz feel to it. My sister and I both made these connections while watching this film. We also felt that the animation had both a Miyazaki and Don Bluth vibe to it. But even with these observations, Little Nemo was altogether a unique film.
Obviously there's a lot I like about movies, but for me, the two main things I think make or break a film are characters and visuals. And both these elements went above and beyond in Little Nemo. I don't get too caught up in a plot; honestly some of my favorite movies barely have one. Little Nemo had the potential to have a really convoluted plot, but it remained simple, letting the viewer use their imagination to decide what really happened. The characters and the animation won me over right away. First of all, when you have a little kid as the protagonist, he or she often walks that thin line of being really annoying. But Nemo was totally lovable. He was cute, he recognized his mistakes and apologized for them, and was courageous and loyal. All of the strange creatures he meets are also all so fun and appealing, even the more villainous or selfish characters. There's a tough princess, a cute animal sidekick, a giant king that loves to jig. What's there to lose?
The animation in this film was nothing short of incredible. I was engrossed in the film the whole time just because of the visuals. There were dreamy night skies and beautiful nature scenes. There were scary castles and circus-themed buildings and creatures. If the film was attempting to capture the imagination of a very creative child, it did a great job. Whether Slumberland was real or a creation of Nemo's active mind, it didn't matter. You just wanted to be there and there was so much to see. This is a film that you could definitely watch over and over; you could find something new every time you watch it.
I can't believe it took me so long to watch Little Nemo; Adventures in Slumberland. But I'm glad I finally did. I love finding a good animated film that I haven't seen before; I find that it's getting harder the older I get! And this movie definitely made me want to read the comic. It looks amazing, even from just the few pictures I saw online. Little Nemo is a great film and it only adds to my theory that all the best fantasy films came out in the eighties.
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