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7/10
Fun little trip of a Children's Fantasy Flick
11 June 2016
I think a lot of people are out to forget the one thing about this film: it is a family film that takes elements from a children's book to craft a story.

Now, given that, it's not perfect. There are confusing bits and some strange acting from time to time but there are the brilliant bits as well.

It's quirky and an interesting play with the Time Travel Paradox (a confusing conflict) mixed with the confusing world of "Wonderland". I do believe that is the mesh of confusion.

A lot of the elements are play offs and adaptions of fragments of the books, just as was with the predecessor movie this is a sequel to. If you know the book you will see the randomness that is the Wonderland that the book has to offer while still given the unique story that this movie has to offer. I don't think many people pick up on the subtleties of the references (heck I did a book report in High School on the Alice books so I studied them).

Well, as the story goes with Alice an adult now and choosing to make her own decision instead of having a man do it for her, her choices may come off as hard for her; and learning what's important from her friends in the other realm is equally important to her. A moral lesson learned as is a Disney trope for any film children will end up watching.

Honestly, as a fantasy lover, and a lover of children's movies as well, I can seriously write this show off as being more in the children's category. If you watch some of the talks about production of the show it is clear that that is, indeed, their audience. That is not what I am basing my rating on, however (as I do watch cartoons every week).

Now all that being said, I suppose I can clarify more precisely on the clarification of why the 7/10... Well, I've stated the acting is odd. Well, the characters are odd as they should be, but the acting seems odd and sometimes a bit weird and out of place and quite over-done on some parts. Truly, I found that the best character and the best actor of the film was that of Time, portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, whose films I do not ever watch and have only caught him in passing in other films. His personification Time itself and how he played of Depp's Hatter and the Mia's Alice was really wonderful.

In the end, I actually quite liked the movie. It was fun and entertaining, though, a darker family/children's fantasy film.
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8/10
I never forgot this show even in all my times...
7 October 2007
Wow, not many reviews on this (that is sad). I think this was a great show but somehow was overshadowed in its time by other shows that were airing at the time.

I own all 5 VHS takes of the show that was released in the US and the story flows like it is to be expected -- Jealous Ravenhair tries to take over the kingdom and thinks a lock of Lady's hair is the key to her success. Lady wins, of course, and finds herself being saved, at times, by her Prince in shinning armor (okay, so it's really FUR he saves her in, but he does get to save her as a human, even if its just once).

I remember LOVING this show when I was little and ended up renting it to death in our movie store (where I ended up buying 2 of the tapes when it went out of business). The others 3 I collected off Amazon and eBay.

The only downer in the series is that, in English, and thus the animation, is incomplete; ending at an unfulfilled desire on all parties. The story DID end, though, in Swedish(?) audio dramas, by where you can read transcripts of such.

I somewhat miss the moral-ridden cartoons they had in the 80's and early 90's. This show stands to not be compared with current cartoons that have dumb idiocy for plots and hold no direction for where it is going. Very few cartoons stand to live up to story-telling now days; even if Lady LovelyLocks stood to be one of those before-the-time toy-line advertisements like children now-adays actually notice.

I do wish I could own official DVDs of the show, even if it WAS unfinished. Yet, I highly doubt that such a thing would ever happen.
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9/10
Unicorn with the help of a little girl faces off with an Evil Puppet. Yeah, that's about it.
7 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This stands not as in-depth as my review of the other Unico movie; probably because, despite how great this movie is, it has a creepy Puppet as the villain.

Being based on a manga but as an original story, this is a dark fantasy that is for those who like dark fantasy. The problem being, finding a copy of the movie.

Karuku's plans to make the world his own playground as punishment to humans who remind him of those who abandoned him. Who would have ever guessed that sadness could brew such evil; and who would have ever guessed that the key to victory is love? It's up to Unico, as usual, to save the day.

As for me: I love the Spynx cub most of all in this movie. I think it was my love of cats, which is possibly why I liked the movie with Katie/Chao in it better (the Fantastic Adventures of Unico).

Still if you like old animation and dark fantasy, if you get a chance to watch the movie, give this old anime a chance (unless evil puppets scare you).
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The Secret Garden (1987 TV Movie)
10/10
MY version of The Secret Garden, as I call it.
7 October 2007
I LOVE this version of the movie. I was probably 4 or 5 when I first saw it. I can only assume that I caught it on television and recorded it after that.

...and SURE, it isn't like the book in MANY ways, but it is still a very good movie with great acting. If you take is as it is and not as you expect it to be (like the book), then you see just how great this movie is. How many movies now a days is exactly like the original story, anyway? I really dislike when someone discounts a movie as good or great just because it is nothing like the original story. This is why the movie makes state that it is BASED on the novel, not a direct rendition of such.

I will forever love this movie and have come to wonder why I haven't bought the DVD yet.
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10/10
A beautiful story that still makes me smile. :)
7 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I love Unico. How much? Well, I loved it so much I snatched the VHS for $5 when our movie rental store went out of business. Not only that, I also have the 2nd movie somewhere on tape (even though it kinda creeps me out).

NOTE: This Review is not only spoiler laden for the movie but the Manga as well...

Unico is a dark fantasy and is actually NOT A CARTOON! It's an Anime, and there is, like, 4 movies. And these are based on the Manga by Osamu Tezuka; the manga of which I bought out of love for Unico.

The movie start with Bezel (The little devil; forgot his Jap name, sorry). This first section holds the exact plot as the manga. I always love Bezel; though the second section of the movie has a kitten wanting to be a witch. The dark fantasy aspect is still there as Katie's aspiration to become a witch leads her to being seduced by the Baron of the woods, after she is turned human by Unico, and being lured to his castle. Of course, the handsome Baron turns out to be the bad guy and its up to our very on little unicorn, Unico, to save the day. Of course, in the movie, with a little help from his friend Bezel.

The movie is NOTHING like the manga other that Katie/Chao/Cyao, Unico, the old woman, and the Baron. Actually, the movie drug it darker than the manga. The parallel is that he still seduces her and gets her drunk. Unico turns the animals of the woods into humans, like Katie, to rescue her from the Baron, who is a huntsman. With the help of the woods-folk, Unico and the animals of the woods save Chao and defeat the Baron. Of course, here, Chao gets a boyfriend, which is sweet.

...and as it goes, in both versions, Unico is fated to have to leave. To never be happy with his friends (thanks to Gods -->the Greek Gods, as the manga would have it, Venus, actually).

Eitherway, the movie is great and one of my all time favorites, even over most of the Disney movies.

It's too bad that this will probably never be released on DVD in the United States due to the legal ownership issues with anything of Osamu Tezuka works; as well as the Sanrio dealings where Hello Kitty is even shown in Katie's song about being a witch and the companies being departed from one another.

So, I bid good luck to anyone who is able to find the old VHS. The manga collection can be found a few places though, and is recommended to anyone with the love of Unico in their hearts, even if it IS in Japanese only.
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