Although I have been a Ray Bradbury fan for years, I just recently learned of the animated movie version of - my favorite novel - The Halloween Tree. Sufficiently intrigued, I purchased a copy of the movie from eBay.

What I have since learned is, not only did Ray author the screenplay, the movie won an Emmy Award and Ray actually was the narrator. It was neat to hear Ray�s voice reading what were essentially passages from the novel.

This past Friday evening, I sat down with my wife and daughter (with whom I am involved in our annual reading of the novel) to watch the newly acquired movie.

While I know that Ray was very pleased with this movie adaptation (the video box even has a quote from him attesting to that fact), I was somewhat disappointed in it. I found it to have deviated from the novel a bit too much, and I thought the animation looked a little too much like a Hanna-Barbara production (which it was). Overall, I was hoping for an A+ production, and I unhappily must give it a solid C. If I might add one more complaint (this time about the actual video itself), there were more that 15 minutes of commercials on the tape before the movie actually started. Come on now! :-)

Has anybody else seen the movie? What were your reactions? Did you think the movie adaptation lived-up to the magic of the novel? Am I in the minority?

Thanks!
Chris

Ray liked it....

But if you didn't like Halloween Tree that much...try Ray's other animated project, Little Nemo in Slumberland. From Hemdale Home Video, 7966 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 90048

Little Nemo is a far superior effort. There is more attention to detail, and the whole narrative visuals are head, and shoulders above the other.

I wasn't aware Ray had anything to do with Little Nemo in Slumberland. What was Ray's involvement with that film? Was he involved to the extent he was with The Halloween Tree?

By the way - Happy Halloween!

Ray talked for several years... about the possibility of Little Nemo being produced.

As a boy, Ray was enchanted with Little Nemo and his tupsy -turvy- inside -out world....

And Ray, the great exciter of things that should be done... succeeded in attracting others...

The movie credits Ray as...
"Concept by Ray Bradbury"....

Chris Columbus, who directed 'Home Alone', did the screen play here.

Mickey Rooney was one of the voices...

Song title sung by Melissa Manchester.

The London Symphony did all the background music.

Produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co., Ltd.

To read a mini-review, and to see what's involved in order to buy a copy, click on:
www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/movies/mv1241.php



[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 10-31-2002).]

Let me guess....

We're all busy reading Ray Bradbury books...and no time to do any posting on the Web...

[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 12-18-2002).]

Guessed wrong! The board was down for at least two days. How many others tried to post Happy Halloween and remark on Ray's favorite holiday and couldn't?

I went out to check several times, and saw that the little light feature was never turned on. Assuming the tool controlling the light was not working, I went into the Bradbury pages in several places and there actually were no new postings. I wondered why there had been this sudden famine of interest in Bradbury. It is good to know that it was a technical glitch, rather than some kind of deeper intellectual/social/moral lapse!


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 11-03-2002).]