Tom Wyner Movies
Created by Keiko Nobumoto (Cowboy Bebop), the half-hour Wolf's Rain was, like many another Japanese anime series, set in a post-apocalyptic future. This time around, the human characters lived in domed cities, surrounded by a devastated world. Meanwhile, the Earth's surviving wolves, presumed extinct for two centuries, had managed to disguise themselves as humans to survive. The plotline focused on four young humanized wolves, each named for a part of the wolf "makeup": Kiba (Fang), Tsume (Claw), Hige (Whisker) and Toboe (Howl). Inspired by the vision of Flower Maiden Cheza and spurred on by the scent of the Lunar Flowers, the quartet set out to find the legendary "wolf paradise" of Rakunan. There was only one hitch -- if and when the wolves finally located Rakunan, the world would come to an end! First telecast in Japan on January 6, 2003, Wolf's Rain consisted of 26 episodes, plus four OAV episodes -- produced exclusively for home video -- which wrapped up the story. The entire series made its American debut courtesy of Cartoon Network on April 24, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, (more)
- 2001
- PG
The Ramayana, an enduring classic of Indian literature, comes to the screen in this animated adaptation that combines the visual styles of traditional Indian illustration with the bold look of Japanese animé. Ravan (voice of Tom Wyner) is the intolerant king of Lanka, who is determined to lay claim to any neighboring territories. Ravan, however, has yet to face off against noble King Dasharatha (voice of Mike R. Reynolds), who rules with the help of his sons Lakshman (voice of Richard Cansino) and Ram (voice of Bryan Cranston), the latter possessing magical powers and great strength. Ram is forced to do battle with the evil witch Tataka (voice of Catherine Battistone), but while he emerges victorious and wins the hand of the beautiful Sita (voice of Edie Mirman), a poor choice by King Dasharatha forces Ram and his new bride into exile alongside his brother. While in hiding in the forest, Sita is captured by Ravan, and Ram must find and defeat the corrupt monarch in order to rescue the woman he loves. While produced with the cooperation of Indian filmmakers, The Prince of Light: The Legend of Ramayana tones down the Hindu theological overtones of the original story in favor of its action and adventure-oriented narrative. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bryan Cranston, Edie Mirman, (more)
- 1988
This animated feature follows the story line from the original folktales and is a wonderful presentation. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1988
This animated presentation is the classic story of Hansel & Gretel. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
In the era of U.S. pulp novels, basically between the 1920s and 1950s, "space operas" emerged as some of the most popular fiction going. Few authors had more success selling these improbable tales than E.E. (Doc) Smith, and his "Lensman" series remained popular well into the 1970s. This Japanese animated feature, begun in 1979, is based on those novels and was not released in its final form until 1984. It was not seen in the West until 1991. During a war between the Bosconian War Lords (the bad guys) and the Galactic Alliance, Kim becomes a lensman, and wields the unusual powers granted by that transformation to fight for the right. Even with his new powers, he barely escapes alive in his numerous engagements with the bad guys. An unusual amount of work went into this feature's highly detailed animation, the voiceovers (for the American version) are competently done, and the film features a score which includes disco and "new age" music. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kerrigan Maham, Michael McConnohie, (more)
- 1982
Released by Trans-World, this animated cartoon feature begins miles beneath the earth. That rumbling you hear is the sound of prehistoric beasts, who have lived in this subterranean world for lo these many millions of years. Now, the monsters would like to see the light of day. They come to the surface, throwing civilization into turmoil as the mash and trample their way through the world. Barely released in theaters, Attack of the Super Monsters has received most of its American exposure via cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
