Tony Pope Movies

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, Rovi

This slapstick parody of space movies chronicles the riotous exploits of a group of dim-bulbed, misguided aliens under the mistaken impression that they are supposed to invade the Earth after they hear a rebroadcast of Orson Welles' notorious "War of the Worlds" one Halloween night. Thinking they are late, they rush in with their ramshackle spaceship and end up in Big Bean, Illinois, a peaceful midwestern town. Naturally after they announce they want to kill the "Earth scum," the residents want to kill them. Fortunately, the town sheriff and his daughter try to keep the moronic Martians safe and help their captain get them safely back in space. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In Robert Zemeckis's trailblazing combination of animation and live-action, Hollywood's 1940s cartoon stars are a subjugated minority, living in the ghettolike "Toontown" where their movements are sharply monitored by the human power establishment. The Toons are permitted to perform in a Cotton Club-style nightspot but are forbidden to patronize the joint. One of Toontown's leading citizens, whacked-out Roger Rabbit, is framed for the murder of human nightclub owner Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye). Private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), whose prejudice against Toons stems from the time that his brother was killed by a falling cartoon piano, reluctantly agrees to clear Roger of the accusation. Most of the sociopolitical undertones of the original novel were weeded out out of the 1988 film version, with emphasis shifted to its basic "evil land developer" plotline --and, more enjoyably, to a stream of eye-popping special effects. With the combined facilities of animator Richard Williams, Disney, Warner Bros., Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, the film allows us to believe (at least for 90 minutes) that "toons" exist, and that they are capable of interacting with 3-dimensional human beings. Virtually every major cartoon character of the late 1940s shows up, with the exceptions of Felix the Cat and Popeye the Sailor, whose licensees couldn't come to terms with the producers. Of the film's newly minted Toons, the most memorable is Roger Rabbit's curvaceous bride Jessica (voiced, uncredited, by Kathleen Turner). The human element is well-represented by Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, and Joanna Cassidy; also watch for action-film producer Joel Silver as Roger Rabbit's Tex Avery-style director. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi