Twice Upon a Time

[D'Snowth]

Has anyone ever seen, or even remember this movie?

I got to thinking about it the other day, I saw it maybe a couple of times as a kid, probably on either HBO or Cartoon Network, or both; it's a really rare movie (due to an initially limited theatrical release, and multiple different versions in existence), but it's considered one of the most important and groundbreaking animated movies of all time.

The animation was really intriguing, almost similar to South Park style, but not quite the same, and it kind of blended live action and animation... there were certainly different worlds/dimensions at play here: the two main characters were Mumford, an out-of-work mime; and Ralph, a bespectacled shape-shifting animal voiced by Lorenzo Music (thus sounds just like Garfield).

Reading some reviews and comments, some people feel Adventure Time ripped off this movie, but I don't watch Adventure Time, so I wouldn't know.

Oh yeah, and apparently George Lucas was involved with it.

 

[Drtooth]

Reading some reviews and comments, some people feel Adventure Time ripped off this movie, but I don't watch Adventure Time, so I wouldn't know.

People who say this ripped off Adventure Time are probably bitter fan boys that are totally P.O'd that they don't have Powerpuff Girls in constant production... especially since we ALL know the 6th season (save for like 2 good episodes) sucked.

The only thing that seems similar is Ralph the all purpose animal having shape shifting abilities and the villain being wacky. That said, A) shape shifting is hardly an original power, and Jake's shape shifting abilities are akin to Plastic Man (he has a gooey body) and B) Wacky villains outnumber straight villains anyway.

Other than that, the humor and setting are completely different from each other. Twice Upon a Time out weirds Yellow Submarine, and Adventure Time is a quirky parodyish thing inspired by LOTR, Willow, Legend of Zelda... all in a delightfully adorable post apocalyptic wasteland where the wackiest characters have deep down dark backstories. The Ice King himself... OOOOooh... that's a VERY dark origin for a wacky character.

As far as Twice Upon a Time goes, I refer to it as the movie that's too stubborn to be released. There's multiple cuts that everyone fought about and law suits and unpleasantness. I'm glad someone put something up on Youtube. It would be lost to history if it wasn't. And SHAME on the creators of this film for not finding compromise.

 

[galagr]

The Ice King himself... OOOOooh... that's a VERY dark origin for a wacky character.

I know, the Ice King's backstory sent shivers up my spine. To think he used to *shudder* wear glasses.

 

[D'Snowth]

People who say this ripped off Adventure Time are probably bitter fan boys that are totally P.O'd that they don't have Powerpuff Girls in constant production...

No, I said that they said that Adventure Time is a ripoff of this movie, not the other way around.

But you're right: apparently when HBO started airing the dirty version with the extra cuts and the vulgar language, one of the creators got POd at that, then when a cleaner more kid-friendly version was released on VHS and Laserdisc in the early 90s, another one of the creators got POd at that, meanwhile, ANOTHER one of the creators say there was never meant to be a dirty version, that the movie was intended to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Ah, good ol' Korty Films! Korty made a string of short films for Sesame Street in the late 70's starring Thelma Thumb, which were pretty terrific. Definitely worth a peek.

Cartoon Network did show this way back in the days when Mr. Spimm's Cartoon Theatre gave films like this an outlet to be rescued from total obscurity. Too bad there's no such venue for them now.

 

[D'Snowth]

I don't remember Mr. Spimm's Cartoon Theater, BUT, I DO remember Cartoon Network's Cartoon Theater from the late 90s and early 2000s, and I'm almost certain that incarnation of Cartoon Theater played it at least once, I remember they used a scene from Mumford and Ralph being inside an office, or a studio, and a bottle of ink spilling, causing a big black ominous cloud to swallow them up for the promos. I'm assuming, considering this pre-dated [adult swim] that they played the clean, kid-friendly version, I just don't remember, and I know I watched it, I remember thinking how hellish Murkworks looked, and how Ralph came off like Garfield having plastic surgery to be an "all-purpose animal".

I'm rewatching the movie, there's a posting on YouTube that mostly uses the VHS/Laserdisc version, but also contains all of the adult language and the extra cuts from the HBO airing.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Mr. Spimm used to be on Sunday nights, and they would have a 2-hour block to show films like this, or sometimes some foreign shorts like Nu Pugodi (a Russian take on the Coyote and Road Runner, featuring a wolf and a rabbit). Stuff WAY OUT of the mainstream. Too bad Mr. Spimm didn't last longer. But for a brief period, it was Cartoon Heaven.

 

[Drtooth]

I'll beat both of you. I saw it once on Spanish television, very fuzzy (why do Spanish language TV stations have such poor transmitters?) and I didn't know what the heck it was. It drove me insane, since I can't even remember if they gave it a title in Spanish in the bumpers (I came in about halfway through). Years later, I find out the title and what the heck it was.

 

[D'Snowth]

It's a VERY trippy movie, and I mean VERY trippy... I'm honestly not one who's easily disturbed by animated things (that clown from The Brave Little Toaster never scared me, for example), but this thing, I just... I just didn't quite get it.

It's definitely one of those things you have to actually see to really get a grip and understand it, the opening narration puts it into perspective, because honestly, this is exactly the type of premise you have to see before you can commit to it, because it just doesn't make sense on paper, and even if it did, you wouldn't want to get involved with it.

 

[minor muppetz]

I remember seeing this movie, though I don't remember much about it. I remember the voice of Lorenzo Music, the weird animation style, and a TV that showed multiple images. When I saw it I feel I only saw bits and pieces of it. It seems like even though Cartoon Network showed it, CN didn't show it very often.