Customer Reviews

Animalympics [VHS]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was eight years old when this came out; I thought it was slyly clever and funny back then. Now I'm almost thirty and find that the animation, the humor and the subject matter holds up remarkably well. Brought to us by the creator of "Tron", it is a wonderful blending of traditional animation and then-innovative techniques that might be considered almost psychedelic for such a normally straightforward medium. With original songs and voice overs from renowned comedy figures, it is truly a great achievement in its genre. I can't wait to introduce it to my niece and nephew, who I hope will be as delighted as I was.

Many people, unless they happened to have HBO in the early '80s, have probably never even seen or heard of this remarkable little animated gem, which is really a shame.

Made in 1979, but never given a theatrical release, "Animalympics" is a rather delightful film set on an island that is inhabited by animals from all over the world whose single interest in life, it seems, is to compete in the Olympic games.

Featuring the voice talents of Billy Crystal and Gilda Radner, the writing and directorial talents of Steven Lisberger (of "TRON" fame), plus an awesome soundtrack by 10CC's Graham Gouldman, "Animalympics" is a wonderful film that can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter how young or old that person may be. I mean, I was probably around 7 years old the first time I watched it, now I'm 23 and I still love this movie!!

If you haven't seen this one yet, you've got to. Trust me, if you love movies about animation, animals and/or sports, "Animalympics" is the perfect movie for you!!

"VIVA LA VICTORY"!!!

(Here's a quick sidenote about the video quality. Normally, I would recommend avoiding any video put out by United American Video because their video quality is usually just plain lousy. However, their "gold" edition, clamshell package release of "Animalympics" is actually quite good. Granted the film hasn't been digitally remastered, but it has been copied in the SP mode, instead of the cheap EP mode which UAV, as well as most other smaller video companies, usually copies their videos in. To sum it all up, the copy I purchased played just fine.)

Come on... when's the DVD coming out... we need this classic on DVD... a hidden gem that needs to be shared!!

I first saw this movie when it was shown on HBO and my family was young. The quality of the tape we made was horrible, but we all just loved to sit and watch it over and over again. Every year we waited for the olympics to roll around hoping to see this classic, but it never showed up on tv.

When I found it here at Amazon I jumped at the chance to own it again and was delighted to find that it held the same magic now that it did almost 20 years ago!

Billy Crystal and Gilda Radner are absolutely magnificent with their voice characterizations. I've always thought the segment with "Dogri-La" was a little rediculous and added nothing to the film.

I was totally blown away, however, when I saw on Amazon that this film is rated *R*! Why the adult rating? This has to be Amazon's rating, as it is not rated on the case. I suggest parents use their own discretion, but I see absolutely nothing in this film that suggests a rating less than PG!

All in all, this film is a classic and would be enjoyed by people of all ages. A classic!!

Just a warning. I have been a fan of this film for over a decade now, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was available through Amazon (it's a pretty difficult title to find). So I ordered a copy of the non-clamshell variety and was quite disappointed. The picture quality is not very good due to the fact that it has been recorded on EP speed--the colors blur, the lines aren't very sharp, and tracking control is somewhat unstable. Also the sound quality, which supposedly should be in stereo (end credits indicate the film was recorded using Dolby stereo) is for some reason monaural (my VCR stereo indicator isn't on). Plus--and I can't say this for certain, but it's a gut feeling--it seems that some scenes have been either awkwardly edited or spliced, and there is a strange gap in one segment (the weightlifters--for an instant there is a blank, don't know if that means they cut something out). Just wanted to get this out there. If you are considering the purchase of this movie, maybe you'd be better off buying the clamshell, though I don't know if that version has the same problems as the cheaper copy.

I can't speak for the quality of the VHS version since I'm waiting for this to come out on DVD, but anyone who enjoys classic cartoons should love this film. Just as for many other people this was a favorite as a child. I think my siblings and I wore out the copy at our local video store from renting it so many times. Anyone who remembers the style of Olympic coverage in the 1970s will recognize the way the story is presented and appreciate what a good spoof it is. The animation, while a bit dated by today's standards, is still quite good and rich in detail. There are some wonderful vocal performances by celebrities (as mentioned in other reviews) doing animal impersonations of famous news personalities of the time such as Howard Cosell and Barbara Walters (kids will just enjoy the accent). Also notable are many wonderful musical numbers. There are plenty of quality pieces in here that should appeal to people of all ages. (My personal favorite is the funky underwater number for the diving competition, starring an otter with a stereotypical california surfer accent.) The humor is fairly broad and not especially subtle but should still be able to hold adult attention for those who choose to watch with their children. There is some violence, and injury is done to characters in an over-the-top humorous fashion, not to mention some mildly suggestive moments, but I don't think even particularly careful parents should find anything too offensive for children to watch. In fact many of the themes encourage good sportsmanship, goal-oriented effort and avoiding the problems of obsessive behavior. It is very 70's, I think, in it's emphasis on individuality and putting the pursuit of happiness in perspective. All in all, I think this is an excellent animated film which should appeal to both those who are looking for enjoyable family movies and those who collect classics in the animation genre. And for all adult viewers, Rene Fromage may have a great musical number, but the show stealer is still Kit Mambo! Rrowwl!

This was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid, and now that I've finally seen it again after 20 years I'm pleased to find that my sense of humor was razor-sharp even then. Why "Animalympics" isn't a staple on Cartoon Network and Blockbuster is beyond me.

As if you need an explanation, it's about an Olympics starring animals. Just like network TV coverage you have your anchorman and announcers at each event (some of whom are of course impersonations of well-known announcers and are hilarious). The voices, supplied by Crystal, Radner and Shearer are brilliant. Kids today might not recognize the blustering voice of Howard Cosell, but it's still funny on its own.

Some of the events are laugh-out-loud funny. The hockey game is a hoot. The swimming and diving events. The marathon, of course. The absolute best, however, is the boxing match, with Crystal doing a Cosell-Ali interview that stuck in my mind all these years as an all-time classic. Just hearing that name, "Joey Gongalong" is enough to get the giggles going.

There are brief character interviews that are at times a bit bizarre, but they're no cheesier than the bits you'll see on NBC this summer. And the music, while very seventies, set a nice nostalgic tone. My only criticism is the part with the skier going up the mountain & finding "Dogra-La", which was just plain stupid and didn't mesh with the rest of the movie.

But that's a minor quibble in a cartoon that is still a favorite. Great animation, great voices and writing...if you get the chance, see this movie.

I saw this movie in the mid-80's and instantly fell in love with it. In the late 80's, I purchased and still have a copy. It is the Family Home Entertainment version of it. I love all of the characters and the events are great. It's a shame that this film has not been given a DVD release. I mean Heavy Metal and Rock & Rule got their release, right. I've read in some sites that this movie was later purchased by a major studio and gutted. I want the original that I have, but on DVD. I've made sure to show this movie to all of my younger cousins and recently, my son and daughter. This movie has entertained two generations of my family.

I have such fond memories of this film...I can't even hum the melody of "With You I Could Run Forever"..without a tear coming to my eye...Saw it as a kid and been searching for it ever since so that my husband and kids can enjoy it like I did.
I'm saving my pennies until someone re-releases it on DVD!
Fave scene...? The Contessa (a beautiful female Hawk) fencing with the Barron (a disgusting warthog) and winning the gold!!!

I remember loving this movie when I was a kid. It is extremely imaginative and highly entertaining. It is also pretty clever - the ostrich (I think) commentator is Barbara Warbler, and she talks with a lisp. Granted, I'm pretty sure I didn't really get it at the time, but it is very intelligent humour considering it's aimed at little kids.

My absolute favourite part - the Calamari Brothers bobsled team. And the alligator diver guy when he dances like John Travolta. I think I memorised that dance.

I am so happy I came across this - I'm totally going to buy it and refresh my memory! If you have kids - you should absolutely buy this and let them watch it over and over and over and over again.