He-Man in Das Geheimnis des Zauberschwertes

From the powers behind the very successful ‘He-Man and the Masters of the universe' (1983), came a really original and interesting movie length cartoon called ‘The secret of the sword' (1985). With all the true He-Man class, here is a cartoon that has had me captivated both as a kid and an adult. If you are a true He-Man fan, and have not seen ‘SOTS', then you must see it, see it now.

Prince Adam and Cringer are asked by the Sorceress to travel to Etheria (with a new sword of power), in search of the ‘one' who is meant for a special destiny..... to gain the powers of becoming ‘She-Ra, the princess of power!', possessing similar powers to her twin brother, He-Man. She-Ra is able to fight and free Etheria from the grasp of the evil Horde!

The former ‘Filmation' group produced one of the truly great cartoon movies. The story here is really fresh and original. When Prince Adam enters on a quest to find the owner of a mysterious sword, the adventure goes from one battle to another. I love how we learn about the dark secrets of the new planet ‘Etheria', how evil the Horde have been to the planet, the rebellion (which Adam learns are trying to right the wrongs of the Horde) and how great a person Adora is going to be. Yet this story also has very original characters on both sides. Then for the story to contain the aspects of He-man's ‘twin sister', rounds the story of beautifully. The writers of ‘SOTS' were Larry Ditillo and Bob Forward.

The characters of this movie are really well defined. Of course there are the normal characters of Prince Adam and his pet tiger, Cringer. Adam is summoned to Castle Grayskull by the Sorceress, whose part in the movie is of vital importance. However once Adam enters ‘Etheria' we meet some quite extraordinary people. First off the rank is the rebel ‘Bow' and his owl-like side kick called ‘Kowl'. Bow helps Adam escape some evil guards, after this, Bow takes him too meet the rebel leader, the beautiful Glimmer. After Glimmer, we meet the bumbling witch ‘Madam Razz' and her talking broom stick. All of these characters are so different, making them all entertaining and interesting to learn about as Adam is on his adventure.

But the bad guys are pretty evil. The hordes leader is a tyrant named ‘Hordak'. Under Hordak are some, you would have to say, pretty ordinary characters in the realms of the story. Shadow Weaver is an evil witch, with her only desire to serve her leader, you have Grizlor, Catra, Scorpia, Mantana, Leech and the flying pig, ‘imp'. However there is one character on the side of the Horde, who is slowly starting to be turned to the forces of good, that of ‘Force captain Adora'. He-Man meeting her has put doubts in her mind, so much so that she goes to learn what the Horde is really like. But under the evil spells of Shadow Weaver, Adora is kept in check. But for how long?

Then when Hordak plans an evil end to the Rebels, all seems doomed for Etheria. After He-Man is captured by Hordak, Adora has a night's sleep that is disturbed by strange dreams. Once she wakes, she learns the secrets of her past, through her sword of power (which is just like He-Man's, although it has a jewel in the middle of it). I won't tell you her secret past that is for the movie to do. She is told by the Sorceress, to serve the forces of good, ‘For the honor of Grayskull'. When she holds up her sword and shouts those words she turns into ‘She-Ra, the Princess of Power!‘

Once this happens, all is much better for Etheria, but not so for Hordak, who is most displeased with the new foe that has appeared. Then when Adora decides to return to Eternia with Adam, it infuriates Hordak, so much so that he also returns with them. Here is where we see two old rivals, Hordak, and He-Man's archenemy ‘Skeletor' reunited, to help Hordak win back Adora. Skeletor is one of my favourite He-Man characters and here is as good as ever. I have partially looked at what the story is about, but if I am tempting you too see the movie, please by all means see it.

The people behind making the movie were the four directors, Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed and Gwen Wetlzer who were all a part of bringing us ‘Masters of the Universe'. Here they all put their delicate touch to the film, and help bring out the great story that was written. The voiceover talents were also great on this film. Regulars like John Erwin, Alan Oppenheimer, Erika Scheimer, Linda Gary and Eric Gunden are joined with Melendy Britt and George Dicendzo. All these people have terrific scope with their voices, and were invaluable for a movie such as this one.

I really am a fan of this movie, with each aspect of it being wonderful. There was also a terrific song written for it called ‘I have the power', performed by Erika Scheimer and Noam Kaniel. I guess my only criticism would be the exclusion of one of my favourite He-Man characters, that of Orko. I am sure he would have been an interesting character to add into the story, but I can understand the writers leaving him out. For memory, Orko appeared in an episode of the ‘She-Ra, Princess of Power' series, which I found a big let down after this great cartoon movie. By the way, my favourite She-Ra characters are Kowl and Hordak. I will also admit that a few years ago I went on a journey to find this film and while it took some time, once I found it, the wait was worthwhile.

CMRS gives ‘The Secret of the Sword': 4.5 (Very Good-Brilliant Film)

Every now and then a film achieves greatness. An animated movie based on a Mattel toy line might not be a place where you would expect this to happen but it did. Two years before this film came out the television show He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted. The show was loved by children but hated by adults who thought this was just a twisted way to get the kids to buy the toy the series was based on. Well it was or at least it was intended to be. However something wonderful happened: the show began to teach children moral values and the power of truth, courage, and honor. This film introduces characters that would begin the series She-Ra Princess of Power. The acting is brilliant, the animation perfectly tuned to fantasy, and the evil ever present and not as cartoonish as one might expect. This cartoon whether some will admit it or not was a shining beacon and a glorious presence for any kid in 1980's. Watch it without prejudice and discover wonder, majic, and heroism like you have never seen.

A hundred million years ago, I thought He-Man was cool, but She-Ra was even cooler. I don't even know why I thought so.. maybe because I also dug Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, and Batgirl.. but I digress. When the movie came out, pre-multiplex, kids of all ages rejoiced when Adora 'held aloft her magic sword and said, "For The Honor of Greyskull!" Yeah, that was cool. She-Ra had a more upbeat theme than her brother, He-Man, and quite honestly, her special effects were better too. I coulda done with Cowl, the owl, and "Swift Wind", the lame-ass talking horse, but the rest of it was decent. Bo had a rockin' bod, Castaspella (don't you just love the name?!) could kick Shadow Weaver's butt, and Queen Angella, with her wannabe English accent, defended Castle Bright Moon till the cows came home. Mixing the original He-Man series with She-Ra was done effectively, meaning it was a buyable story-line... and when all was said and done, and Adora, nay She-Ra, realized her true identity, she decided to stay and "defend Etheria against the evil forces of Hordak." Pure cheese, but when you're a kid, who cares?!

I remember watching this 1985 animated movie back in my childhood, and it served as an introduction to the She-Ra character and the universe of the "Princess of Power" series. Needless to say, as a child during the 1980s, that I loved "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", so of course I gobbled something like the 1985 feature "The Secret of the Sword" up like candy.

The storyline in "The Secret of the Sword", as written by Larry DiTillio and Bob Forward, is pretty good. It manages to keep the spirit and essence of both of the two series, and providing entertainment throughout the 100 minutes it runs for.

The animation in "The Secret of the Sword" is good, and if you grew up watching "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", then you will definitely feel at home watching "The Secret of the Sword".

The voice acting in "The Secret of the Sword" is good, and it is definitely nice that they had returning voice actors and actresses to add voice to their usual characters.

I enjoyed "The Secret of the Sword" back in the day, and having sat down to watch it again in 2023 with my son, I still found "The Secret of the Sword" to be as enjoyable today as it was back then.

My rating of "The Secret of the Sword" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

When I was little, I loved She-ra. Now, I think she's a great role model for little girls, much better than Barbie. She-ra stands up for what she thinks is right, and that's an important message for little kids to learn. She also teaches little girls that they don't have to be quiet, docile, and perfectly proportioned. She-ra is very proportional, but that's not all she is, unlike other heroines geared toward little girls. I remember watching this movie when I was seven years old, and loved it! If you want to show your kids something that is entertaining and good for them (kind of like Kix cereal) this is a great movie for it.