He-Man in Das Geheimnis des Zauberschwertes

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.

By Phil Villarreal Arizona Daily Star

One of the resounding proofs of my mother's love was seared into my brain on Saturday, March 23, 1985, when she took me to see "The Secret of the Sword," succumbing to my relentless begging the day after the film opened. This was the unmissable event in which Master of the Universe He-Man would team up with his long-lost twin sister, She-Ra, battling against not only He-Man's sworn enemy, Skeletor, but also the evil Hordak, Skeletor's cruel mentor. The animated film hooked me from the opening frame, when the monster ballad theme song "I Have the Power" blared over the speakers. It was the best movie I'd ever seen at that point in my life, and a true sacrifice for my mom, who had no appreciation of swords of power, interdimensional portals or the unyielding resourcefulness of Castle Greyskull. I'm sure she didn't receive an ounce of enjoyment from watching the film, save for the vicarious pleasure of watching her giddy 6-year-old soaking in the might, wonder and magic from the screen in the way only a kid that age can. Now "The Secret of the Sword" — long forgotten by the studios, but never by me — has finally been released on DVD, as part of a set titled "The Best of She-Ra: Princess of Power." I popped it into the player to watch the film for the first time in more than 21 years, prayerful in my hopes that it would live up to my fuzzy memories. I thought back to March of 1985, did the math and realized I am the same age now as my mom was then. I was surprised to see that the movie was even better than I remembered. And though it's no longer my favorite, it endures as an affecting cinematic experience. It's true that my enjoyment of the movie is colored by nostalgia, but the same must be so for the legions of folks who adored the film in their youth. It's doubtless that many of those kids — now parents themselves — will sit their children in front of the TV and play the DVD, and it will enrapture parent and child alike. Adults who first marveled at "The Secret of the Sword" as kids can now enjoy it on multiple levels. The cheap animation effects and stiff dialogue are funny enough to merit a viewing simply for their entertaining cornball factor — they certainly don't make 'em like this anymore. But there's also an unmistakable magic in the storytelling and characters. The movie makes it easy to slip back into the mind-set of a 6-year-old, appreciating the action, the subplots and the tenderness on their intended levels. A compilation of five cartoon episodes meant as a bridge between the animated series "He- Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983-85) and its spin-off, "She-Ra: Princess of Power" (1985-87), the drama is primed by four cliffhangers interspersed at equal intervals throughout the running time. The story follows Prince Adam (voiced by John Erwin), the timid crown prince of Eternia, who uses his Sword of Power to transform into the muscular, sword-wielding hero He-Man. Adam travels through a portal to the realm of Etheria in hopes of finding the owner of a secret sword entrusted to him by his guide, the Sorceress. Once in Etheria, Adam/He-Man discovers a Hordak-oppressed world and joins the Great Rebellion. To his surprise, the sword leads him to Force Captain Adora (Melendy Britt), one of Hordak's stern generals. Adora captures He-Man, placing him in a contraption that sucks his will, to power Hordak's magna beam transporter, which he plans to use to obliterate the Rebellion's hangout. Just as He-Man is about to die, the sword he brought to Adora speaks to her and reveals her true destiny as She-Ra, a champion of good. What's more, she is Adam's twin, separated at birth by a kidnapping Hordak. "I never knew I had a brother, but when a woman in a sword told me so, I knew it was true," She-Ra deadpans. Hordak, as you could imagine, is not at all happy with this development, and he recruits his former pupil, Skeletor, to aid his cause. "The dawn of the new day shall yield the final end of the rebellion!" cackles Hordak, who is nothing if not redundant. Such lines are amusing to an adult but serious to a child — and that fact makes it even funnier to an adult. I don't remember my mom laughing at those lines in 1985, though. Maybe because she was in misery as the movie played. Or maybe because she didn't want to break the mood for her little boy.

I was a big fan of She-Ra as a kid and would LOVE to own "Secret of the Sword" on DVD. Does anyone know when that might be happening? I used to watch He-Man with my brother so that's how I got hooked on She-RA. I would also love to get their Christmas special on DVD if possible too. Mostly I would like the Pilot episode/movie more then anything else. I used to watch the show on YTV, I think, which is a channel for kids in Canada. I noticed that episodes of She-Ra are available on Video to buy through e-bay's half.com but not on DVD and certainly not "Secret of the Sword" which I find weird since that everyone first me She-Ra and other the characters from the cartoon.

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.

This film was made,primarily,to introduce He-Man's twin sister She-Ra,who,in the 80's,ruled not only every toy department in the world,but were also the main characters in quite possibly one of the most successful cartoons ever made! It is a dark and stormy night on the planet Eternia,and Prince Adam is summoned to Castle Greyskull,by its guardian,the Sorceress,who dispatches him on a heroic journey to find the meaning of a mystical sword! On the planet Etheria,our hero is teamed up with a rebel band of warriors who have pledged to over-throw the evil Horde,led by Hordak and his dastardly bunch of villains! It all turns pear-shaped however when our intrepid hero meets his match in the form of Adora,the blonde,rather attractive ( compared to the other motley crew Hordak surrounds himself with) captain of the Horde Army,who,oblivious to the Horde's evil-ways,imprisons our hero on Beast Island! Will Adora learn of the Horde's evil ways,and see the light!? And will Prince Adam learn the Secret of the Sword!? Well,watch it and find out,as this is a fantastic kids..and big kids..movie..made back in the days when pace,story-telling,and interesting characters,was everything! It can be said,having watched some of the "childrens" films of the last few years,that they really dont make films like this anymore! It could all so easily slip into unbearable cuteness at certain stages,but the wit and pace of the film,never drags it down! A superb family film..only after watching it again,i do wish i were a 10 year old boy again,running around with a plastic sword shouting "I HAVE THE POWER!"