Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer

I found this movie on one of my old videos, after "Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster" (which should INSTANTLY give you an idea of it's tone) and I hadn't seen it in a while so I decided to watch it. I didn't remember much about Rainbow Brite except I used to like the cartoon and that it was cute. Most people feel that way about her. You probably do to.

Well, when the movie started, I wondered if it was the right one! It didn't fit the mold of Rainbow Brite as I remembered her. But it turns out she kicks butt! This has to be the strangest animated movie EVER! I can't believe these characters were so popular (the series isn't much different) while being so bizzare. As soon as I watched this movie again, it became one of my favorites.

I really don't want to give too much away. Just know that if you see the movie in the video store, rent it and watch it. No questions asked. You will get a kick out of it. Especially the outrageous Princess character. And the robotic horse. And the hypnotized sprites.

If you can't tell by know, this is an 80's cartoon that is really an undiscovered "head" movie in disguise! Have fun!

If you were born in the late 70's or early 80's then Rainbow Brite was the cartoon to watch. From the colors to the music, this movie brings back my childhood. This is a great cartoon with good morals and a good ending. Rainbow Brite has to save the world from an evil Princess who thinks that she can have anything she wants. Who else but Rainbow Brite, with the help of her new friends Khris, can bring sunlight and rainbows back into the world. This is an essential cartoon to watch!

Rainbow Brite was the very first movie I ever saw at a movie theater. Though the animation may have been poor and the quality cheezy, it was enough to thoroughly encaptivate and enthrall a little 5-year old girl. To this very day, I still remember scenes and clips in my head of my favorite childhood toy coming to life on the big screen.

...and trampled many a little girl's heart in doing so (assuming little girls were watching Siskel and Ebert when the film hit the theatres).

I had vague recollections of Rainbow Brite. Most of them were of a corporate marketing creation, designed to garnish money through the promotion of toys, books, cards, a TV series, and, ultimately, a feature film.

No, I did not see this in the theater, but I remember catching portions of it on cable a year or so later. I finally sat down to see why people (mostly parents) were giving Rainbow's motion picture debut a unanimous thumbs down. Fast forward twenty-years, and a DVD of that same film comes out. And after a viewing I have some observations.

The bare bones of a good story are there, but the execution is horrid. The character design is standard stuff for offshore animation-big heads and over-sized eyes to accentuate "cuteness," but done with a western bent, presumably to make the character appeal to a North American and European audience (though I don't know if Rainbow ever emigrated across the Atlantic). But the actual animation, the movement and presentation of the story, is the absolute worst I've ever seen for an animated feature film.

All the cutesy girlish overtones, inflections, vocals and themes aside, none of which bothered this viewer (however uninteresting I found them), the actual technical aspects of the film, the staccato motions, poorly drawn perspectives, inclusion of off-shore animation gags and other techniques, really make watching this film an ordeal. The basic story is fine, but the presentation is the absolute worst I've ever come across for a major animated film.

To myself it's excessively clear that Halmark, and any companies holding hands with them, were out to mimic the Japanese media-toy marketing model. A model that they had fine tuned years before it was ever introduced into the United States, and ultimately, and deservedly, failed in the long run.

Which is a real shame, because the character of Rainbow Brite is actually a very responsible, albeit naive (as children are apt to be), caring and ingenious little girl. She's a heartfelt character created for the sole desire to snatch a percentage of parents' pay-cheques, and the film's technical quality demonstrates that all too clearly.

The film relies almost solely on what are called "key" animation frames, with practically no (or very few) "inbetweens"-the drawings created between the key segments to smooth out and sell the character's motion to the audience. In short, it ain't Disney.

And this is a real shame, because there's room for improvement. To mothers and grandmothers across the land who remember Rainbow Bright, do yourselves a favor and watch Rainbow Brite, then watch a Disney feature of your choice. Then decide which one you prefer. And from that choice, decide which is best for your daughter.

In the meantime, I'll go alone with Siskel and Ebert, and give this thing the obligatory thumbs down.

*EDIT* Rescreen June 12th, 2013 Well, I got a pirated copy (which I did not know was going to be a pirate) in the mail, and all I can say is I now see why I donated my original DVD. A kids' film yes. A good one? No.

This movie is tied with The Care Bears Movie as my favorite movie from when I was little. I used to watch the TV Show, I had all of the Rainbow Brite dolls, and I must have seen this movie 50 times. The cartoons of the 80's really were much better than the ones that are out today like Pokemon and those other stupid things. Anyway, if you have a young child I would definitely recommend renting this movie.