Robot Carnival

This remains one of the best Anime feature films I've ever seen, and, in a stroke of great luck, was also the first Anime feature film I ever saw. While a little (well, a lot) on the artsy side at times, Robot Carnival is a great example of the reckless imagination and superb craftsmanship that Japanese animation at its best is known for. Unfortunately, it's also an example of a kind of film that is becoming very rare in the anime world today. Robot Carnival mops the floor with the ever spreading hordes of Dating Game adaptations/Merchandizing tie-ins that are never the less dominating the industry. Robot Carnival ought to be one of the most well known Anime in the world, not the obscure relic of hardcore geeks that it seems in danger of becoming. If you see a copy of this, buy it on the spot and see what animated film making ought to be.

Like all anthology films, some of the segments are better than others, but there are enough good ones to make this film worthwhile for animation fans.

The framing sequence which opens and closes the film is nicely animated, certainly one of the most original ways I've seen for a film to present it's title. The great Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) contributed to this sequence, you can really see his touch. Two of the segments, "Starlight Angel" and "Deprive" are pretty typical sci-fi action anime, albeit nicely animated. A lot of anime fans complain about the "Cloud" segment, I find it kind of interesting, like a piece of animated art. My favorite segment in the film is probably a tie between "A Tale of Two Robots, Chapter 3: Foreign Invasion", which made me think a little of Wild Wild West (a lot better, of course), and "Nitemare".

I think having all but two of the film's 8 segments (I'm counting the opening and closing as one segment) dialog-free was an interesting choice, it allows the viewer to concentrate on the images, and precludes needless exposition. I really liked Aeon Flux a lot better before it became a regular series and added dialog. Of course, it also makes an English-dubbed version of the film more tolerable.

Some of the music for this film is by the great composer Joe Hisashi, the regular composer for both Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano. I think the opening and closing themes are by Hisashi, as well as the music for the "Presence" segment.

This is one of the first anime films I saw when I knew or cared it was anime, I think it's a really good introduction to the genre. Also a worthwhile film for anyone interested in animation in general.

ROBOT CARNIVAL is a breath of fresh air from the bloated, overdone, exploitative sagas Anime is known for and presents us instead with a series of short films which have nothing to do with each other except that they all star robots. I especially like the intro with the mechanized carnival running over the village...heh heh heh. Very nice, well-animated and leaves a lasting impression on the veiwer. A must-have for anyone who likes Japanese animation or the very curious.

This is a great Japanese animated collection of seven creative and imaginative stories done by many directors including Katsuhiro Otomo ( of "Akira" fame) which tells a creator trying to create a Frankenstein-like creation, a romantic tale in a disneyland-esque place, a robotic kid walking through clouds, a romance between a toymaker and his toy, a planet western with robots, a hilarious duo between bad guy and Japan in the 19th century and a nightmarish city runned by robotic creatures.

These stories are quite interesting and very well made works of arts, the music score is outstanding which is one of the best in anime music scores. This is definitely Japanimation's answer to "Fantasia", if only this would be released on DVD then that would be great! if you love anime, i strongly recommend this movie.

Also recommended: Akira, Ghost in The Shell, Metropolis ( Anime), Memories, Heavy Metal, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, Roujin-Z, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Transformers: The Movie, Ninja Scroll, The Professional: Golgo 13, Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Sin: The Movie, Spriggan The Movie, Slayers The Motion Picture, Creepshow, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Ghost in The Shell 2: Innocence, Kiki's Delivery Service, Fist of the North Star.

9/10.

I wasn't a die-hard anime fan back then as an 18-year old young man, but I happened upon this movie on VHS at an independent video shop after moving from another state. It was placed semi-obscurely at the bottom rack of the animation section but the strange cover artwork case of the VHS edition made an impression on me.

So I rented the videocassette to pop it into the VCR. I was mildly impressed with all of the 'weird' shorts except one short that is so lyrical and surreal it moved me like no anime ever did (except for Spirited Away years later which I admit to having seen 7 times in theatres). That short is called, if I remember correctly, "Cloud".

Independent video shop have since 'closed' (sold its business to a competitor) a few years later and I never had a chance to see the movie again since it's out of print.

Cloud segment is one of the most haunting films (short or feature-length) I've ever seen. Even though I remember *nothing* about the movie, I still recall the Cloud segment.

It's an unforgettable experience witnessing the aesthetically mind-bending short sitting in the darkened living room in the basement on the sunny afternoon day.

The black & white animation...background...strange but haunting ending. I barely remember what the story is about (must be silent) but I understood what it *is* about -- loneliness and requiem for love.

I think it must be seen on the large screen to experience the full effect of emotional tranquility. One of the best examples of surrealist & moving cinema on the meditation of loneliness and love as conveyed by sublime emotional transcendence, animated or not, and one that stamps indelibly in the memory base of the human brain when the viewer is still youthful as a child or adolescent.

Cloud short is an incredibly transcendent work of art in cinema that make for an utterly unforgettable visual experience. One that have the honor of magnificent art among the grandest 2-D dimension paintings of the 17th century Naples and Golden Age of Dutch Art in conveying profound emotions through the magic of artistic motion picture in silence.