Metamorphoses (film)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese animated film, originally released by Sanrio
in the United States on May 3, 1979. The film is a retelling of stories from Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid
, set to rock music by Arthur Simms and Pattie Brooks
. In all of its five parts, the protagonists are portrayed in the form of a recurring boy and girl.
The movie was Sanrio's second animated release in the US (following their adaptation of The Mouse and His Child the previous year). Over 170 animators, all employed in Hollywood, worked on it for three years.
Metamorphoses tried to be the rock era's answer to Fantasia
, but its original run was critically reviled and closed as soon as it opened: according to many of its crew, a lot of problems with the production, music and plotting were to blame.
A year later, it was reissued under a new title, Winds of Change, with seven minutes trimmed away from the first cut of 89 minutes. This time, the music was composed by Alec R. Costandinos
, and narration provided by Peter Ustinov
was added.
The five parts—"Actaeon
", "Orpheus and Eurydice", "The House of Envy", "Perseus
" and "Phaëton
", in the original order—were re-arranged and slightly renamed for the new version; only the third and last parts remained unmoved. In the Winds cut, the first two were now "Perseus" and "Actaeon", and the fourth "Orpheus".
In addition, the boy was now called Wondermaker, and the girl played different characters in every segment. Greek gods Hades and Apollo were given their Roman names (Pluto and Helios respectively).
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
in the United States on May 3, 1979. The film is a retelling of stories from Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, set to rock music by Arthur Simms and Pattie Brooks
Pattie Brooks
Pattie Brooks is an American singer most frequently associated with the disco era. She was born in Fort Riley, Kansas to a military family. Her first break came in 1968 when she auditioned for the chorus on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". In the next decade she became a sought-after backing...
. In all of its five parts, the protagonists are portrayed in the form of a recurring boy and girl.
The movie was Sanrio's second animated release in the US (following their adaptation of The Mouse and His Child the previous year). Over 170 animators, all employed in Hollywood, worked on it for three years.
Metamorphoses tried to be the rock era's answer to Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
, but its original run was critically reviled and closed as soon as it opened: according to many of its crew, a lot of problems with the production, music and plotting were to blame.
A year later, it was reissued under a new title, Winds of Change, with seven minutes trimmed away from the first cut of 89 minutes. This time, the music was composed by Alec R. Costandinos
Alec R. Costandinos
Alec R. Costandinos, is a French singer and artist of the 70's. He was also intimately involved as a writer, publisher and musician in the development of Aphrodite's Child with Vangelis and Greek-born pop singer, Demis Roussos...
, and narration provided by Peter Ustinov
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
was added.
The five parts—"Actaeon
Actaeon
Actaeon , in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron....
", "Orpheus and Eurydice", "The House of Envy", "Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
" and "Phaëton
Phaëton
In Greek mythology, Phaëton or Phaethon was the son of Helios and the Oceanid Clymene. Alternate, less common genealogies make him a son of Clymenus by Merope, of Helios and Rhode or of Helios and Prote....
", in the original order—were re-arranged and slightly renamed for the new version; only the third and last parts remained unmoved. In the Winds cut, the first two were now "Perseus" and "Actaeon", and the fourth "Orpheus".
In addition, the boy was now called Wondermaker, and the girl played different characters in every segment. Greek gods Hades and Apollo were given their Roman names (Pluto and Helios respectively).
See also
- HerculesHercules (1997 film)Hercules is a 1997 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker...
, a 1997 Disney film based on Greek myth. - List of animated feature-length films
Sources
- Beck, Jerry (2005), pp. 166–7. The Animated Movie Guide. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. Chicago Reader Press. Accessed April 9, 2007.