When Aladdin climbs up on Jasmine's roof, her pet tiger attacks Aladdin. There is when he mumbles what they say is either "Take off you clothes"  or "Good teenagers, take off your clothes". The Disney Company says it's false ... and that's what media says. But, I happen to believe that there is something there.

The Little Mermaid

The priest seems to be a little too happy to be at this wedding. It seems he gets an erection.

There's also another Little Mermaid taboo on the cover of the film:

Some believe that part of the kingdom on the cover is a phallace, drawn by a disgruntled artist.

The Rescuers

In the scene when Bianca and Bernard are taking off on the back of their friend, Wilbur,  there's a very naughty image in the background. The Disney company doesn't deny this one, actually; they recalled the movie in the '70s because of it.

The Lion King

We should know that even the greatest, most awesome movies from Disney are gonna be criticized. I say this, because The Lion King is my favorite movie from Disney. Well, in one scene when Simba lays down and a bunch of dust comes flying up, some say the word sex  is spelled in it. To this day, it's still undetermined.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(The scene is approximately 2:45 into the clip)

If you look close enough, Belle makes a cameo appearance ... reading  a book of course. Also, you can see a guy shaking out the carpet from Aladdin, and 2 guys carrying Pumba. Some say you can see a satellite dish on the roof, which is also true if you look to the very left of the screen.

So it was inevitable that one day, I just had to wonder how old Sally must be if she talks about missing the Route 66 that existed "forty years ago", and just what the HTB stickers on Chick Hicks stood for.

And as I tried to find out, here are other Cars trivia I came across:

1. Lightning McQueen's number 95 stands for the year Pixar released Toy Story.
   
   
2. Chick Hick's sponsor, HTB, stands for "Hostile Takeover Bank".
   
   
3. The real name of The King, Dinoco's Golden Boy, is Strip Weathers. His design is based on the Plymouth Superbird, a car produced only in 1970.
   
   
4. In Sally's story to McQueen when she first showed him Wheel Well Motel, she recounts how Radiator Springs looked so different 40 years ago. That leads us to believe that she had been there at least that long. Sally's car model, however, is based on a 2002 model of the Porsche 996, three years old at the time Cars was released.
   
   
5. Doc Hudson moved to Radiator Springs after his great crash in 1954, more than 50 years earlier. He met Sally in Radiator Springs when she ran away from her fast-track California life, which must have been more than 40 years ago.
   
   
6. Route 66 is a real-life road now called Historic Route 66, colloquially known as the "Mother Road" or the "Main Street of America", and runs from Chicago, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ends at Los Angeles, California.
   
   
7. The song Route 66 has two versions in the movie - one by Chuck Berry, and another by John Mayer for the film's credits. From the day it was first recorded by Nat King Cole, the song has had more than 60 versions from different artists, including Natalie Cole, The Rolling Stones, Perry Como, Bob Dylan, and Bing Crosby.
   
   
8. The voice of The Sheriff is played by Michael Wallis, who also happens to be the writer of the book "Route 66: The Mother Road".
   
   
9. Fillmore's character was based on Bob Waldmire, a Route 66 artist and vegan who owns a VW microbus that looks very much like Fillmore.
   
   
10. If you look at the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, you'll swear you were looking at Ramone's body-art shop.

You either grew up watching these beautiful princesses or you watched them come out when animation had barely hit the entertainment industry. Either way, you loved these Disney Princesses, you just never told anyone. It’s a fact that every person must accept - these princesses are hot! Check out the countdown.

12. Snow White 

She is the epitome of classic. She made her debut in the first full length animated film… well Snow White. However I find here style a little old for me maybe if she tanned a little bit and dyed her hair a different color than charcoal black I’d reconsider, but for now she is stuck at number 12.

11. Alice

This little girl is very curious, a very loveable attribute. However, the main issue is in the prior statement. She is a little girl, calling her anything more than a cute nice little blonde girl could get me some nice shiny cuffs and a bible for a lesson on moral decency. She is a little young for me; I wonder how long if she has grown up since she made her last film?

10. Wendy

Wonderful girl who knows how to take charge and is a natural leader. Again, there seems to be an issue with age though. I think of Wendy as nothing more than a kid who wants to be a grown up, or seems like an overbearing “I’m more mature than you kind of girl” - Pretty much a turn off. Plus I want a girl who’s not going to fly off on me in the middle of the night with some guy dressed up in a green pajama suit and a bunch of boys who have just seen Bambi for the first time.

9. Mulan

Have you ever said to yourself? “Man, I want a girl that could just beat the crap out of me if she wanted to.” Well, she got it. This girl has a lot to offer, her wisdom is off the charts and her beliefs are respectable. The lizard thing here would be the issue. Can anyone say privacy? That blasted lizard is all up in Mulan’s business; tell him to go find some other girl along the family lines to stalk.

8. Aurora

This woman has it made. Beautiful, rich, tall, and blonde, with flocks of forest animals giving her that constant invitational feeling of nature, Perfect! The issue here would be longevity; I’m thinking my woman would be able to handle more than some enchanted prick on the finger before going down. Ya, I think that I’m definitely going to add that to my checklist. I don’t want to have to go through no dragon to get to her either, that’s a lot of effort. You feel me?

7. Cinderella

I find this girl to be totally awesome. Again beautiful blonde, with a fairy god mother to boot, plus she got them glass slippers. I wonder how much those would go for on eBay. She is the perfect diamond in the rough girl with a great personality. So why is she in the middle of the pack? This selection can be summed up using two words… Rat Infestation! Moving on.

6. Megara

Miss Independent, with that long brown hair. She has this charisma about her. Plus I’m just a sucker for brunettes so you’ll find that my top selections are mostly brunette, sorry to all the blondes, they seem to be more eye catching but I can’t trust them as much, plus there is that dumb blonde stereo type… anyway back to Meg, I can just see this girl making a deal behind my back that I would have to clean up. We can’t all be gods like Mr. Muscles. She also is too outgoing, I like the shy girls.

5. Jasmine

She definitely has one of the best bodies of the princesses and is also in the top two for least amount of clothing. I would have the time of my life with her pet tiger if I wasn’t scared to death that it would suddenly slash my throat and I would die a painful, bloody death. Her father is rich so that’s a plus and she is very beautiful and apparently a fast learner. She doesn’t quite rank as high however because her ability to take care of herself is limited to acting like she is in love with a guy and randomly kissing him while forgetting to take off her crown. Nobody makes out with a hat on… do they? She did have a trilogy though so snaps for Jasmine.

4. Ariel

Finally a red head. This princess I think has the best face of all of them; its just so small and round and… well gorgeous. She also ranks the highest on the lack of clothing meter for all those perverts who care about that stuff. She is never afraid to follow her dreams. Sacrifice which is very important and a demonstration of that has already been made when she gave up her life in the sea for her true love. She can sing like none other too which makes being around while she is taking a shower that much nicer. Why not number one? Her best friend is a fish. I’m sorry that just really bothers me.

3. Pocahontas

What a woman. Free-spirited, strong-willed, wise, and understanding, one can’t ask for a lot more. Beautiful, just beautiful, as well as having great athleticism and being at one with nature; she has it all. She also being Native American would make life lots easier, helping start up that casino I’ve always wanted to cheat everyone out on their money with and help her kids get into college. Let’s face it we screwed them over big time. She got plenty to offer which is why she makes the top three.

2. Jane Porter

This girl never ceases to amaze. She is very intellectual and patient, I mean try and teach Tarzan how to talk and act human. Stressful I’m sure. She is super pretty, brunette (again) and nice body. Her dad seems pretty cool and she has that awesome British heritage that is always so very sexy. Very compatible which slides her into the number two spot.

1. Belle

Finally the number one. Surprised? Probably, but if you knew me you wouldn’t be that surprised. She is beautiful and brunette, shy, intelligent, caring, everything a family guy like me could ask for. Therefore she is flipping hot! She loves to read which really is not my thing, but it’s definitely a turn on. I just like the passion. She’s not out to flaunt her stuff either which is why I gave Jasmine and Ariel the heave. Plus she has the guts and patience to deal with the Beast. She just got it all in my eyes. She has this one hands down.

So,  the guys over at Disney have drawn up some pretty nice animations for us over the years however I don’t think this was the kind of image they were looking for. Oh well. I just care to look at things a little differently. How would you rank your top twelve?

Good Versus Evil and Science Against Magic

It is a great animated movie. Ask those in my generation and others who have watched it, and you will see their eyes gleaming, and they will suddenly talk about the artwork, parts of the story and the dialogue even. The Flight of Dragons is about a quest to save man from evil's conquest of the realm of magic and the realm of science. Seeing the need to separate the two worlds, Carolinus, the green wizard of nature, recommends his plan to his brothers Solarius, blue wizard of space and sea, Lo Tae Shao, gold wizard of the air and solemnity and Ommadon, red wizard of evil and dark magic. Being the embodiment of evil and greed, Ommadon does not agree to the plan and intends to use magic to inspire man to use science to make creations that will inevitably lead to his destruction. To stop Ommadon, one has to capture his red crown, the source of all his power.

With the quest and eventual battle being staged on land, the territory of Carolinus, the green wizard chooses his dragon Gorbash and friend Sir Orin Neville Smythe, a knight. For the leader and third member of the quest, Carolinus asks Antiquity for assistance to make the selection. Antiquity chooses Peter Dickinson, a 20th century man of science upon the puzzlement of Carolinus. From there, Peter is brought to the realm of magic from 20th century Boston and in an accident is merged with Gorbash before the quests even begins. Sir Orin, Gorbash/Peter and Smrgol, the dragon uncle of Gorbash proceeds to Ommadon's territory and gathers allies along the way such as Arak, canine friend of Gorbash, Danielle, a female archer and Giles of the Treetops, the elvin outlaw. Together they face dangers such as the Ogre of Gormly Keep, the giant worm that secretes highly corrosive acid and Ommadon's horde of dragons under his dark spell. Peter and Ommadon eventually battle in the end as science against magic, respectively.

Seven Reasons Why The Flight of Dragons is a Great Animated Film

In the story, Peter Dickinson is the ancestor of Great Peter, the dragon master, the one who tamed dragons and taught them how to speak. The two are separated by 777 generations. With this, I present the seven reasons why The Flight of Dragons is one of the best animated films ever.

1. It is About a Quest

Ah, yes. A quest is a buddy, road trip and David versus Goliath movie rolled into one. It brings a small band of main characters with various backgrounds together in an adventure. Along the way, they get close and face insurmountable odds. This formula has been appealing in movies whether they are animated or live-action.

2. It Has Creatures and Characters of Magic and Fantasy

Dragons, wizards, knights, archers, ogres and fairies feed the imagination of the audience. Movies take the audience away from reality to the world of fiction and even fantasy. Aside from the said traditional magical creatures and characters, The Flight of Dragons also has its unique creatures such as the giant worm and the horde of sandmerks. Forgive me for the spelling if it is wrong, but there are no subtitles because the movie is not on DVD yet. Individually, they are just like rats that stand on hind legs and around two feet tall, but collectively, they can drive one mad with their mind-maddening chattering.

3. It Has Great Dialogue

“You… complete me.” “Hasta la vista baby.” “You can't handle the truth!” Great movies have great and memorable dialogue, and The Flight of Dragons has a lot of it from the humorous to the wise to the gallant such as the following.

Dialogue One: Gorbash with Carolinus at night looking over a pond of water

Gorbash (doubtful and sarcastic): “Are you certain this is a limpid pool of time?”

Carolinus: “My dear young fellow, I am one of the four magic brothers. I should know a limpid pool of time when I see one.”

Dialogue Two: Melisande with Carolinus discussing the meeting of the four magical brothers

Melisande: “But why does Antiquity force you to include something so abominable?”

Carolinus: “As evil is a part of all things, evil is a part of our world of magic. And the irony of all existence is that good would be totally impotent without the contrast of evil.”

Dialogue Three: Sir Orin standing by the bodies of his comrades with sword held by praying hands and facing Breog, the devil dragon.

Sir Orin: “Giles, my darling Danielle and Arak too!”

(calm and filled with courage): “Blade with whom I have lived,

Blade with whom I now die,

Serve right and justice one last time.” (flash of Giles' body)

“Seek one last heart of evil.” (flash of Arak's body)

“Still one last life of pain.”

“Cut well old friend… (flash of Danielle's body)

And, farewell!”

That third dialogue is actually etched inside me and has resonated in my mind since 1982. It is a knight's code of servitude and sacrifice and his last living act to rid one last creature of evil. Those who have seen The Flight of Dragons quip dialogues like these three I mentioned to one another.

4. It Has Effective Celebrity Voice-over

This is one of the movies that effectively used celebrity voice-overs in animated films before it somewhat became an industry standard after Pixar's Toy Story featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Remember that The Flight of Dragons came from 1982, and it was voiced over by actors of that time. Harry Morgan, the white-haired actor and one of the leads in the movie and TV show MASH, is the voice of Carolinus. He has a firm grandfatherly voice that is perfect for the green wizard. John Ritter, who was the lead in the hit TV sitcom Three's Company, is the voice of Peter Dickinson. John Ritter fills this character's wonder of dragons and modesty very well. Finally, when one remembers The Flight of Dragons, one remembers James Earl Jones as the voice of red wizard Ommadon. This is probably the best voice-over of his career topping Mufasa of The Lion King and tying, if not edging Darth Vader. That speech wherein he orders Breog to lead the dragon army against Peter and his comrades is brought to life with his booming and reverberating voice. It tops off with a crazed shout of, “a flight… of dragons!”, and ending with the words “doom, doom, doom”. It just grabs you and tightens your chest. Aside from being a great actor, James Earl Jones is the ultimate talent for voice-overs.

5. It is a Product of 80s Anime, Anime Taken to a Higher Level

The Flight of Dragons comes from the era after mecha ruled TV anime in the 70s. The movie is a Rankin-Bass production, but the Illustrators are Japanese. Toru Hama is the animation coordinator, and the storyboard and animation direction are by Katsuhisa Yamada and Flimihiko Takayama. Anime transcended to something intricate, elaborate and beautiful in The Flight of Dragons after the box-type cartoonish characters in the mecha anime of the 70s, which I actually like also. There is detail, for example, in Smrgol's curled horns and lips, and the film has interesting designs such as Sir Orin's long trident instead of a mere lance and Lo Tae Shao's unique serpentine dragon unlike the other blimp-like bodied dragons. The artwork here is very impressive.

6. It Has Beautiful Music

Don McLean highlights the music of The Flight of Dragons with his singing of the theme song written by Jules Bass and Maury Laws. Below are its lyrics which I got from www.lyrics007.com.

The Flight of Dragons Theme Song Lyrics

Flight of dragons soar in the purple light

In the sky or in my mind

Flight of dragons sail past reality

Leave illusion behind

Is it the past I see

When I look up to the heavens

Believing in the magic

That I know could never be

I want to go where they are going

Into the world they've been

Can I open up my mind enough to see

Flight of dragons, heavenly argosies

Catch the wind, rise out of sight

Flight of dragons, pilots of fantasy

In the sky or in my mind

Flight of dragons

Flight of dragons

Don McLean is the singer of the classic songs Vincent and American Pie, and the Flight of Dragons song and music in the movie has a dreamy quality to it.

7. It has a Unique Element: Giving Scientific Explanations to Magic and Creatures of Fantasy

Finally, what makes The Flight of Dragons unique is the presence of scientific explanations in a fantasy movie. This is embodied in the scene where Gorbash/Peter explains how dragons fly with the assistance of Smrgol. It turns out that dragons are like blimps or hot-air balloons lifted by hydrogen derived from the mix of stomach acids and calcium. Dragons get the calcium from the limestone that they regularly eat. An electrical spark in the roof of the dragon's mouth ignites the hydrogen, and being lighter than air, lifts the dragon to flight. The dragon propels himself with his wings and blows out hydrogen in the form of flame or “dragon fire” in order to descend. It's a pretty crafty explanation and catchy story element mixing science into magic.

The Flight of Dragons Live-Action Movie

From an animated film, The Flight of Dragons can be elevated into a great live-action film. We're now in the age of CGI in cinema where in this age, The Lord of the Rings trilogy was made into Oscar-winning movies, Harry Potter was successfully brought out from book to film and various superheroes fly about, stretch and swing from building to building. After the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia came out and there are even plans to make The Hobbit into a live action movie. The fantasy genre is still alive and kicking the box office, and The Flight of Dragons can be a blockbuster.

Personally, I prefer Chris Columbus to direct The Flight of Dragons if it becomes a movie. I like that enchantment and magic of discovery present in the first Harry Potter film that he made. I also prefer Weta, the company behind the special effects of The Lord of the Rings, to participate in making the movie. To take this idea of turning The Flight of Dragons into a live-action movie further into flight, let's play casting director for a while and choose possible actors for the key characters. Below are my choices.

Casting Suggestions for a Flight of Dragons Live Action Movie

Green Wizard Carolinus - Ben Kingsley (Oscar winning actor with voice close to Harry Morgan's; put a skull cap on him, long nose and a beard and he's Carolinus!)

20th Century Man Peter Dickinson - Edward Norton, Ewan McGregor (Yep, those two can be Peter.)

Knight Sir Orin Neville Smythe - Jason Isaacs, Pierce Brosnan (Must be around his 40s or 50s, dashing and with a British accent. Wearing that armour is a plus factor for them to take on the role.)

Princess Melisande - Alexis Bledel, Anne Hathaway (Dreamy, ethereal beauties. I would love to hear more suggestions for this character)

Red Wizard Ommadon - James Earl Jones (The man voiced him; he should play him! They have the same body mass as well!)

Lady Archer Danielle -Saffron Burrows (Her age is like Danielle's, and she's fit too.)

Elvin Outlaw Giles - Billy Boyd (He was Pippen, one of the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings. Might as well be elvin outlaw Giles too!)

Blue Wizard Solarius - Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson (great voices and toughness for the part)

Gold Wizard Lo Tae Shao - Henry O (Jet Li's mob boss father in Romeo Must Die; his facial qualities, especially the cheeks, are like Lo Tae Shao's!)

The Pawnbroker - Judd Hirsch (Jeff Goldblum's father in Independence Day can smoothly deliver those pawnbroker's lines. Somehow, he can be Carolinus too!)

Voices of

Dragon Gorbash - Billy Crystal (Must have comedic angle)

Dragon Smrgol -Robert Loggia (Must have that old, experienced, grandfatherly quality)

Devil Dragon Breog - Michael Ironside (Tough, tough, tough and intimidating. “Puny scum of Carolinus!! Prepare to die!” He can say that well.)

Canine Arak - Brian Cox (Slightly scruffy, nice old voice)

Antiquity - Alan Rickman (Yes, yes, he's just a tree, who dropped a silver acorn, but we need that commanding authoritative voice)

If you find my choices amusing and, or absurd, please take note that I am not a professional casting director and that I never had any experience whatsoever of casting actors for a movie or a play. Please forgive me. However, I love movies, and I believe there is some amount of sense in my choices. I hope my amateur attempt in casting will somehow spark the production of a live action Flight of Dragons movie. It will not only be a great delight to fans of the original animated film but also to a worldwide audience composed of various age groups and race. It is because the theme of The Flight of Dragons will bind them all.

The Need to Elevate The Flight of Dragons to DVD and Into a Live-Action Movie

I've been browsing the Internet for old movies being formatted to DVDs, and I saw this particular kaiju (giant monster) movie Daikyoju Gappa of 1967 having a special DVD in 2008. Believe it or not, this is about a giant mutated lizard/chicken monster that wreaks havoc in Japan. If movies like this cross over to DVD, and a special DVD I may add, why can't a great animated film like The Flight of Dragons make it? This is somewhat unsettling and absolutely puzzling. It is like having Lebron James on the bench when the team, city and league can be benefitting from his contributions in the basketball court.

I have a dream. I plan to find out who owns the rights to The Flight of Dragons, and tell them about the ideas I have written here. I also call on others who share the same admiration for the film and the desire for it to be on DVD and become a live-action movie as well. I invite them to request for these also. I invite them to share their most memorable scenes, express their appreciation for the movie and even give their own casting suggestions. I will collate all of these comments and add them to my own and write and email the one who holds the rights of the film. I will write and email them every month or even every week my requests and any flowing comments from everyone who loves the film until they finally decide to release this on DVD and hopefully, a live-action film as well.

I hope my plan succeeds with a length of a dream and a flash of an inspiration, the only way one can briefly enter the realm of magic as the green wizard Carolinus said. So help me if you can friends, and let us have this fine masterpiece in DVD and a live-action film. Together, let's make an impact with the same force The Flight of Dragons has made in each and every one of us.

Before I get to the movie, remember when there were Simpsons games being made back on the old NES system? There were Arcade games and of course games based around the characters. Whether it was based on the show or not is another story. I've played a few of them personally and have enjoyed them in their own little way.

Now let us look at the movie directly. Going into it, I had no idea what to expect and thought maybe it could be redemption of sorts based upon the last few seasons of the show itself. To be honest, the movie was rather well done and actually made up for some of the seasons. It isn't just saying it because of enjoyment of the show but more so of the fact that it was rather well done and can only be recommended for Simpsons fans.

Plot: The main plot involves The Simpsons having some family problems mainly with Bart and Homer. It really reached a high pitch when he mentioned how he would rather have Ned Flanders as his Dad instead of Homer based upon how he treats them. The other theme is the pollution involved with Springfield and having to be locked into a dome.

Story: There are a few stories in it with Homer getting a pig; Lisa gets a boyfriend making Millhouse jealous. There is the part about Homer and Bart at odds with each other, which is normal. The beginning of the movie starts out with an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon watched by The Simpsons of course. The President is none other than the man who was in McBain known as Rainier Wolfcastle. He doesn't read what he picks and it's more of him guessing and it involves the EPA. They are the primary villains in this but their intentions are to keep the nation from pollution. Homer takes his pig's business and instead of listening to Marge dumps it in the lake causing pollution. A squirrel mutates and has multiple eyes and gets captured. Meanwhile, the family eventually goes to Alaska after an intense level of tension arises after they discover it was Homer who caused the city to be domed in the first place.

Worth Watching: If you want to see something that actually makes up for some of the seasons of the show, check it out. Most of the notable characters are there with the exception of Mr. Burns and Smithers, which is really surprising personally. You would think that they would have some role but you didn't really seem them whatsoever. It was funny with Ralph being Ralph early in the movie with his comments.

As Disney began to identify with the children's market, his style began to change. By studying Mickey Mouse's change of appearance over time, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould demonstrated that Disney unconsciously discovered the evolutionary principle of “neoteny” (Gould 1980, p. 104). Because we mammals require parental care for an extended period of time, we developed a natural affection for the baby face (big head, large eyes, bulging craniums, weak chins-in short, the “cute” look) so that we remain attracted to our young.

As Gould pointed out, in over 50 years of gradual transformation, Mickey's appearance has grown backward, from adult to baby (pp. 95-107). Walt Disney might not have known the scientific principle, but his identification with the family market was conscious. Not only does Mickey Mouse gradually grow “younger,” but he also becomes increasingly better behaved. The use of juvenility in Disney's house style is developed out of a prolonged process of experimentation; it is connected to Disney's role as a perpetuator of the American dream in the family setting.

The mature Walt Disney played the role of educator and cultural guardian. This role was not very different from that of the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. Disney's storytelling-original as well as adaptive-had the same motivation as that of the collectors and writers of nineteenth-century fairy tales, who believed these stories should be a tool of domestic education. Their view led to the “refinement” of the old wives' tales: removing coarse language, minimizing sexual and excremental references, and so on (Carter 1990, p. xvii); similarly, Disney's classic tales carry this sense of “refinement.”

Disney's classic stories are references for life's many challenges, yet also cast a sweetened reality for the wives and children of the traditional household. At the same time, Disney's masterpieces can indeed underscore a reality that tastes more like dark chocolate than candy. When Disney's classics have happy endings, they do so only in the context of greed (Snow White), social discrimination (Dumbo), the destructive nature of humanity (Bambi), sacrifice (Old Yeller), the cycle of life and death (Perri), and cruelty (Cinderella). As the narrator of Perri explains, “Death is a necessary evil; some die that others may survive.” Or as Bambi's theme song reveals, “[L]ife may be swift and fleeting; hope may die.” Bambi can be regarded as Disney's response to a time of darkness, even though it was conceptualized, based on Felix Salten's book, before World War II. The film preserves Salten's themes of life and nature while spinning a poetic realism to portray human destruction.

In Bambi, nature, represented by a harmonious animal world, is set against a common enemy - namely humanity. As film critic Leonard Maltin described it, “The drama in Bambi is one of understatement, and its effectiveness is great. Dialogue, which is kept to a minimum, is used in a quiet way to contrast the vociferous nature of the film's climaxes. Man is never shown in the film, yet the simple statement by Bambi's mother, after a frenzied chase with dozens of deer running for shelter, that "man [pause] was in the forest" creates an impact no literal device could accomplish” (Maltin 1973, p. 56). Although Bambi survives the forest fire caused by the faceless humans-a happy ending, one may suggest-the film is overshadowed by environmental destruction and anguish. Its ending is cathartic, bringing about a release of negative emotions rather than providing a lighthearted, “happy” resolution.

In this context, the adorable portrait of the animals in Disney's house style is an effective tool for teaching children about the love of nature as well as the nature of love. Love can be defined as a necessary good that motivates one to confront death for the sake of others' lives. It is an engine of survival.

In general, Disney classics demonstrate a balance between entertainment value and artistic quality, revealing life's various challenges and expressing the diverse emotions that a child might feel. They seem to follow certain thematic patterns, some appealing to children generally and others relating specifically to girls. These themes are addressed individually in the discussion that follows.

Alice's Wonderland

The Alice theme involves the exploration of an imaginary world that is full of illogical wonders. From a child's point of view, the world is magical and strange, often overwhelmingly incomprehensible, so this theme is an attempt to identify with children's confusion and to encourage them to go on with life's journey. Obviously, the entire Alice in Wonderland is about meeting strange people in strange places. But the Alice theme also recurs in many Disney classics: the visit to the whale's stomach in Pinocchio, the dream of the pink elephants in Dumbo, the Never-Never Land in Peter Pan, the “Jolly Holiday” episode in Mary Poppins, and so on.

The journey to the strange world always provides a new perspective on life. Most of the time, Disney's adventurer does not return to reality, concluding, as Dorothy does in The Wizard of Oz, that “there is no place like home.” The protagonist in Disney's classics gains new insights about life through the magic of Fantasia. Figuratively, Walt Disney's version of Alice's wonderland is Disneyland itself.

The Pinocchio Symptom

The Pinocchio symptom is also a key element in Alice in Wonderland. Instead of the strangeness of the world, this theme refers to the strangeness of the fast-growing, constantly transforming body of a child. The Pinocchio theme is about coping with growth and socialization. It identifies with children's feelings of being out of control in both body and mind, best represented comically when Pinocchio is partially turned into a jackass.

Usually accompanying the Pinocchio symptom is the realization that things will turn out all right in time-that is, when the potential of the character's humanity is fully realized. Beneath the Pinocchio symptom is the promise of the ugly duckling's transformation into a swan (the motif of the ugly duckling being best known through Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of that name).

Bambi's Lament

Perhaps because he identified closely with the tradition of fairy tales in great literature, Walt Disney was not afraid of discussing the loss of loved ones with children through stories. The death of Bambi's mother is certainly the most memorable moment in all of Disney's tales. But the theme also has many variations-for example, the imprisonment of Dumbo's mother, Old Yeller's rabies infection, and the entire cursed kingdom in Sleeping Beauty. Most of the time in children's films, the loss of a loved one is implied rather than portrayed.

The loss of the natural mother in Snow White and also in Cinderella is a good example. This theme is a main ingredient in the fairy tale tradition. Years ago, as Angela Carter explains, “The maternal mortality rates were high and a child might live with two, three or even more stepmothers before she herself embarked on the perilous career of motherhood” (1990, p. xix). Even with the present-day low rates of maternal mortality, the danger of the world and the unpredictability of life remain. Storytelling is a human way of coping with the hardship and complexity of life; the theme of loss and the cycle of life are crucial to children's mental health.

Dumbo's Flight

Dumbo's flight is particularly fascinating. In contrast to European literary themes that Disney inherited through the tradition of children's literature, it is the most “American” in terms of its social and political assumptions. It dramatizes the idea that, if one finds one's own individuality and strength, one can rise above hostile circumstances and become successful. It encourages children to pursue their dreams and live up to their potential. Structurally, Dumbo's flight requires a character who is socially unpopular and/or emotionally confused.

Like Dumbo, not knowing what to do with his life, the character will go through a painful process of self-realization. When the dream is realized, the character will surprise the crowd in triumph. Dumbo's flight does not recur very often in Walt Disney's films because Disney's mantra is more about “never giving up your dream” than about actually “realizing your dream.” Nevertheless, this theme will eventually become central to contemporary Disney girl culture.

The Cinderella Fantasy

Similar to Dumbo's flight, the Cinderella fantasy is about coping with hostile circumstances; however, unlike Dumbo, Cinderella finds love rather than a career. Like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella is passive. She has a good heart but no ambition. Escape, not success, is the incentive.

Unlike the case with Alice, the ordinary little girl who finds selfcontrol in dreamland, Cinderella's journey is incomplete without her Prince Charming. Although this theme has been heavily criticized for presenting a passive model of femininity to girl viewers, in Walt Disney's defense, he did not produce many princess stories in his lifetime, even though the box office receipts suggested that they had universal appeal. Loved by the public, the Cinderella fantasy is a dream of glamour, a fantasy about transcending the meritocracy of modern life through wish fulfillment in the imaginary space.

But first off, some generic Anime terms that are important or useful to understand.
Anime: While in Japan, it refers to animation in general, in other countries it refers specifically to the animation style of Japan. The topics, genre, and aim of the series are highly variable. The age category of the viewers is likewise designed to range from children to young adults and hitting everywhere in between.

AMV: Anime Music Video. These are fan videos which take either one or several anime and place the animation to music. They are considered by many to be an artform to themselves. See animemusicvideo.org for more info.

Bishonen/Bishoujo: Beautiful boy/girl resp. These are specifically characters who are designed to be attractive. Bishonen characters are normally drawn with feminine frames, while bishoujo characters are normally physically attractive characters who are young in age.

Doujinshi: This is a fan based work that is normally put into a manga format. However, the actual range is anything from manga to video games.

Eroge: A game in Japan which features sexual content, usually as anime. This is found very often in the Visual Novel format, hence the association.

Fanfiction: Fiction written using characters from the intellectual property of an established plot and universe. The authors do not claim rights to the characters, but use the story as a means of expression or as a means to manipulate series as they wish it to happen.

Fansubs: These are fan based creations in which an individual or group will take an anime in an unedited Japanese recording (called a RAW) and will translate the dialogue and place subtitles with a video editor. While they are often considered a ‘gray area' of legality, websites which distribute these will cease if they receive a request from official distributers.

Harem Anime: Despite the sound, it is normally not a single character having sexual relations with numerous others. It is instead normally a single character (normally male, but not always) who is being romantically pursued by numerous members of the opposite gender. It is usually within the realm of reason (4-5) but some can get utterly ridiculous in number (see Maho Sensei Negima).

Hentai/H/Ecchi: Hentai is Japanese for Pervert. These are all different terms for sexual content which features anime style characters. They normally have different associations. Hentai is normally ‘hardcore' in nature, while H content is normally found in games. Ecchi is mostly associated with softcore, sometimes non nude, content. Also, all of these are the reason to put on safe search whenever you are using Google for anime images -_-.

Magic Girl: A character who is a normal girl, often a student, who will transform into an alternate persona in order to fight whatever happens to be the villain of the series.

Manga: Manga is a Japanese type of comic or graphic novel. They are almost all in black and white inked drawings, and a good deal of anime is based off of these (or the other way around).

Mecha: Giant piloted humanoid robots. Many anime focus upon these mecha and their pilots.

Otaku: Japanese for Nerd. The implications in America is someone who really likes anime or other Japanese media forms. It has a much more negative connotation in Japan.

Scanlations: The same process as fansubs, but with manga instead.

Seiyu: Japanese word for voice actor or actress.

Shonen/Shoujo: These refer specifically to anime which is aimed at boys and girls, respectively. They often feature an underdog type character of the respective gender who nevertheless rises to become equal to or surpassing their superior rivals.

Subs: Subtitles. A good number of anime connoisseurs will only watch anime in the original Japanese with subtitles. The reasons are varied, the most often heard reason is the superiority of the voice actors in Japan.

Visual Novel: This is a form of video game in Japan. They are very much akin to a choose your own adventure story such as those found in books in the USA. They normally feature a background picture with characters in the foreground whose expressions change as their mood does. Text is usually displayed in a box at the bottom of the screen with choices to make at intervals. They are associated normally with Eroge games (see above), but are not necessarily all erotic in nature.

Yaoi/Yuri: Homosexual relationships, male and female respectively. May or may not be sexualized.

These are basic terms, and will often crop up in forums. I find knowing the ‘naughty' terms helps for purposes of avoidance tactics (though I purposefully avoid telling some individuals ^_^).

 

This is a compilation of some of the anime that I have really enjoyed over the years. I have been watching anime now for over half my life. The first I ever saw was Tekkaman, followed by My Neighbor Totoro. While most of these are easily findable and hardly rare, they are great for those looking to get into the anime experience (or parents who have absolutely no idea what their kids are talking about).

10 Anime That You Absolutely Must See:

1. The Films of Hayao Miyazaki
   
   
   

   These are my main arguments for the concept of anime as art. My Neighbor Totoro was one of the first anime I had ever seen. The tape kicked the bucket long since, but I still fervently follow Miyazaki. He is a truly phenomenal artist. The two that I recommend above all others are Spirited Away and Totoro. Howl's Moving Castle is significant as well, and is especially fun when you realize Christian Bale is the voice actor of the main hero. As for Totoro...well, look at him! How can you not love the giant raccoon/squirrel/panda hybrid?

2. The Films of Makoto Shinkai
   
   
   

   This man is a genius. He has been hailed by many as the next Miyazaki, and I fully agree with them. His first breakthrough, Voices of a Distant Star, is a sentimental, heart tugging piece. It becomes more impressive upon the discovery that he did the entire piece on his Macintosh home computer, with only himself and his fiancée as the voice actors and his friend composing the music. I especially recommend 5 Centimeters per Second. It is a down to earth, brilliant story of love, friendship, and separation. It also has the dubious honor of being one of the few anime that I have written a fan fiction for.

3. Mobile Suit Gundam
   
   
   

   Gundam has become almost eponymous with the concept of a large human robot with large guns and a beam sword. The original work, Mobile Suit Gundam, is a decided classic of the anime world. It has since seen several sequels and spinoffs. The first set I watched was New Mobile Report: Gundam Wing, which I still feel is one of the better of the spinoff titles. The only other spinoff that I have had much fun with was Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. I, along with many fans, site this as possibly the best spin off of the series. Gundam SEED is the other anime with a dubious honor of being good enough, yet incomplete enough that I wrote a fan fiction for it. The most recent title is Gundam 00, which, aside from sounding a little too James Bond, is one of the more favorably received, with a second season currently in the works. I recommend beginning with Mobile Suit Gundam, unless you find the animation too old fashioned, in which case I cannot recommend Gundam SEED highly enough.
   

4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
   
   
   

   This series is often one of the first recommended on internet forums, and for good reason. The anime is a good example of a series that does it right. The humor is witty, the story is compelling and quirky, and the characters are all wonderfully unique. It is not serious in any real way, though it can fool you at times. This is another anime that experimented, in this case with the Light Novel, a short novel with pictures added in for effect. This is an amazing series and I agree with people who say to watch this when hunting for a new anime.

5. Last Exile
   
   
   

   I'm not sure how popular this is on the net, but it was one of my personal favorites. The setting is unique, something that most anime don't strive for, in a steampunk world of airships and a war that has continued for too long. The characters are interesting, the plot is compelling, and the animation and the way CG and hand drawing works together in this series is well worth the purchase.

6. Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X
   
   
   

   I class these as one set because they are all really just one long series. Trust and Betrayal are the initial story, then Rurouni Kenshin, and finally Reflections. This is the series if you want sword action. But it's more than that. It is a real look at the quality of the human condition and how far one man would go to seek redemption. It is a beautifully told story, with the action complementing the story rather than being the focus.

7. Gankutsuou:The Count of Monte Cristo

   
   
   This is a series which I picked up on a whim and fell in love with. The story of the Count is retold in a space opera setting. Before you think "what the hell," pick up at watch the first episode. The series has a few hallmarks, including a unique animating style, a decently accurate retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, and despite the fact that you can likely see the plot twists coming, they will still throw most people for a loop.

8. Ghost in the Shell
   
   
   

   This is one of those anime that takes a while to get your brain around. Quite aside from being complex, it is a real revolutionary piece. One of the classical dystopian stories of control, human advancement, and the relation of humanity and technology. Note that the movie does have spattered periodic nudity as the main heroine's cloak doesn't work through clothes... Other works by Masamune Shirow are likewise quite good. Appleseed is another one that I would recommend if this movie fails to confuse you.

9. Fate/Stay Night
   
   
   

   This is a wonderful anime based off of a visual novel. The story is compelling and complex, with characters that I absolutely fell in love with. It has a great blend of humor, action, romance, and drama. It is something of a cult hit (the cult being anime lovers.). Absolutely brilliant.

10. Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children
    
    

    Where do I begin? This is the sequel to the game Final Fantasy 7 for the Playstation. It is a completely original work and it took years to develop it. It has the best CG animation this side of Pixar and the characters are amazing. The fight scenes are also spectacular.

 

Honorable Mention: Full Metal Panic

It's hard for me not to love on this series. It has a lot of humor, a lot of action, cutting edge animation, and a story that strikes me as either the most brilliant or the most stereotypical I have ever seen. I highly recommend watching it, but only if you like action.

Series not yet completed That I Still Recommend:

These series have not finished yet, but I still enjoy them immensely and I think other's might as well.

Bleach: This is a fun series, with enough twists and turns to leave me dizzy. I might recommend the manga over the actual anime, as the added scenarios in the anime (fillers) can get exhausting and confusing. However, the plot itself is compelling, with the normal shonen cast of characters that bounce between funny and serious depending on the situation at hand. The characters are varied, but most are not especially deep.

D. Gray Man: This is a funny little anime I picked up in manga form first. This anime so far has been amazing. The characters are well thought out, the action is top notch, and the plot twists keep me on a roller coaster through the whole thing.

Hellsing OVA: This is complex. There is a completed Hellsing anime that finished some time ago. However, there is a new series called Hellsing Ultimate with updated graphics, more manga-accurate storyline, and featuring a bit more in terms of character development.

Anime I have not seen but come highly recommended:

• Chrono Crusade
  
• Code Geass
  
• Fullmetal Alchemist
  
• Galaxy Angel
  
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
  
• Ranma ½
  
• Robotech

Anime for Fun: This section is dedicated to anime that, while not particularly deep or motivational, I still found immensely fun.

Vandread: Two planets locked in a war, one composed entirely of men, the other entirely of women. And this is the plot launcher. While it sounds like the setting for a hentai show, hold that inner critic. Yes, the show uses crude humor a lot, but the general ignorance of the characters involved just makes it that much more hilarious. Lots of action, lots of boys being boys, and girls having fun. Again, not deep, not something I would recommend to critics, but a lot of laughs.

Mahou Sensei Negima!: Allow me to say that this is a cute anime, though it can be classified nicely as a bit immature, and at worst as downright crude at times. Ignoring the fact that there is a middle school class full of girls who are a bit too eager to remove their clothes for their ten year old teacher, the series is a lot of laughs. Thirty students with quirky and funny personalities, and Negi, the titular character following in his father's footsteps makes for one fun anime.

Lucky Star: This is a cute little anime. Very funny, but I recommend watching other series first to better understand the humor that goes into it.

Azumanga Dioh!: This is a hilarious anime following the lives of a group of girls. To say the least, they are a unique bunch, keeping the teachers out of it even. The show is really quite pointless, with very episodic scenarios. It is amazingly funny and I still point people here for when they need a good laugh.

School Rumble!: This series actually rates rather high on my list, though it is really just a barrel of laughs. It is mainly a parody of...well, most everything, actually. The issue with me saying I don't like parts of it is that they may overemphasize parts that most people don't like. Amazingly good, comedic from start to finish.
Caramelldansen: Just go to youtube, enter the title, and enjoy the frames of animation these provide.

Anime to Understand Anime:

Dragonball: This is not actually high on my list of good anime, but it's hard to argue against the overall importance that the anime has had on North American audiences especially. For a quick summary, Son Goku is an alien called a Saiyen living on earth. The series follows his various fights, adventures, and more fights. If you ever wonder why some characters have glowing yellow hair, it's very likely due to this series.

Naruto: Naruto is quickly becoming the new shonen series to follow. I followed the anime up until they decided to take a year or two off from the manga's story and create their own subset. This is the inspiration for ninja-esque anime. I still continue to read the manga, though even that has begun to gradually lose appeal.

One Piece: Oh yes...the pirate anime. I find the animation a little annoying, and the fact that the cast is extensive to the point of idiocy, not helped at all by the fact that all the characters stay alive. I find it tiring to continue watching (or reading) this particular story. Still, it has mass popularity, and if you like quirky, this is it.

Inuyasha: This one I actually rather enjoy and it's educational. Everyone wins! The series will give a lot of the stereotypes for animes that continue to crop up, in particular character archtypes.

Games to Understand Anime:

There are a select few video games that are really helpful in knowing if you will enjoy anime. Not only that, if you like anime, you'll probably like these.
Metal Gear Solid: This series has spanned every platform except the X-Box and recently released its final installment for the Playstation 3. It features one of the most in depth cast of characters of any media I have ever seen. The cutscenes are lengthy, and the story is told mostly through them. Solid Snake and his merry band have attained status among gamers that is legendary. Try it out. There are worse ways to spend your time.

The Tales Series (Tales of Symphonia, etc): These feature characters which are very anime-esque. The style, story and everything all feel like anime to me. I particularly enjoyed Tales of Symphonia, which, ironically enough, has its own anime series that is currently going on. Play these if you find yourself enjoying the anime.

JRPGs:

Japanese RPGs. Simply put, any RPG to come from Japan. I would hit up Final Fantasy at least in order to understand the hype a little better (or put it into perspective).

Manga vs. Anime:

A question I get asked a lot is do I like manga or anime more. To be honest, I often side with manga over anime, but then I'm a student of literature and like to read. Generally speaking, manga has a tendency to be the storyteller's intended story without addition or reduction. Anime, on the other hand, has a soundtrack and is easier to watch for long periods of time (both of which I consider positives). Generally speaking, manga is released before the anime, though this is becoming reversed in some cases, and may continue after the anime ends, Inuyasha being a good example.

There are also some differences in which the series completely differs based on which media one is indulging in. The best example I know of is Full Metal Alchemist, in which the manga and anime go in completely different directions.

In the end, I feel that each has its own benefits. But there is no manga form of 5 Centimeters Per Second, so I will always have a reason to see anime.

In conclusion:

Anime is without a doubt one of the single greatest influences on me as a person. Some basic lessons like never give up and respect yourself for who you are can be found in them, while also being genuinely entertaining and occasionally seeking at even deeper meanings. I hope this list can help you out.

Note: I take no credit for the pictures. I found them through Google.

But while there are plenty of anime-based properties on the way to sate fans' curiosities, there are plenty more anime titles out there that could get the live action treatment, provided a proper script is written and the right director chosen. So here's a list of some of those titles that deserve an adaptation, along with how they should be done and who should do them. Hollywood, take notes so you can do your jobs.

TRIGUN

The Anime:

Far into the future, on the distant planet of Gunsmoke where a “Wild West”-style civilization has risen up, the most wanted and dangerous man alive is Vash the Stampede, a gunslinger so dangerous that he has a 60,000,000,000 double-dollar bounty on his head for destroying the entire city of July. But in reality, Vash is peace-loving goofball who refuses to kill, no matter how dangerous things get. With bounty hunters after him and insurance agents Meryl and Millie and gun-toting priest Nicolas D. Wolfwood at his side, Vash travels the land looking for Knives, a man with a mysterious connection with him, while Knives sends his own agents, the Gung-Ho Guns, to either kill Vash or make him do the one thing he doesn't want to: kill.

The Movie

Making a “Trigun” movie would be rather easy, providing the story takes its primary basis from the anime, which told a more straight-forward story as compared to Yashiro Nightow's original manga. The movie itself would actually be a trilogy of films, which many sci-fi, fantasy and westerns are done best as. Each film would focus on a different act of the story. Film 1 would, of course, introduce Vash and the rest of the cast as he tries to survive a bounty hunter's plot to take him down. Film 2 would start to get into the main part of the story, introducing the Gung-ho Guns as they attack Vash and endanger those around him. The third and final film would reveal Vash's origin and his connection to Knives, leading up to their final confrontation.

As for directing this project, who better and more qualified than Robert Rodriguez? He's done western-style films with his “Mexican” trilogy, which also sported tricked out and hidden weapons, which “Trigun” has aplenty, such as Wolfwood's giant cross that contains a small arsenal of guns and later converts into a massive machine gun. He's done sci-fi comedy with the “Spy Kids” films, and he's done comic book adaptations with “Sin City”. He could even film the “Trigun” movies the same way, with the actors on a green-screen soundstage and the backgrounds added in later with CGI. Given some of the odd visuals of the original story, this might be a necessity.

GUNSMITH CATS/RIDING BEAN

The Anime:

This is actually two different anime, but both feature similar characters and were created by Kenichi Sonoda. “Gunsmith Cats” focuses on the adventures of bounty hunter Rally Vincent, as she hunts down dangerous criminals with her almost-unmatched skill with a gun and her bomb-toting partner, “Minnie” May Hopkins. “Riding Bean”, a one-shot OAV Sonoda created earlier, featured wheelman-for-hire Bean Bandit using his tricked out muscle car, the Road Buster, to outrun police and clear his name out of a kidnapping plot. It also featured an early version of Rally, who was Bean's partner in the OAV, while the “Gunsmith Cats” manga has Bean as a recurring supporting character who Rally and May frequently butted heads with. While its not sure how the two are connected (especially since Rally in the “Bean” OAV is blond and white while in “Gunsmith Cats” she has dark hair and skin), both are enjoyed by fans.

The Movie:

It wouldn't be too hard to adapt this one for American audiences, considering both stories are already set in America, Chicago, to be precise! Hollywood's best bet would be to first make a “Gunsmith Cats” movie, perhaps adapting the first volume of Sonoda's original manga with Rally and May chasing dangerous brother and sister gunrunners Bonnie and Clyde and Bean Bandit involved as the hired wheelman, but playing a bigger role than he did in the original manga. And while sequels for “Cats” would be a must depending on the first film's success, there could also be a “Riding Bean” spin-off, with Bean on his own solo adventure, either doing an original story or even adapting and expanding the original OAV. And to direct a film that has lots of guns and plenty of fast cars (Rally drives a tricked out Shelby GT Cobra), there's no better man qualified than Rob Cohen, director of “The Fast and the Furious”. And before anyone suggest Vin Diesel or Jason Stratham to possibly play ultra-cool badass Bean (a role both men are qualified for), bear in mind Bean has hair, and both actors look their best bald, not to mention there's Stratham's rather heavy British accent.

BUBBLEGUM CRISIS

The Anime:

In the year 2032, ten years after a devastating earthquake, the city of MegaTokyo is all but run by the powerful Genom Corporation with its humanoid robots known as “Boomers”. But sometimes Boomers go bad, rampaging through the streets, and no one, not even the AD Police, can really stop them. No one, that is, except the Knight Sabers, a group of four women in advanced hi-tech armor. Led by Sylia Stingray, daughter of the murdered creator of the Boomers, the Knight Sabers -- consisting of tough biker-rocker Priss, athletic Linna and cute computer hacker Nene -- fight to take down Genom and its leader, Quincy, while doing the occasional mercenary jobs and fighting other enemies who threaten MegaTokyo. A hit OAV series that helped launch the anime invasion, it was recently followed up with a TV series remake, “Bubblegum Crisis 2040", which sported new character designs and a few new mysteries.

The Movie:

Dystopian, high tech future societies are a common theme in Hollywood, and the “BGC” anime takes a lot of cues from one of the best, “Blade Runner”. Naturally, Ridley Scott would be considered the best choice to direct the movie version, as would maybe James Cameron. But Scott may not want to rehash what he already did with “Blade Runner”, and fans may want Cameron to finish up his adaptation of “Battle Angel” first. So that leaves perhaps another good choice in Alex Proyas, director of “The Crow” and the recent “I, Robot”, the latter of which also took place in a future society where robots are commonplace. For effects, there's only one man to do it, and that's Stan Winston, who did the effects for both the “Terminator” movies and the upcoming “Iron Man” and can tackle humanoid robots and powered armor in one movie. The story itself would mainly take its cues from the original OAV, satisfying a lot of the purist fans, but still mix in some stuff from the “2040" TV series. Perhaps the first in a series of films, it would focus on the Knight Sabers being assembled and their first missions, with their clashing personalities threatening to drive the team apart at the worst possible time. Casting would be a bit difficult, especially for the part of Priss, as we'd need an actress who do tough and also sing. Though as long as they don't get Lindsay Lohan, it'd be good.

COWBOY BEBOP

The Anime:

In the not-so-distant future, man has spread out across the solar system, terraforming and colonizing the other planets and using hyperspace gates to travel about in ships both commercial and private. One such ship is the Bebop, whose crew work as bounty hunters, hunting down criminals and collecting the rewards. The jobs are hard enough, and the interactions of this bunch -- ex-mobster Spike, gruff ex-cop Jet, sneaky and greedy Faye and quirky computer hacker Ed -- don't make them any easier. Especially since Spike would like nothing more than to find his missing love Julia and settle an old score with his former friend, Vicious. Sporting a jazzy soundtrack and lots of intrigue and gunplay, the series was a hit in both Japan and America and is still considering by many to perhaps be the best anime of all time.

The Movie:

A live-action movie seems like a no-brainer for this title, especially if John Woo were to be involved as either the director or even as a producer to help guide the action. Given the episodic nature of the series, it would be tough to adapt any particular story, but rather instead to more or less do an original tale that focuses on a job started by Spike and Jet that also gets Faye and Ed involved and the group forced to work together. Since there's only so much you can get into a couple of hours, the subplot involving Julia and Vicious would not be a focus, but could be hinted at and/or even referred to in flashbacks to set up for sequels. Effects, of course, would be done by Industrial Light and Magic, who made their niche doing sci-fi effects involving space ships and the battles that follow. Casting for this one would also be a tough one, save of course for Ein, the Welsh Corgi that serves as the show's mascot.

DEATH NOTE

The Anime:

Bored genius Light Yagami finds a Death Note, a tool of the shinigami (“death gods”) that can end the life of whoever's name is written in it. Quickly discovering its power, Light goes to work killing off the criminals of the world, but soon attracts the attention of the police and the mysterious detective known only as L, who is determined to prove that Light is the killer. What follows is a twisted game of cat-and-mouse as Light and L try to outsmart one another, and it soon becomes clear that there are others who have Death Notes of their own. A huge hit in both manga and anime form, currently enjoying a successful run on the late night Adult Swim line-up.

The Movie:

“Death Note” has already been made into not one, but TWO hit live action movies in Japan, both of which will be released in America by VIZ Media. So it wouldn't be a surprise if Hollywood were to do an Americanized remake, given its recent habit of doing such. There is, of course, too much of the original story to cram into one movie, so perhaps a short series of films would work, chronicling different acts of the story from Light's discovery of the Death Note and L's involvement and so forth. Main characters Light and L would most likely be cast by unknowns, a trick that more than often works, while the shinigami, in particularly Light's guide Ryuk, would be done using motion capture CGI in the same vein as Gollum or the Silver Surfer. As for a director, a Japanese one would work, but perhaps one who is experienced in doing suspenseful, psychological cat-and-mouse thrillers would be best, such as David Finch of “Seven” fame.

GUYVER

The Anime:

While walking through the woods one day, teenager Sho Fukamachi discovers the Guyver unit, an alien bio-booster armor that bonds with him and grants him extraordinary weapons and abilities. Now Sho must use those powers to protect himself and his friends from the Chronos Corporation, who will stop at nothing to get the Guyver back and use it in their plans to take over the world using their genetic creations, the Zoanoids. The original twelve-part OAV series helped launch the anime invasion, and it recently got new life by being made into a new TV series.

The Movie:

“The Guyver” was made into a live-action, direct-to-video film back in the "90s that most anime purists avoid but still has a cult following, enough to get a sequel that sported improved special effects and action. And given Hollywood"s knack for rebooting franchises that desperately needed it, it wouldn't be a stretch to start fresh with “Guyver” and create a film that stayed closer to the original story. Both CGI and old-fashioned prosthetics would help bring both the Guyver and the Zoanoids (which would resemble more their anime counterparts rather than the goofy-looking anime hybrids of the previous films) to life in a way that would both amaze and frighten audiences. Special effects whiz Rick Baker would be the best choice for this, having proved his talents in such films as “The Thing” and “Men in Black”. For the director, who better than Guillermo del Toro, who fought long and hard to make sure “Hellboy” stayed true to the original comic and would do the same for “Guyver”, and has a knack for films that feature freaky and fantastic monsters?

READ OR DIE

The Anime:

Substitute teacher and book fanatic Yomiko Readman is more than she appears. She's also an agent for the Special Operations Division of the British Library, whose job it is to protect literacy and to make sure certain books don't fall into the wrong hands. Codenamed the Paper, Yomiko uses her ability to manipulate paper into any shape she wants to battle terrorists alongside Nancy Makuhari, aka “Miss Deep” for her ability to move through solid objects, and tough-as-nails commando Drake Anderson. The group fought against clones of famous historical figures such as Beethoven and Matta Hari in the original OAV, while a spin-off TV series featured the Paper Sisters, a group of girls with powers similar to Yoriko.

The Movie:

It would be “James Bond meets the X-Men” in a live action version of this popular title. The plot would be rather simple, more or less adapting the OAV in the plot of using a rare book that has plans to conquer/destroy the world, but maybe leaving out the ideas of historical clones. The movies could also adapt the original light novels written by Hideyuki Kurata, perhaps even Yomiko's first mission when she's recruited by the British Library Special Ops Division. Naturally, CGI would be used for Yomiko's paper manipulating abilities, from either simple flocks of birds to paper airplanes the size of an F-18. With such crazy action and effects, this sounds like something the Wachowski Brothers could do following “Speed Racer”. Casting would be tricky (especially for the part of Yomiko, as we'd need an actress who's both cute and kinda mousy), but the part of Drake could be done by Dolph Lundgren, who has more than enough experience playing bad-ass soldier types and could get his career a jumpstart with the role.

BLACK LAGOON

The Anime:

When average joe salaryman Rokuro Okajima heads to the city of Roanapur in Thailand to deliver a disk for his company, he ends up kidnapped by members of the mercenary group known as Lagoon Company, who are after the disk as part of a job. When his boss abandons him to cover up the company's criminal activities, Rokuro (nicknamed “Rock”) joins Lagoon Company, proving himself as a translator and negotiator. Of course, he's still a bit overwhelmed by the fights the group gets into all the time and the methods used by Revy, the sexy but deadly muscle of Lagoon Company. A recent hit from Studio Madhouse (“Hellsing Ultimate”) with plenty of action and gunplay that made it a fan favorite in America.

The Movie:

Tons of military-style action and gunfights? Yep, a “Black Lagoon” movie, directed by maybe Michael Davis of “Shoot "Em Up” fame would be perfect for a live action, U.S. version. The plot would be easy to do; focus it on Rock"s (who could still be Japanese rather than American) arrival in Roanapur and his assignment, his kidnapping by Lagoon Company and the need to find out what's really on the disc that so many people want to kill for it. Naturally, you couldn't cram all the other mercenary groups, such as the Church of Violence or the Aryan Socialist Union, into one movie, so some could be saved for sequels.

As for the cast, that part might actually be easy. Megan Fox, who we already know looks good in a tank top and super-short cut-offs, would be great to play Revy, and would also give her a chance to kick ass with a pair of Beretta handguns. In contrast, her “Transformers” co-star Shia LeBeouf could play Rock, allowing the two to switch off the sidekick role this time around. Carl Weathers or Ving Rhames could come on to play Dutch, Lagoon Company's seasoned leader, while Owen Wilson could play Benny, the group's resident mechanic and computer guy. For the role of Balalaika, Natasha Henstridge could pull off playing the sexy yet scarred Russian Mafia boss.

HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES

The Anime:

At school, Yukino Miyazawa is the prettiest and smartest girl in her class, but at home she's a slob who studies rather than spend time with her sisters. When new student Soichiro Arima appears to challenge her position, Yukino fights to destroy and keep her spot. Eventually, the two manage to see past each other's faults and fall in love, and have to struggle to keep their relationship against those who want to break them up, such as friends, family, rivals and even their own school, who fear a decline in the grades of their top students.

The Movie:

Yeah, its more a dramatic comedy and doesn't have any guns or explosions, but this could be something different for Hollywood to do and appeal to the “chick flick” crowd. They'd end up changing a lot in terms of locale and names to Americanize it, but a “His and Her Circumstances” movie would fit right up there with all the other high school romance comedies that are all the rage. It wouldn't be too hard to work the plot into a 90-minute movie, which would chronicle the two main characters meeting, competing, falling in love and dealing with those who want to break them up. This, perhaps, could be something Kevin Smith could do, as it is a comic-based project and he has experience with romantic comedies with “Chasing Amy”. The cast, of course, would mainly consist of relative unknowns, probably plucked from TV shows like “The O.C.” or “One Tree Hill”.

MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH

The Anime:

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are three girls from different schools and backgrounds, but are all suddenly transported to the magical world of Cephiro, where they must become the legendary Magic Knights and save Princess Emeraude, who has been captured by High Priest Zagato. But as they gather powers and weapons, gain allies and battle enemies, the girls learn not all is what it seems in terms of the situation and who the villains really are. Created by CLAMP, the girls behind “Card Captor Sakura”, this “Lord of the Rings”-style fantasy tale is one of their better-known titles.

The Movie:

Fantasy's big in America, so a “Rayearth” (they'll probably simply call it that and leave out the “Magic Knight” part) film could be easy to do. The story itself was done in a pair of three-volume stories, so a pair (maybe a trilogy?) of films could be done, the first focusing on the girls becoming the Magic Knights and their original quest, while the sequel would focus on their return to Cephiro to help rectify their actions. Peter Jackson, who's used to doing big-scale epics such as “Lord of the Rings”, would be a good choice to direct, with WETA, the effects guys for “Rings” and the upcoming “Evangelion” movie, to handle the creature and machine effects for the movie. Casting for the girls would be done by unknowns, while better-known actors could handle characters such as Zagato (Viggo Mortensen, maybe?)

And there you have it. Ten potential title Hollywood could do, right off the bat. Success of the already established and upcoming films, as well as getting the film rights, could determine their potential, but that's still plenty to work with. All fans can do is sit and wait with their fingers crossed.