⚠️ This review for Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland will have spoilers ⚠️
—Story/Characters
The story incorporates elements of both storybook dreamlands and Greek mythology. Probably the weakest link of the story is how transparent the plot is, as soon as King Morpheus gave Nemo the key, there was a voice in my head that screamed, "That little boy is going to mess everything up, isn't he?" The iteration of Morpheus in Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland resembles the description of the god in Ovid's Metamorphoses, with his ability to manifest into a human form, rather than simply being a formless entity. From his first appearance, to the irresponsibility he displays at the gala (after Nemo and Flip unleash the wrath of The Nightmare King), the mighty ruler is simply written off as an old oaf.
I give Little Nemo the same benefit of the doubt as I give other children's films, but it does seem odd that a king, the ruler of all sleep and dreams, would entrust a little boy with the power of an entire dimension and leave him alone with his only daughter, Princess Camille, after barely knowing him. It's similar to openness of Mufasa's trust towards the insidious Scar in The Lion King, except Scar was actually Mufasa's brother and not some random kid from another world. Nemo's decision-making was similar to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter—the protagonist makes the worst decisions imaginable, as a device to progress the plot forward.
Princess Camille exists to put the buffoonish men in their place, but her stubbornness alone isn't enough to prevent Slumberland from being plunged into darkness. The adorable sugar glider, Icarus, is often proven to have more sense than his human owner. I would say the crux of the film is a) not many of the characters are able to employ logic, and b) some scenes seem to drag on too long towards the end.
—Technical
Luna's Favorite Works by Each Respective Creator = ✅
Masami Hata (director), notable works:
* Aesop's World
* Anime TV de Hakken! Tamagotchi
* Chirin no Suzu ✅
* DT Eightron
* Elmer no Boken: My Father's Dragon
* Go! Ina Junior High Ping-Pong Club
* Nayuta ✅
* Mouse Story: The Adventures of George and Gerald
* The Sea Prince and the Fire Child
* Stitch!
* Super Mario Brothers: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen
* The Tale of Osamu Tezuka: I'm Son Goku
* Yōsei Florence
Commentary: Apparently, Hayao Miyazaki was working on this film, alongside Mr. Hata, but left mid-way through the production. It makes you wonder how different Little Nemo could have been, if he had stayed on! The main issues with the directing was the pacing. I have had similar issues with Mr. Hata's other films, The Sea Prince and the Fire Child and Nayuta specifically struggled in this regard, Chirin no Suzu didn't struggle with pacing as much because it was a very short film.
Mœbius (character designs), notable works:
As Jean Giraud
* Blueberry
* La Jeunesse de Blueberry
* Jim Cutlass
* Marshal Blueberry
* XIII
As Mœbius
* Arzach
* The Airtight Garage
* The Incal
* Les Maîtres du temps
* Le Monde d'Edena
* Silver Surfer
* Après l'Incal
* Icare
* The Halo Graphic Novel
Commentary: The original comics for Little Nemo, known as Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, are polychromatic and surreal. The choice to hire Mœbius as the designer of the project was perfect, because his comics have the same kind of perspective, detail, and richness put into their panels! Mœbius is one of the most prolific artists out there. Dragon's Heaven (an anime and manga, originally created by the mangaka, Makoto Kobayashi) has a similar ambience to his Mr. Giraud's bibliography, it's clear that the creator of the OVA was heavily influenced by his art.
I watched Little Nemo with the English dub, so I will list the Japanese seiyū, but comments will be on the performances of the English voice actors.
Takuma Gōno as Nemo, notable roles:
* Badrinath Harchand, Kidō Keisatsu Patlabor
* Yūjirou Ishida, Yawara!
Gabriel Damon as Nemo, notable roles:
* R.H. Sarnac, Call to Glory
* Bobby Mynes, Amazing Stories
* Lyle, Punky Brewster
* Timmy Frankel, Diff'rent Strokes
* Simon Flynn, Riptide
* Roger Hatton, One Big Family
* Mark, Webster
* Joel Forbes, Convicted
* Tommy, Our House
* Mati, Terminus
* Little Cornelius, Who's the Boss?
* Willie, Journey to Spirit Island
* Cody McKussic, Tequila Sunrise
* Littlefoot, The Land Before Time ✅
* Tod, Baywatch
* Jeremy Aster, Star Trek: The Next Generation
* Kenny, Growing Pains
* Hob, RoboCop 2
* Tommy, ER
Commentary: I really liked Mr. Damon's role as Littlefoot in The Land Before Time, he is able to convey the same innocence and defiance in that character as he did with young Nemo! Great work!
Kenji Utsumi as King Morpheus, notable roles:
* Senbei Norimaki, Dr. Slump
* Shen Long, Dragon Ball ✅
* Alex Louise Armstrong, Fullmetal Alchemist ✅
* Yoisho, Gamba no Bōken
* Kenji Kamogawa, Hajime no Ippo
* Raō, Hokuto no Ken ✅
* Zodd Nosferatu, Berserk ✅
* Braiking Boss, Shinzō Ningen Casshern ✅

Bernard Erhard as King Morpheus, notable roles:
* Munkar, Deathstalker
* Cy-Kill, GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords
* Wolf, Rover Dangerfield
Commentary: I have never seen anything that Mr. Erhard has done previously, but his voice was suited for King Morpheus. He has a very booming and jolly voice. I could kind of imagine his voice actor doing a performance as Santa Claus!
Hiroko Kasahara as Princess Camille, notable roles:
* Naomi Armitage, Armitage III ✅
* Maron Namikaze, Assemble Insert
* Seara Arisugawa, Baby☆Love
* Ami Kurimoto, DNA²
* Katue Pearson, Ginga Hyōryū Vifam
* Ishtar, Macross II: Lovers Again ✅
* Fū Hōōji, Magic Knight Rayearth ✅
* Mint, Mahō no Angel Sweet Mint
* Newtar, Master of Epic: The Animation Age
* Ryo Narahara, Megazone 23
* Yukina Kurimoto, Seraphim Call
* Saori Fujimura, Tanjō: Debut
Laura Mooney as Princess Camille, notable roles:
* None
Commentary: Ms. Mooney hasn't had any other notable roles, but she did a magnificent job at conveying Princess Camille's sass!
Chikao Otsuka as Flip, notable roles:
* Piemon and Apocalymon, Digimon Adventure ✅
* Tao Pai Pai, Dragonball
* Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Lupin III ✅
* Professor Moriarty, Meitantei Holmes ✅
* Boshu, Legendary Gambler Tetsuya
* Ivo Robotnik, Sonic X ✅
* Tora, Ushio to Tora
Mickey Rooney as Flip, notable roles:
* Harvey, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva
* Gus, Night at the Museum
* Santa, The Happy Elf
* Sparkey, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure
* Fugly Floom, Babe: Pig in the City ✅
* Archibald, Time Bandits
* Adult Tod, The Fox and the Hound ✅
* Santa Claus, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
* Lampie, Pete's Dragon
* Santa Claus, The Year Without Santa Claus
* Scarecrow, Journey Back to Oz
Commentary: I knew of Mickey Rooney before watching this film. I mean, how could you not. He's one of the biggest, classically celebrated, Hollywood names! Disney's The Fox and the Hound is one of my favorite films of all time, his voice as the grown-up Tod was really compelling and heart-breaking. His role in this film is not like that, at all. Flip is the sleaziest grifter out there and his greasy behavior leads Nemo astray. His character reminded me of the "talent recruiters" in Disney's Pinnochio!
Kōichi Kitamura as Professor Genius, notable roles:
* Murao Mima, Key the Metal Idol
René Auberjonois as Professor Genius, notable roles:
* Father John Patrick "Dago Red" Mulcahy, M*A*S*H
* Roy Bagley, King Kong (1976)
* Colonel West, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
* Dr. Burton, Batman Forever
Commentary: I don't remember any of Mr. Auberjonois characters in his other films, I have seen Batman Forever and miscellaneous episodes of M*A*S*H on TV, but I don't remember him. He plays his role very well. The English cast for this film seems to have been carefully curated, to fit each role. It's impressive!
Tarō Ishida as The Nightmare King, notable roles:
* Shikishima, Akira ✅
* Tenkai, Kamui no Ken
* Lazare d' Cagliostro, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro ✅
William E. Martin as The Nightmare King, notable roles:
* Broadside, The Transformers
* Claw, Karate Kommandos
* Samhain, The Real Ghostbusters
* Shredder, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ✅
Commentary: I think that it's amazing that The Nightmare King is Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Mr. Martin makes The Nightmare King very menacing, it reminded me of the Night on Bald Mountain segment in Disney's Fantasia!
To wrap this review up, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland is a phenomenal achievement in animation. I've never seen anything else quite like it. It seems to be a love letter to many of the other, foundational children's stories! The characters and story could have been stronger, but I still rate it a 6/10 and plan on purchasing the Blu-ray!
Rating: ★★★☆☆
