Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
Australia • 1986 • 50m •
   . • Starring: Max Meldrum, David Nettheim, John Ewart, Caz Adams, Simeon Hawkins, Phillip Hinton, Andrew Inglis, Jill McKay, David Roach-Turner. • Music by: John Stuart.   A good doctor named Jekyll attempts to rid humanity of all evil while accidentally creating Mr. Hyde, an evil murderer.
|
Review:
When I first watched this, I was less than overwhelmed (maybe due to the affected German dub, but my DVD didn't have the original soundtrack, only German and French). Tonight I gave it a second chance, as double feature to Hunchback of Notre Dame by the same studio, and must admit I liked it much more.
Jekyll & Hyde is of course a very dark story, and even in this version softened up by the addition of grandma and children, cat and mouse, it still is a somewhat horror movie. What surprises me most is that in Germany it is rated 0+ (fit to view without age limit). After all, one murder is shown in plain sight, several others reported, and it is book-ended on both sides with Mr. Hyde's burial...
On second sight I liked it more. Compared to other animes made for children, this one (as well as Hunchback, the other Burbank production I've seen) does an earnest job at presenting a classic piece of literature. Maybe the German censors thought "well, just a cartoon with no sex", but I'd rather had it cleared for 6+ or 12+, to prevent nightmares in young minds. If you're even older, I can certainly recommend this one. Good music, good plot, very decent drawing.
Review by suchenwi from the Internet Movie Database.
Movie Database