Wonderful article! I honestly only knew the broad strokes about how Rankin-Bass operated, and I appreciate knowing the context to what made this film hit so different. I'm so glad Beagle liked the film in the end.
Also fascinating to know this is what Topcraft did right before Nausicaa. Who knows what they'd have gone on to make if Miyazaki and his gang hadn't swooped in...
Thank you so much! This piece was a serious challenge (one of the biggest of 2023 for us) and it's awesome to hear that it turned out.
Regarding the Topcraft/Miyazaki connection, we found a surprisingly tangled story there during the research phase. Most histories treat Topcraft and Ghibli as basically the same company, but it really seems like Topcraft went bankrupt and dissolved after Nausicaä, and Ghibli only had a minor amount of continuity with it. Nausicaä was Topcraft's big break, a watershed for the industry and one of the very few Topcraft projects to actually screen in Japan. Hidekazu Ohara, for one, had fond memories of animating for Miyazaki and was disappointed with the less-ambitious projects he was stuck on afterward.
We're still not clear on how or why the bankruptcy happened. Theoretically it was tied to the Rankin/Bass service work drying up, since it seems like The Flight of Dragons, produced from 1981 to 1982, may have been the last of those. Not sure, though. It's something we hope to uncover in the future.
Fascinating behind-the-scenes dive! I'm surprised to hear the box office returns of The Lord of the Rings 1978 film be described as "mediocre" when it grossed over $32 million on a $4 million budget. The adaptation's critical response when it was released, however, could certainly be considered mediocre.
Thank you! As for the box office question, sources seem pretty divided over whether to call Lord of the Rings a success, a flop or a middling performer. It definitely made its money back, as you noted -- but it seems like Warner may have been hoping for a big hit, which it wasn't.
At a time when Grease was doing $159 million on a $6 million budget, the Bakshi film probably didn't impress the executives enough. Combined with the reviews, it does make sense that they weren't rushing a bunch of similar films into production.
Can't say I loved this film on my first watch but there's something about the melancholy and weirdness of this era that captures my attention nonetheless. When I saw this in my inbox I couldn't wait to read more! So fascinating to hear about the less-artistic (production/distribution) part of making animation too. And Kubo's art??? WOW!
His work is insane! There was a bunch more we didn't include -- he's on a different level. Really glad you enjoyed the piece. The Last Unicorn is absolutely not for everyone (it's one of the weirdest mainstream animated films we've seen from America during that time), but there's something about it that's kind of irresistible. While it may not be in our top 10, it's earned its place in the history books.
This is such a blast from the past. I forgot all about this movie and the impact it had on my imagination during my formative years. What a treat to read!
Wonderful article! I honestly only knew the broad strokes about how Rankin-Bass operated, and I appreciate knowing the context to what made this film hit so different. I'm so glad Beagle liked the film in the end.
Also fascinating to know this is what Topcraft did right before Nausicaa. Who knows what they'd have gone on to make if Miyazaki and his gang hadn't swooped in...
Thank you so much! This piece was a serious challenge (one of the biggest of 2023 for us) and it's awesome to hear that it turned out.
Regarding the Topcraft/Miyazaki connection, we found a surprisingly tangled story there during the research phase. Most histories treat Topcraft and Ghibli as basically the same company, but it really seems like Topcraft went bankrupt and dissolved after Nausicaä, and Ghibli only had a minor amount of continuity with it. Nausicaä was Topcraft's big break, a watershed for the industry and one of the very few Topcraft projects to actually screen in Japan. Hidekazu Ohara, for one, had fond memories of animating for Miyazaki and was disappointed with the less-ambitious projects he was stuck on afterward.
We're still not clear on how or why the bankruptcy happened. Theoretically it was tied to the Rankin/Bass service work drying up, since it seems like The Flight of Dragons, produced from 1981 to 1982, may have been the last of those. Not sure, though. It's something we hope to uncover in the future.
Fascinating behind-the-scenes dive! I'm surprised to hear the box office returns of The Lord of the Rings 1978 film be described as "mediocre" when it grossed over $32 million on a $4 million budget. The adaptation's critical response when it was released, however, could certainly be considered mediocre.
Thank you! As for the box office question, sources seem pretty divided over whether to call Lord of the Rings a success, a flop or a middling performer. It definitely made its money back, as you noted -- but it seems like Warner may have been hoping for a big hit, which it wasn't.
At a time when Grease was doing $159 million on a $6 million budget, the Bakshi film probably didn't impress the executives enough. Combined with the reviews, it does make sense that they weren't rushing a bunch of similar films into production.
Can't say I loved this film on my first watch but there's something about the melancholy and weirdness of this era that captures my attention nonetheless. When I saw this in my inbox I couldn't wait to read more! So fascinating to hear about the less-artistic (production/distribution) part of making animation too. And Kubo's art??? WOW!
His work is insane! There was a bunch more we didn't include -- he's on a different level. Really glad you enjoyed the piece. The Last Unicorn is absolutely not for everyone (it's one of the weirdest mainstream animated films we've seen from America during that time), but there's something about it that's kind of irresistible. While it may not be in our top 10, it's earned its place in the history books.
I adore this film, and this was a wonderful retrospective on it. I love the novel, but my favorite parts are brought to life in the adaptation.
Thank you for the kind words! So happy to hear this. It's such a strange film but unforgettable nonetheless, and it deserves its place.
Love to see the concept art and storyboards. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to bring them to more people!
Alan Arkin, the Oscar winner who played Shmendrick, passed away recently
It's hard to believe -- we saw it in the news just yesterday. It was a shock.
This is such a blast from the past. I forgot all about this movie and the impact it had on my imagination during my formative years. What a treat to read!
Really glad to hear that you enjoyed -- and that the piece reminded you about this film! So cool. Thank you!
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