Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer
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| Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer | |
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| Directed by | Bernard Deyriès Kimio Yabuki |
| Produced by | Jean Chalopin Andy Heyward Victor Villegas |
| Written by | Howard R. Cohen Jean Chalopin |
| Starring | Bettina Bush Andre Stokja Charlie Adler Peter Cullen |
| Music by | Score: Haim Saban Shuki Levy Song lyrics: Howard R. Cohen |
| Editing by | Yutaka Chikura |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 15, 1985 |
| Running time | 85 min. |
| Country |  United States Japan |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer is an animated film released on November 15, 1985 by Warner Bros., and produced by DiC Entertainment and Hallmark Cards. This is the only film to feature the greeting card character, Rainbow Brite, who (prior to its release) also appeared in her own television specials and later a Kideo TV series.
In the film, Rainbow Brite tries to bring spring to an Earth that is already facing a perpetual winter. She must stop a wicked princess who wants all of Spectra, a planet-sized diamond through which all the light in the universe has to go through.
Star Stealer did not receive advance screenings upon its release, nor did critics give much support to it. The film grossed only $4,889,971 at the United States box-office, after opening with $1.8 million.[1] It was released on DVD in November 2004.
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[edit] Synopsis
When Rainbow Brite, and her magical horse Starlite, go to Earth to start spring, they meet Stormy, another magical girl who controls the season of winter with her horse Skydancer. Stormy, however, doesn't want to end her winter fun, so Rainbow battles her for control over the season. Stormy proves to be no match for Rainbow and Starlite, who outrun her and head off to Earth. When they arrive, they meet up with Brian, the only boy on Earth who can "see" Rainbow and Starlite.
Once Rainbow tries to start spring, however, her power weakens and winter remains. Brian becomes worried that spring will never come and senses that all of humanity is losing hope. Even Stormy is confused. Reassuring Brian that they will do what they can to return spring, Rainbow and Starlite return to Rainbowland.
Rainbow is paid a visit by a strange robotic horse with rockets for legs named On-X. He presents an urgent message from a legendary Sprite named Orin who explains the luminous and magical planet Spectra, a planet of pure diamond that "all light in the universe has to pass through," has grown dark. If it dims completely, all life in the universe will die.
Rainbow takes the mission to find Orin and later learns that Spectra is dimming as the result of a massive net being woven around the surface. The net is being made so that a selfish princess, known only as the "Dark Princess," can steal Spectra, "the greatest diamond in all the universe," for herself, and tow it back to her world with her massive spaceship. The native Sprites of Spectra, enslaved by Glitterbots under the Princess's control, are being forced to weave the net. Now Rainbow has to stop the Princess's plan before all life on Earth is frozen solid by an endless winter.
Helping Rainbow and Starlite is Krys, a boy from Spectra. Krys believes he can take on the evil Princess and save his home world himself without the help of a "dumb girl." When they meet Orin, the wise Sprite tries to make the two children get along and work together to stop the evil Princess. Orin tells them that they can only destroy her by combining their own powers against her.
Getting in the way of their mission is the sinister Murky Dismal and his bumbling assistant Lurky who, as usual, are lavishing in the new gloom created by the darkening of Spectra, as well as trying to steal Rainbow's magical color belt.
After dodging Murky, Rainbow and Krys enter the Dark Princess's castle and try to convince her that what she is doing will destroy the universe, but the spoiled and uncaring Princess is determined to have the diamond planet for herself and traps the children instead. Working together, Rainbow and Krys escape and use their powers to destroy the Princess and her spaceship, which extends an array of robotic claws to grab the net around Spectra.
Once the Princess is defeated, the enslaved Sprites are freed and immediately destroy the net so that Spectra radiates its magical light once again. On Earth, a warm spring finally arrives as life returns to the planet and Rainbow returns to Rainbowland finding her friends are back to normal.
[edit] Production
Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer was the second feature film made by DiC Enterprises, who had earlier success with their first TV shows, Inspector Gadget and The Littles. DiC was hired by Hallmark Cards to produce the first three syndicated specials centering on Rainbow Brite. The success of the specials led to the production of a feature movie based on the toy.[2]
The project was directed by French animator Bernard Deyriès, well-known at the time for DiC's science-fiction series Ulysses 31 and Mysterious Cities of Gold (both also animated by Japanese studios), and Japanese partner Kimio Yabuki, a legendary animator at Toei Animation Company and former cohort of Hayao Miyazaki). The film's art director, Rich Rudish, had been a staff member of Hallmark since 1964.[2]
The music was composed by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy, who would go on to launch the Power Rangers series in the 1990s. Story co-writer Howard Cohen wrote the film's bookending songs, "Brand New Day" and "Rainbow Brite and Me".
Star Stealer was produced in only three months, at that time the quickest on record for an animated feature.[3] While the U.S. unit contributed to the film's production, some Japanese companies took on animation outsourcing duties (as was often the case with DiC's productions of the time), among them Cockpit, Zaendou, Doga-Kobou, Tama, Crocus and Peacock.
[edit] Reception and release
Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer was not screened in advance for critics in its initial release,[4] and subsequently fared poorly among them. Said Janet Maslin of The New York Times in her short review, "[It] isn't a movie; it's a marketing tool." She was referring to animated fare which, at the time, had just begun the practice of cashing in on pre-sold toy lines. [5] Wrote Michael Blowen of The Boston Globe, "[it] is so incompetently crafted that it makes the Saturday-morning cartoons seem like Disney classics."[6] As for Stuart Fisher, a contributor for Jerry Beck's Animated Movie Guide: "Sorry, kids, the star stealer was here," referring to the zero stars given to it in the book.[2]
Opening at seventh place with US$1.8 million, and running for just five weeks at a 1,090-venue maximum,[7] the low-budget Star Stealer did fairly at the North American box-office with US$4,889,971.[1] Its limited success gave way to a 13-episode syndicated series on DiC's Kideo TV block.[2] A tie-in comic book to the film was issued by DC Comics.[8]
In November 2004, Warner Home Video premiered the movie on DVD, with a sing-along version of the opening song, "Brand New Day", and a "Find the Missing Color Belt" game, as extras.
[edit] Voice cast
- Rainbow Brite - Bettina
- Starlite - Andre Stojka
- Twink and Sprites - Robbie Lee
- Buddy Blue - Patrick Fraley
- Shy Violet, Indigo and La La Orange - Robbie Lee
- Red Butler, Patty O'Green and Canary Yellow - Mona Marshall
- Krys - David Mendenhall
- Orin - Les Tremayne
- Brian - Scott Menville
- On-X - Patrick Fraley
- Bombo - Les Tremayne
- Popo - Charlie Adler (as Charles Adler)
- Spectrans - Andrew Stokja, Patrick Fraley, Robbie Lee, Mona Marshall
- The Princess - Rhonda Aldrich
- The Creature - Rhonda Aldrich
- Castle Creature - Mona Marshall
- Murky - Peter Cullen
- Lurky - Patrick Fraley
- Stormy - Marissa Mendenhall
- Skydancer - Peter Cullen
- Sergeant[9] Zombo - David Workman
- Count Blogg - Johnathan Harris
- Guards, Glitterbots and Slurthies - Patrick Fraley, Peter Cullen
- Witch - Mona Marshall
- Wizard - Andre Stokja
- TV Announcer - Les Tremayne
- Brian's Dog - Patrick Fraley
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer at Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 30, 2006.
- ^ a b c d Beck (2005), p. 221.
- ^ Solomon, p. 283.
- ^ Hot Spots - Movies (1985, November 15). The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution. Accessed January 29, 2008.
- ^ Review of Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer by Janet Maslin (1985, November 16). The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
- ^ Blowen, Michael (1985, November 19). Rainbow Brite One Long Ad. The Boston Globe. Accessed July 2, 2007.
- ^ Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer at the-numbers.com. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ^ Rainbow Brite at Don Markenstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
- ^ Misspelled in the credits as "Sargeant."
[edit] Sources
- Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. ISBN 1-55652-591-5. Chicago Reader Press. Accessed March 27, 2007.
- Solomon, Charles (1994). Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation, rev. ed. ISBN 0-517-11859-9. Random House Value Publishing. Accessed January 26, 2008.
[edit] External links
