The Adventures of Mark Twain

I was only six when I first saw "The Adventures of Mark Twain" on video. That was in 1994. Our friends taped it for us, and good thing, because the movie dropped off the face of the earth until recently. I'm thrilled to find it on DVD, because it's remained one of my family's most beloved (and weird) films. It's not a really a kid's film, unless your kids are brainy and literate. What it is is a strange, beautiful, unsettling, funny, and unforgettable work of animation and storytelling that blends fact, fiction and fantasy.

Mark Twain is indeed the central figure, though we see him through the eyes of his three famous child characters: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher. In the strange metaworld of the movie, the aging Mr. Twain is taking off in a fantastical airship to meet Halley's Comet, which lit up the skies during his birth and is now returning to see him to his grave (true fact). His ship is right up there with Howl's Moving Castle in terms of whimsy and inventiveness; it is part dirigible and part steamboat, with a multitude of strange features and gadgets and functions that do not abide by the rules of physics. Tom, Huck, and Becky stow away on the ship by accident, and as the foursome chug through the sky toward their fateful meeting with the comet, the movie leaves all boundaries behind.

The main plot is engaging, as the three children attempt to understand this strange old author and his fancies. Tom wants to hijack the ship and make a new story with himself as the hero. And there is a mysterious fifth passenger lurking about -- who could it be? Ah, but in the meantime, the film breaks from the plot to dive (literally) into some of Twain's literary works. We see a clever retelling of the Celebrated Jumping Frog, a disturbing visit with the Mysterious Stranger (concerned parents may want to fast-forward through this bit), and a bizarre and comical interlude with Captain Stormfield and some pushy aliens. The standouts, though, are two extended sequences focusing on Twain's Diary of Adam and Eve. We see the first couple during their time in the garden of Eden and their banishment, surrounded first by wonders and then by the hardships of real life and family. Adam and Eve turn out to be incredibly dysfunctional (he's lazy and stubborn, she's controlling and anal-retentive), but their exploits, while comedic, are ultimately touching and somehow perfectly appropriate. Meanwhile, in the real(?) world, Twain and the children must cope with such threats as a vicious storm, Tom's reckless hijacking scheme, and what happens when they actually reach the comet....

Creator and animator Will Vinton has an amazing and unique style. His clay figures are distinct and expressive and his fantastical visions are delightful. He uses clay as paint, blending color and form to create amazing sights. Bodies and vehicles morph and shapeshift with cheerful abandon, creating an elastic reality that never grows boring. Such thrilling scenes as the lightning storm and the final "showdown" with Halley's Comet suck you in, and when you remember how much time and effort goes into claymation, it becomes all the more impressive. Artists as dedicated to their craft as Vinton are rare, and their work should certainly be elevated. He has made a great tribute to Mark Twain and his works, and I really hope that "The Adventures of Mark Twain" is destined for a long and successful run on DVD. I plan to tell as many people as possible about it.

When I was the ripe old age of ten, I watched this movie at Grandmas house. I remember frantically pawing through the TV Guide to find what the name was...I had started watching it about five minutes in, and they didn't show the title again.

Nearly twenty years later I found a clip on 'YouTube' that sparked my memory, and hunted it down through Google. Thank God for technology....

My son and I watched The Adventures of Mark Twain together, and I was surprised by how relevant it was today. My son actually showed interest in it, even though there's no computer animation. In my opinion it's a timeless classic, and although it deals with a few adult themes it presents them in a humorous and easily digestable way. The animation is beautiful, the storyline compelling, and it wraps up nicely.

This is a witty, humorous, and informative adventure film which quite some time (and skill) was put into the making of.

Mark Twain was a notorious cusser, and this film contains a few words taken to be swearwords, "Hell" and "Damn" which are repeated a few times. However, they are not used in a derogatory sense but rather a religious one, during which he is philosophizing over the nature of the afterlife, or trying to impress the severity of the situation to the children aboard the blimp with him. Nothing which would be particularly offensive to the average parent. I often play this film for the younglings in my family along with another timeless classic, "The Secret of Nimh." I would certainly prefer the kids to be watching this over cartoons which may not swear but are littered with violence, misbehavior or anything similar.

This is a good film for people who would like a religious or philosophical film which is good to watch with the kids, it has quite a bit Christian, Rosicrucian, and Masonic symbolism throughout as Mark Twain was all three. In the end he decides neither heaven nor hell are agreeable, and passes beyond duality into eternity.

I never tire of this film, it both makes you think and gets you laughing until your lungs hurt "I've been hornshwaggled!". :D

To be absolutely honest, this is probably a biased review. I owned a Betamax of this movie when I was a kid, and when I bought it and rewatched it, it blew me away just like it did when I was a kid. I can't believe this is made in 1984, it looks absolutely gorgeous. If anything stops this claymation from being absolutely perfect, its Eve's voice in it. The woman who voiced Eve sounds like she's in a hurry, bored and is maybe sleepy. It kinda sucks because it ruins the otherwise surreal mood of the movie.
I dont want to give the impression that if you didn't see this as a kid you won't enjoy it. The movie is, as I mentioned, very pleasing visually. Its story is strange (especially for a kid), but its well worth watching, especially since it doesn't cost much.

Hope this helps.

Rami

This movie definitly doesn't fit into the same genre as those that may surround it on the store shelves. You may be expecting yet another uninspired kids show but this is anything but. The movie goes from lighthearted to surreal to dark and then back again.

Although not everyone will like it, everyone will stop to watch it.