Topia

Topia is a 1981 American animated fantasy adventure film written and directed by Jack Kromen. Featuring the voices of Michael Wildshill (who also produced the film and wrote the story with Kromen while serving as animation director), Lisa Maxwell, Hamilton Camp, Peter Cullen and Paul Winchell, the film tells a story of a boy who, after escaping from a horrific prison, discovers a girl with mystical powers who travel together through beautiful environments whilst being stalked by a hunter. The film was produced by Austrafilm as its first animated feature film with additional input by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Many CalArts graduates led by Wildshill under the name Toon Group Inc. were involved with this film.

Released by 20th Century Fox on June 12, 1981, the film received critical acclaim from critics who praised its animation, musical score, and emotional weight of the story and was a modest box office success, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1981, as well as the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film before An American Tail dethroned it in 1986. In recent years, the film has garnered a cult following.

Plot
Coming soon!

Voice cast

 * Peter Cullen as the Gaoler
 * Paul Winchell as the Old Man
 * Sherry Lynn as the Guest
 * Jack Kromen as the guards
 * Don Messick, Peter Renaday and Neil Ross as prisoners
 * Frank Welker as the Fox and Animal Vocal Effects

Development
In 1962, the then 17 year old Jack Kromen filmed a live action short by the name of Topia, that would inspire the animated feature. This project was related to his school work in film production at the time. It generally followed the same plot as the animated film. During the production in 1979, it vanished and is considered lost.

In mid-1971, shortly after the release of his debut The Widower, Kromen had been considering the possibility of making an animated film and then discovered the short that had been stored away for almost a decade. After watching it, he became convinced this was the animated film he wanted to make.

The screenplay was finished around late 1974, Kromen had extreme difficulty getting the film made, most studios rejected it due to it's length (The script was over 150 pages at that point) and overall sheer ambitiousness of the project.

More coming soon!

Writing
After deciding he wanted to remake his old short film, work on the script started immediately. The first draft was finished in December 1971, the script was a little different to the final film, one of the main differences being the ending, which was much darker then the more bittersweet ending used.

More coming soon!

Animation
Coming soon!

Home media
Topia debuted on Super 8 film and several home video formats in 1982, including VHS, Betamax, CED Videodisc, Video8 and LaserDisc, which were distributed by 20th Century-Fox Video. With a $80 purchase price in the US, the VHS version sold approximately 22,000 copies within the first few months. On November 17, 1989, the film was re-released on both VHS and LaserDisc in a new advertising campaign with lower retail prices. It was this new wide availability on video, as well as broadcasts on cable, that helped Topia garner a cult following long after its theatrical debut. A 15th Anniversary VHS edition was released by Fox Video on November 19, 1996, alongside a Laserdisc release. This was followed by another VHS release under the Universal Family Features label on September 22, 1998.

The film was released on DVD for the first time on December 15, 1998, which was reprinted numerous times in the ensuing years, both as a stand-alone release or bundled with other family movies from 20th Century Fox or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. On June 12, 2001, a 2-disc DVD set called the "20th Anniversary Edition" was released and included special features such as audio commentary from both individuals and an interview featurette. The film was released again on DVD on July 25, 2006 as a 25th Anniversary Edition, and later on Blu-ray on June 28, 2011. Both releases retained the special features of the 20th Anniversary Edition.

Box office
The film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, barely did any promotion for the film, leading Austrafilm to finance the advertising campaign themselves. The financiers had expected the film to open in wide release in 1,000 venues, but Universal opted for a limited opening weekend in 100 theaters, with its widest release in only 700. Although in competition with the blockbusters Clash of the Titans and Raiders of the Lost Ark, it performed better in those theaters alone in its opening week than Friday the 13th Part 2, Dragonslayer and The Fox and the Hound. However, as a result of its release and competition with other summer fare, Topia became only a moderate success, grossing $47,934,719 in North America (making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film at the time), though it was more successful on home video, cable and foreign release, ultimately turning a profit.

Critical response
Despite having a limited release, Topia received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. It has a 95% "Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.11/10. The consensus states, "Jack Kromen's Topia may frighten younger audiences for its dark tale, but is likely enjoyable for older children and adults alike." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 93 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Accolades
Topia won Best Animated Film of 1981 at the 9th annual Saturn Awards, where it also received a nomination for Best Fantasy Film, losing to Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Legacy
Coming soon!

Main
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.

Trailers
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.

This film was originally created by MembrainTeksta.