Mad Monster Party

Rating:
Summary: Rankin & Bass Stop-Motion Monster Fun ! ! !
Review: A must for any classic animation or Rankin & Bass fan I'm amazed, I look for this film for countless years & finally find it on amazon.com for sooo cheap! Then it shows up 3 days after I ordered it ..sweet! Now I see that it's no longer available ...looks like I got the last copy. Phew!! Close one. heheh Thanks guys..I love it. Brings back many fond memories of halloween tv shows I watched as a kid.

Rating:
Summary: At Last! The Best of the Rankin/Bass "Animagics"
Review: Aesthetically, the best Rankin/Bass "Animagic" flick of them all. Well worth watching, if for no other reason, just too see the fantastic in-the-round MAD MAGAZINE-like caricatures of the entire array of classic monsters. Those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s fondly remember seeing this classic on TV a few times around Halloween. And now, thanks to the cool folks at Anchor Bay, we can nostalgically relive that childhood experience over and over again--in more vivid color and with crisper images than ever before, as the DVD was digitally remastered (for the first time ever for home video) from a rare original 35mm print!

Unlike their other Christmas and Easter productions, this one-and-only Halloween flick from the Rankin/Bass team is not overly saccharin or maudlin. Not only did MAD MAGAZINE's Harvey Kurtzman and Jack Davis have their hands in the writing and the visual artistry, but the master of macabre himself, Boris Karloff, voiced the animated puppet version of himself as Baron Frankenstein! So you know that, like all Rankin/Bass works, it's a wholesome family movie, but you can also be sure that there is lots of funeral-parlor and gallows humor--and even a few scary moments.

If you enjoy claymation-type animation, you'll enjoy watching this film. If you laugh at the comedy of flicks like ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, you'll guffaw endlessly during this movie. And if you love to watch and collect the old classic monster movies, the DVD version of MAD MONSTER PARTY? is a must-own.

Rating:
Summary: Childhood Nostalgia
Review: After searching for this movie for years to relive some childhood memories and watch it, I finally found it thanks to Amazon.com and the internet. Rankin/Bass have a lost treasure here. It's for Children (that love the old movie monsters) or adults that want to remember how they felt when they first saw it. I felt good just watching it. Franchesca stole my heart once again! [From a technical standpoint the video was obviously transfered from older 16mm film, and it had a slight black bar at the top of the screen for some of the movie. Colors were noticably faded. Made in 1967, what do you expect?]

Rating:
Summary: CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC
Review: ahhh the memories. this was a childrens classic somewhat like Rudolph , and Little drummer Boy, with animated puppets. very very funny. featuring puppets of old stars like Phyllis Diller, and Boris Karloff. Old and young will get a kick outta this. And wait till u see Francesca OOOOH LA LA baby (hahaha)

Rating:
Summary: A GRAVEYARD SMASH!
Review: Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass having definitely produced an affectionate "Monster Mash" with MAD MONSTER PARTY, thus providing another fantastic addition to the traditional Holiday classics so many of us die hard classic film revisionists have come to cherish over the years.

There is no live action, all stop-motion animation as Dr. Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff - even animated to look exactly like Boris Karloff) is hosting a retirement party to announce his successor after discovering the secret formula capable of destroying all matter. The Horror Genre ghoulies are all invited as Monster and the Bride (delightfully voiced by Phyllis Diller), the Doctor's very lovely and very buxomy assistant Francesca, Count Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Creature From the Black Lagoon, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Peter Lorre-like servant Yetch all arrive to attend the party. Among other memorable characters included are the Skeleton Band variation of the Beatles, the Zombie Bellhops, Chef Mafia Machiavelli, and the little singing critters. Brief appearances from the Fly, the Blob, and Aurora of Little Shop of Horrors also are at hand, as well as King Kong (strangely referred to as "IT"). Enter Felix Flanken, Boris' nerdy nephew and a Drugstore Pharmacist, who loves soda pop, has allergies, wears fancy suites, and talks like James Stewart. It's going to get very ugly with the Monsters discover Felix is the Successor-to-Be.

I must say, it's been a long wait for this DVD, and after a recent viewing on AMC several years ago, this delightful Horror Comedy is now back and better than ever. DVD has great picture quality, and extras include:

Theatrical trailer
Production Art Gallery
Poster and Still Gallery
24 Page Booklet by Rick Goldschmidt

All in all a great treat for die hard fans of the classics Horror films. Who after all could not see this film and instantly fall in love with Francesca? Gale Garnett gives a delightful performance as her voice. Gale around that same time had a hit single with "We'll Sing In the Sunshine". She makes Francesca effectively more than your average Femme Fatale, she is beautiful, seductive, clever, treacherous at times, and simply unforgettable.

In closing, do buy this DVD it will look great on your shelf of Holiday classics alongside HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, and Rankin and Bass' other classics RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER and FROSTY THE SNOWMAN.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Have
Review: Believe the words of my fellow reviewers: the transfer of this dvd is beautiful beyond belief. I always heard that the original negative of this movie was ruined, but somebody did SOMETHING to make this flick look as good as it did in 1967. So, throw out those awful video cassettes you have, because this version blows 'em all away.

Now for those of you not in the know about this movie, I encourage you to get it today. If you're a fan of Universal monster movies, or "Rudolph" or "Nightmare Before Christmas," then this is for you. It would especially make a good gift for a fan of those kinds of films, so think about that, too.

So what's it about? Well, Dr. Frankenstein decides to retire, and calls all the monsters in the world together to his evil island to pass on the torch, as it were. And of course Dracula, the Werewolf, the Mummy, etc., begin fighting over the honors. It's a delightfully campy, tune-filled extravaganza. How'd you like to see Phyllis Diller as a singing Bride of Frankenstein? Only in Mad Monster Party.

Rating:
Summary: Those Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters!
Review: Doctor Baron Von Frankenstein has discovered the secret to total destruction, and, after previously discovering the secret of life, he now feels it is time to retire as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But who will be his successor? The Baron keeps it a secret that he intends to bestow that honor on his nephew, pharmacist/soda jerk Felix Flankin. He soon invites all his Monster friends to his secluded island home for a Monster Convention, where he will reveal their new leader. Dracula, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Creature, the Mummy, and plenty of others show up for the wild event, including the level-headed, young Mr. Flankin. All seems to be going well for the Baron, but little does he know that his trusted assistant, the lovely Miss Francesca, is conspiring against his wishes. She wants to be the one who inherits the Doctor's position, and all his secrets!

Mad Monster Party was one of Rankin/Bass's rare, theatrically released Animagic feature films. While it doesn't quite have the charm or timelessness of their better known productions, such as the sacred Rudolph and Frosty classic specials, Mad Monster Party is still an entertaining treat, especially for R&B fanatics and classic monster lovers. The film is often mistakenly regarded now as a Rankin/Bass Halloween Special that somehow got lost, along with all those other classic Halloween Specials, until recently. But while the film was not made as an annual TV treat, and has no mention of Halloween, it certainly could be enjoyed as such. The DVD is excellent, especially for the price, including some nice extras on and off the disc. As for the cast, Boris Karlof is outstanding as always, and so is everyone else. But, while I sometimes do enjoy Phyllis Diller, I have to admit that I found her performance as the Monster's Mate a wee bit annoying, especially when she bursts into song early on. Some of the songs are as good as the beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas fare, but a couple didn't sit quite well with me, and Diller's was one of them. Aside from that, it's all great Monster fun and I highly recommend it to those feeling nostalgic for R&B or some classic monster comedy! And if this one isn't enough for you, look for Rankin/Bass's Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters! Made a while later, and sort of a Mad Monster Party prequel, it tells the story of the Monster's wedding to his newly created Mate in traditional R&B animation. Currently it can be found only on VHS.

Rating:
Summary: A dissenting opinion.
Review: Don't hate me. I bear this fun little dvd no particular malice. I just wish it had been a little... edgier.

It is hard to discount any film which features Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Dr. Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, King Kong, a faux Peter Lorre, Phyllis Diller, Boris Karloff, a faux Sydney Greenstreet, a faux Jimmy Stewart, Jack Davis designs, zombies, a skeletal band, and an ending which combines the skyscraper-and-biplane finale of King Kong with the finale of its immediate sequel, Son of Kong, as well as cameos by the Fly, the Blob and Audrey of Little Shop of Horrors fame. Not to mention the stunningly pneumatic Francesca, who has a catfight wearing only a slip.

Yes, it's hard to discount it, but I'm going to. It was just too childish overall, without enough story thrust, and lacking the satirical whammy of a Warner Bros. cartoon, which I had hoped Harvey Kurtzman would provide. The songs (after the intro) distracted horribly, and were not remotely spooky, but just bland pop tunes. They (along with an interminable kitchen scene added for TV) absolutely trashed the momentum. The first 10 minutes and last 10 minutes were stellar. The middle section was a colossal disappointment.

What else? Oh, I just wish that the characters' motivations could have been more true to their conceptions. I mean, I know it's a cartoon, so they can't have Drac and his pack actually being evil, but... Then again, the ending was quite nihilistic, so don't tell me Rankin/Bass couldn't have played by a slightly darker set of rules. And iconic as he is, King Kong has no place in this movie. The ending was fantastic, yet creatively sloppy and lazy, tying up events much too neatly.

It would be untrue to say I did not have a smile on my face as I watched this. But it not much later turned to a grimace when I got to thinking how much cooler this could have been.

P.S. Just to show my heart's in the right place, the animation was at times p-e-r-f-e-c-t.
P.P.S. What, they couldn't close the deal with the Phantom of the Opera's Agent? Why wasn't he included?

Rating:
Summary: One Groovy Ghoulie Get-Together!
Review: Finally back on video after years of cult status, this is the great, lost Rankin & Bass "Halloween Special". Actually, it's a full 90 min movie that unfortunately bombed in the 60's but found its audience on TV. Especially KTLA Los Angeles, where it was a regular feature on the Sunday Matinee and a favorite of a young Tim Burton. The story and acting may be as choppy as the animation in the movie, but it's easy to see the obvious influence this cult classic had on much more famous kiddie staples like "Scooby Doo" "The Groovie Ghoulies" and most obviously, Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" (as well as his signature campy-noir style). It was c0-written by Harv Kurtzmann the editor of Mad Magazine; it's about a gathering of the world's most famous monsters as their leader (Boris Karloff himself) prepares to announce his greatest achievement and name his successor. I'll admit to you right now, as a kid I was hooked the minute I saw Francesca, the diabolical (and sexy!)assistant to Dr. Frankenstein that conspires w/Dracula to get rid of the nerdy successor, Felix Flanken (voiced by Cartoon legend Alan Swift!) If that ain't cool enough for ya, did I mention Phyllis Diller as the Bride of Frankenstein? And a surf rock band of skeletons, "Tibia and the Phibians"? Just remember it's a kids movie and the jokes are really bad

Rating:
Summary: Nostalgic weirdness
Review: From the makers of Rudolph and Frosty comes an animation classic from 1966. The songs are absolutely HORRIBLE, but the movie itself is interesting from a animation-fan point of view. Baron Frankenstien is retiring and wants to put his nephew Felix in charge of all the monsters. They try to kill him many ways because he is a normal human. He is helped by Frankenstiens buxom assistant Francesca to escape. Slow in parts but answers the question, "why was there never a Halloween special from Rankin/Bass?"