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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986) Movie Poster
Australia  •    •  50m  •  .  •  Starring: Max Meldrum, David Nettheim, John Ewart, Caz Adams, Simeon Hawkins, Phillip Hinton, Andrew Inglis, Jill McKay, David Roach-Turner.  •  Music by: John Stuart.
     A good doctor named Jekyll attempts to rid humanity of all evil while accidentally creating Mr. Hyde, an evil murderer.

Review:

Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Image from: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1986)
Burbank Films Australia lasted only 1982-88, but they made very decent animes. In spite of the name (Burbank CA was the first corporate site of Disney), their style was very different and certainly not sugar-sweet.

When I first watched this, I was less than overwhelmed (maybe due to the affected German dub, but my DVD didn't have the original soundtrack, only German and French). Tonight I gave it a second chance, as double feature to Hunchback of Notre Dame by the same studio, and must admit I liked it much more.

Jekyll & Hyde is of course a very dark story, and even in this version softened up by the addition of grandma and children, cat and mouse, it still is a somewhat horror movie. What surprises me most is that in Germany it is rated 0+ (fit to view without age limit). After all, one murder is shown in plain sight, several others reported, and it is book-ended on both sides with Mr. Hyde's burial...

On second sight I liked it more. Compared to other animes made for children, this one (as well as Hunchback, the other Burbank production I've seen) does an earnest job at presenting a classic piece of literature. Maybe the German censors thought "well, just a cartoon with no sex", but I'd rather had it cleared for 6+ or 12+, to prevent nightmares in young minds. If you're even older, I can certainly recommend this one. Good music, good plot, very decent drawing.


Review by suchenwi from the Internet Movie Database.