Based upon Winsor McKay's pioneering comic strip and animated short, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland was a joint production between Japanese and American animation studios that went through almost fifteen years of development hell before it was released to dismissive reviews and indifferent ticket sales in 1989. The roll call of those who worked on the film in some capacity can feel like a list of people who guided children's film for the next thirty years; notable names include Brad Bird, Jerry W. Rees, Brian Froud, Chris Columbus, Osamu Dezaki, Hayao Miyazaki, Andy Gaskill, Roger Allers, Isao Takahata, and many others. While the movie was a flop, it did attract a modest cult audience on home video (a decent pair of video games for the arcade and the NES console didn't hurt either). Ryan is joined by Cheryl for a breakdown of this interesting crossroad in the history of animated film. Discussion topics include the incomplete characterization of the main character, how the visual splendor of McKay's art nouveau-inflected style was translated to the screen, and the general grumpiness of Mickey Rooney. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ryan-valentine3/support