DVD Review - Animalympics

Like most people who at all rate this film, I've loved Animalympics since my childhood. It has become something of a mythical film for me because I've never found it on DVD. At least, until 2007: that year it was released in Germany (where it is called Die Dschungel-Olympiade, which translates - as you've probably guessed - to 'The Jungle Olympics'). It has both English and German audio, so for those of you who don't speak German, don't worry. ;)

Probably the main three things of note are that it features Billy Crystal's voice talents, music from Graham Gouldman (of 10cc fame) and the director was the same guy who did Tron, Steven Lisberger. The interview with him (looking very hirsute) on the DVD is especially interesting. It reveals just how much work went into the film, not to mention skill. Lisberger frequently laments how pen and ink is a lost art in today's world of digitally enhanced animation.

Originally the intention was to produce a series of short clips for the Olympics coverage in the US. Each clip featured various animals competing in the related events, providing plenty of comic potential. Lisberger's company was also going to provide the title animations for the various events.

Unfortunately, President Carter announced that due to the invasion of Afghanistan the previous year, the US would be boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. It was a crushing blow for Lisberger, whose short animations now had no accompanying broadcast. The clips didn't go to waste, instead being strung together into a feature-length animation, but it was very much a case of right place, wrong time.

The songs are just as great as I remember, and the animation remains beautiful. Graham Goldman ranges from disco funk to ballad, each song naturally backed by animation. In effect, this was an early example of the music video, and for many the soundtrack LP was a disguised 10cc album (though Goldman never acknowledged it as such).

It would be interesting to know would might have happened if the Olympics hadn't been boycotted that year: this could have been a big success. As it was, Animalympics has become more of a cult film than an aging blockbuster.