Good old Dr. Knowles posted up a brilliant piece of history today in the form of a 1984 test film for what eventually became Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. What makes this test special is that it was made by Hayao Miyazaki, the world’s most recognized and celebrated Japanese animator. This test definitely points the way to the film that was ultimately made by Masami Hata in 1992 but Miyazaki’s distinct character design and fetish for flight are emphasized greatly in the test. It’s a shame that version never got made as Miyazaki and Windsor Mckay is a literal match made in heaven. Mckay’s early 20th century comic strip and it’s hallucinatory take on childhood flights of fancy is a clear influence on much of Miyazaki’s work, from Laputa to Spirited Away.
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