Twice Upon a Time (1983)

(On Cable TV, April 2020) The least you can say about animated film Twice Upon a Time is that it’s a near-delirious story executed in a way that’s still distinctive even today. The almost-incomprehensible plot is a whimsical reflection on the pace of modern life blended with improv comedy (in an animated film, yes), fantasy elements and dubious humour. But never mind the plot, because the style is where it’s at—echoing Terry Gilliam’s interludes for Monty Python and anticipating Flash-based animation by a decade and a half, the animation style of the film is obtained by having animations move pieces of paper over a large illuminated board, allowing a mixture of stock photography, live action, character animation and everything in-between. The voice acting, by sets of comedians directed to do improv, is iconoclastic and seldom tonally consistent. Often absurd and definitely strange, this is one film with a very weird sense of humour. Accordingly, it was a major flop upon theatrical release, and its post-theatrical life is a mixture of bootlegs, unauthorized showings and dual competing versions (one family-friendly, the other one not so much) I’m not sure I’d recommend Twice Upon a Time, but it’s certainly a must-see for animation scholars. If you can find it—and thank goodness for TCM Underground.