(part 2 of 6) 1981 to 1991

 

Below is a checklist of every animated feature released theatrically in the United States, in order of release, from 1981 to 1991. 

93. AMERICAN POP (2/13/81) Columbia. 97 mins. D: Ralph Bakshi. A dark portrait of American popular music, as reflected by four generations of the Bolinsky family. Zalmie Bolinsky enters show business through Vaudeville and becomes involved with the mob. His son Benny joins a black jazz band. Benny’s boy, Tony, sets out accross America and gets involved with a female acid rock singer in San Francisco. Tony’s son Pete becomes a drug dealer who gets a shot performing his own songs — becoming a rock superstar.

94. THE FOX AND THE HOUND (7/10/81) Disney. 83 mins. D: Art Stevens, Ted Berman, Richard Rich. The story of a puppy and fox cub who grow up and learn they’re supposed to be enemies

95. HEAVY METAL (8/7/81) Columbia. 90 mins. D: Gerald Potterton. A compilation of science fiction stories based on the HEAVY METAL comic book. Includes Taarna, Den, and Harry Canyon.

96. GALAXY EXPRESS (8/8/81) New World (Japan) 91 mins. D: Taro Rin. Young boy named Joey rides the Galaxy Express train through space, bent on avenging his mother’s death, gets involved with conflict between humans and cyborgs.

97. THE LOONEY LOONEY LOONEY BUGS BUNNY MOVIE (11/20/81) Warner Bros. 80 mins. D: Friz Freleng. In three parts: Yosemite Sam does the Devil’s bidding, Bugs Bunny rescues Tweety from gangsters Rocky & Mugsy, and Bugs hosts a Hollywood Award show.

98. GRENDEL GRENDEL GRENDEL (4/1/82) Satori (Australia) 90 mins. D: Alexander Stitt. Humorous story, told from the point of view of a 12 foot, sophisticated monster, who must defeat hero Beowulf to survive.

99. KING DICK (7/3/82) (Italy) Aquarius Releasing. 65 mins. D: Cibba. A midget servant must fall in love with a haggard witch to break a spell and return the pair to prince and princess. a.k.a. “Little Dick, The Mighty Midget” an X-rated feature

100. THE SECRET OF NIMH (7/3/82) United Artists. 82 mins. D: Don Bluth. Mousey Mrs. Brisby needs to move her home before a farm tractor destroy’s it and her sick son inside. With the help of Jeremy the crow, she seeks out the rats of NIMH, an advanced breed of intelligent rodents.

101. HEY GOOD LOOKIN’ (10/1/82) Warner Bros. 76 mins. D: Ralph Bakshi. Brooklyn, 1953. A seri-comic look at teenage life, focusing in on Vinnie, the definitive greaser, his nutty Jewish pal, nick-named Crazy, the neighborhood sex symbol, Roz, and her overweight girl friend Eva. Originally filmed as combination live action & animation in 1974. New York release date above, opened in Los Angeles on 1/21/83.

102. HEIDI’S SONG (11/19/82) Paramount. 94 mins. D: Robert Taylor. Heidi bonds with her gruff grandfather and the animals of the mountain, then moves to the city to become a companion to Clara, who is confined to a wheelchair. A wicked housekeeper locks Heidi in the cellar, but with the help of some swingin’ cellar rats, and her mountain friends, returns to her Grandfather. A Hanna-Barbera production

103. BUGS BUNNY’S THIRD MOVIE: 1001 RABBIT TALES(11/19/82) Warner Bros. 76 mins. D: Friz Freleng & Dave Detiege. Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are rival book salesman. When Bugs encounters Sultan Sam’s bratty Prince Abadaba, he’s forced to read him 1001 tales.

104. THE LAST UNICORN (11/19/82) Jensen-Farley (U.S./Japanese). 85 mins. D: Arthur Rankin, Jules Bass. The last unicorn is captured and put in a carnival. Schmendrick the magician helps her escape and joins her in the quest for others of her species.

105. MIGHTY MOUSE IN THE GREAT SPACE CHASE (12/10/82) Filmation. 88 mins. D: Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Gwen Wetzler, Kay Wright, Lou Zukor. Space Queen Pearl Pureheart, in her spacecraft, is pursued by evil Harry the Heartless who has captured a Doomsday Machine. Mighty Mouse faces many perils in his effort to vanquish the villian. Played Saturday matinees only.

106. ROCK & RULE (4/15/83) MGM/UA. 83 mins. D: Clive A. Smith. Mok, an aging rock superstar, plans to raise a demon that will give him immense power. He needs a particular voice to finish the job and finds it in Angel, a female singer, whom he lures into his dark world. Boston Massachusetts release date above. Screened at Filmex in L.A. 7/17/84. Opened in New York City on August 5th 1985. A Nelvana Production.

107. TWICE UPON A TIME (8/5/83) Warner Bros. 75 mins. D: John Korty, Charles Swenson. Evil Synonamess Botch, maniacal ruler of Murkworks Nightmare Factory tricks dim-wiited Ralph and Mum into freezing time by releasing the magic mainspring from the Cosmic Clock.

108. DAFFY DUCK’S MOVIE: FANTASTIC ISLAND (8/5/83) Warner Bros. 78 mins. D: Friz Freleng. Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales, stranded on a deserted island, find a treasure map which leads to a magical wishing well.

109. FIRE & ICE (8/27/83) 20th Century-Fox. 81 mins. D: Ralph Bakshi. Heroes Larn and Darkwolf rescue a fire princess is kidnapped by Nekron, an evil ice king.

110. THE SMURFS AND THE MAGIC FLUTE (11/25/83) Atlantic (French-Belgium) 74 mins. D:Jose Dutillieu. Peewee, a court musician, finds an enchanted flute created by the Smurfs. When the flute is stolen, the Smurfs create a new flute to defeat the thief. Los Angeles release date above.

111. PLAGUE DOGS (12/17/83) Self-released 103 mins. D: Martin Rosen. A pair of dogs escape from an animal experimentation lab and are hunted down like criminals. Completed in 1981, date above is Seattle test engagement. New York opening 1/9/85.

112. THE CARE BEARS MOVIE (3/29/85) Samuel Goldwyn. 75 mins. D: Arna Selznick. A boy named Nicholas falls under the spell of an evil spirit encased in a magic book, and removes all caring and feeling from the world. The Care Bears sail to the rescue with their cousins from The Forest of Feelings. A Nelvana Production.

113. THE SECRET OF THE SWORD (3/29/85) Atlantic. 88 mins. D:Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed, Gwen Wetzler. He-Man meets his sister, Adora, who becomes She-Ra, and together they defeat evil Hordak. A Filmation Production.

114. HERE COMES THE LITTLES (5/24/85) Atlantic. 75 mins. D: Bernard Deyries. The Littles, tiny people who live inside the walls, help youngster Henry Bigg when he is left in the cruel care of his wicked Uncle Augustus.

115. THE BLACK CAULDRON (7/24/85) Disney. 80 mins. D: Ted Berman, Richard Rich. Taran’s pig is captured by the evil Horned King who believe’s the animal can lead him to the Black Cauldron and it’s awesome power.

116. RAINBOW BRITE AND THE STAR STEALER (11/15/85) Warner Bros. 97 mins. D: Bernard Deyries. Rainbow Brite, from Rainbow Land, is confronted by a Dark Princess who plots to steal Spectra, a planet-sized diamond.

117. STARCHASER: THE LEGEND OF ORIN (11/22/85) Atlantic. 98 mins. D: Steven Hahn. On a distant planet, young Orin seeks a magical sword to free his enslaved people. Released in 3-D.

118. ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN (1/17/86) Atlantic. 90 mins. D: Will Vinton. (stop-motion claymation) Old Mark Twain, sailing off for one last adventure in a riverboat/spaceship, tells stowaways Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher the tales of the Calaveras County jumping frog, Adam & Eve and of Captain Stormfield’s ascent to heaven.

119. HEATHCLIFF THE MOVIE (1/17/86) Atlantic. 73 mins. D: Bruno Bianchi. Heathcliff, the cat, entertains his nephews with stories of his greatest adventures.

120. ADVENTURES OF THE AMERICAN RABBIT (2/14/86) Atlantic. 85 mins. D: Fred Wolf, Nobutaka Nishizawa. Mild-mannered Rob Rabbit becomes the super-powered American Rabbit to thwart the motocycle riding Jackals, who threaten Rob and his touring singing group.

121. CARE BEARS MOVIE II: A NEW GENERATION (3/21/86) Columbia. 77 mins. D:Dale Schott. The Care Bears help three awkward summer campers by putting them in charge of the Care Bear Cubs and Care Bear Cousin Cubs. Evil Dark Heart offers the girl, Christy, a chance to become a champion runner & swimmer in return for her help in a plot against the Care Bears. A Nelvana production.

122. GOBOTS: BATTLE OF THE ROCK LORDS (3/24/86) Atlantic. 73 mins. D: Ray Patterson. The transforming GoBots come to the aid of the Rock People who are fighting against the evil Rock Lord and a group of GoBot Renegades. A Hanna-Barbera production.

123. WARRIORS OF THE WIND (4/15/86) New World (Japan) 95 mins. D: Hayao Miyazaki. In a post-apocalyptic world, warrior princess Zandra (“Nausicaa” in the original) protects the Valley of the Wind from evil queen Selena. Original Japanese film was 118 minutes.

124. THE COSMIC EYE (6/6/86) Upfront Releasing. 72 mins. D:Faith Hubley. Three space creatures observe the follies of earth through sequences from animated shorts created John and Faith Hubley.

125. MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE (6/20/86) DEG. 89 mins. D: Michael Joens. A trio of wicked witches hatch a plot to turn peaceful Ponyland into a dark and dreary wasteland. Ponies Lickety Split, Wind Whistler and North Star team up with the furry Grundles and children Megan, Molly and Danny to take on the witches and a purple oose named Snooze.

126. THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE (7/2/86) Disney. 74 mins. D: John Musker, Ron Clements, Dave Michener, Burny Mattinson. In London, a mouse toymaker is kidnapped to make a robot replica of the queen for evil Ratigan. Basil of Baker Street, aided by Dr. Dawson, helps the toymaker’s daughter, Olivia, search for her father.

127. ROBOTECH: THE MOVIE (7/25/86) Cannon. 80 mins. D: Carl Macek, Ishiguro Noburo. In the year 2027, the alien Robotech Masters attempt to retrieve their lost technology which has crashed on the Earth years earlier. Young Mark Landry, with the help of a transforming motorcycle and a holographic TV host (named Eve), exposes the plot and fights for the freedom of the world.

128. TRANSFORMERS THE MOVIE (8/9/86) DEG. 86 mins. D: Nelson Shim. Transforming robots, led by good guy Ultra Magnus, fight to save the universe from evil Planet Unicron.

129. AN AMERICAN TAIL (11/21/86) Universal. 80 mins D: Don Bluth. Young Russian immigrant Fievel Mousekowitz is separated from his family en route to America. Wandering around New York, Fievel meets an assortment of ethnic characters, includimg the villianous Warren T. Rat.

130. THE CHIPMUNK ADVENTURE (5/22/87) Samuel Goldwyn. 75 mins. D: Janice Karman. The Chipmunks and their female counterparts, The Chipettes, are sent on a race around the world by two con artists who use the singers to smuggle diamonds hidden within chipmunk dolls.

131. THE PUPPETOON MOVIE (6/12/87) Expanded Entertainment. 80 mins. D: Arnold Leibovit. Gumby and Pokey learn from Arnie the dinosaur about the wonderful animated films of George Pal.

132. THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER (7/10/87) Hyperion. 80 mins. D: Jerry Rees. In a country cabin, a group of household appliances are left behind when a beloved family moves to the city. A brave Toaster, a cowardly Lamp, the powerful Vacuum Cleaner, a noisy radio and an electric Blanket embark on a perilous journey to reunite with their masters.

133. THE CARE BEARS ADVENTURE IN WONDERLAND (8/7/87) Cineplex Odeon. 75 mins. D: Raymond Jafelice. The Care Bears return Alice to Wonderland to stand in for a Princess who’s been kidnapped by an evil wizard. A Nelvana production.

134. PINOCCHIO AND THE EMPEROR OF THE NIGHT (12/25/87) New World. 91 mins. D: Hal Sutherland. A “sequel” to PINOCCHIO, finds our hero celebrating his first year as a real boy. His new sidekick, a “glowbug” named Gee Wilikers accompanies Pinocchio on an errand which goes awry as he is returned to being a wooden puppet. Only by confronting the evil Emperor of the Night can he return to normal. A Filmation production.

135. LIGHT YEARS (1/28/88) Miramax (French) 83 mins. D: Rene Laloux. In the future, a war breaks out between the genetically perfect who dwell on the surface and the deformed mutations ruled by a super-brain who live underground.

136. WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (3/11/88) Kings Road (British) 85 mins. D: Jimmy T. Murakami. An elderly British couple survive a nuclear bombing and hope help will soon arrive, unaware that they are slowly dying.

137. POUND PUPPIES AND THE LEGEND OF BIG PAW (3/18/88) Tri-Star.76 mins. D: Pierre DeCelles. The mythical “Bone of Scone” which keeps the peace and allows kids and dogs to speak to each other is broken and stolen by Mr. McNasty. The Pound Puppies come to the rescue, and solve the mystery of the lengendary Big Paw.

138. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (6/22/88) Touchstone Pictures. 103 mins. D: Robert Zemeckis. Animation Director: Richard Williams. (partial live action) In a 1940s Hollywood, where live people interact with cartoon characters, a popular cartoon rabbit teams up with a hard-luck detective to solve the murder of the cartoon studio boss.

139. BRAVESTARR: THE LEGEND (9/17/88) Taurus. D: Tom Tataranowicz. A futuristc western about Brave Starr, a native American-cowboy-interstellar marshall, who battles against the evil Syampeade (a monster with steer’s horns) and his villianous henchman, Tex Hex. A Filmation production. (aka BRAVESTARR: THE MOVIE)

140. THE LAND BEFORE TIME (11/18/88) Universal. 66 mins. D: Don Bluth. A baby brontosaurus named Littlefoot, separated from his family after his mother dies, must find his way back to the Great Valley or become extinct.

141. OLIVER & COMPANY (11/18/88) Disney. 72 mins. D: George Scribner. In an animal update of Oliver Twist, an orphan kitten is adopted by a street gang of dogs who help him find a home.

142. LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY (3/24/89) Streamline (Japan) 124 mins. D: Hayao Miyazaki. Sheeta, descendant of a royal family from the legendary floating city Laputa, teams with a young miner named Pazu to outrun government agents and sky pirates, and learn the secret of lost island in the sky.

143. TWILIGHT OF THE COCKROACHES (5/5/89) Streamline (Japan) 105 mins. D:Hiroaki Yoshida. (partial live action) The roaches in Mr. Saito’s apartment, living a life of paradise, meet a warrior from the house accross the street who warns of impending doom.

144. BABAR: THE MOVIE (7/28/89) New Line. 70 mins. D: Alan Bunce. King Babar explains to his children the story a rhinoceros attack that almost destroyed their city. A Nelvana Production.

145. DAFFY DUCK’S QUACKBUSTERS (9/24/89) Warner Bros. 72 mins. D: Greg Ford, Terry Lennon. Street salesman Daffy Duck inherits a million dollars from the estate of J.B. Cubish, then sets up a ghost-busting service with pals Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig for the purposes of destroying Cubish’s ghost — who is trying to take away the inheritance.

146. THE LITTLE MERMAID (11/15/89) Disney. 82 mins. D: Ron Clements, John Musker. Mermaid, who longs to live in the surface world, gives up her voice to a sea witch for a pair of legs.

147. ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN (11/17/89) United Artists. 85 mins. D: Don Bluth. Charlie, a rascally mutt, is killed, but finds a way to return to Earth and make amends by helping an orphan girl. She has the ability to talk to animals, a talent Charlie and his Dachshund pal, Itchy, use to play the ponies — in an effort to help the girl find parents.

148. AKIRA (12/25/89) Streamline (Japan) 124 mins. D: Katsuhiro Otomo. A group of teenagers living in post-apocalyptic Neo-Toyko tries to stop one of the gang who has run amok after becomimg empowered with telekinetic powers in a government experiment.

149. JETSONS THE MOVIE (7/6/90) Universal. 81 mins. D: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera. George Jetson gets a promotion and the family must move into deep space. George soon gets involved with a sabotage mystery, while Judy falls under the spell of rock and roll idol, Apollo Blue.

150. DUCKTALES THE MOVIE: TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP (8/3/90) Disney. 73 mins. D: Bob Hathcock. Scrooge McDuck and the duck nephews find a magic lamp whose original owner, a villian named Merlock, uses to seize control of Scrooge’s wealth and turn Duckburg upside down.

151. LENSMAN (8/31/90) Streamline (Japan) 107 mins. D: Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Kazuyuki Hirokawa. Boy is empowered, through lens device in his hand, to fight intergalactic enemies. Based on novels by E.E. “Doc” Smith.

152. THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER (11/16/90) Disney. 74 mins. D: Hendel Butoy, Mike Gabriel. The Rescue Aid Society sends Bernard and Miss Bianca to Australia to help youngster Cody and a kidnapped eagle.

153. THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE (11/23/90) Warner Bros. (Canada) 75 mins. D: Paul Schibli. Young Clara helps a toy soldier and a nutcracker prince battle a Mouse king.

154. ROBOT CARNIVAL (1/25/91) Streamline (Japan) 91 mins. D: Katsuhiro Otomo, Atsuko Fukushima, Kouji Morimoto, Kiroyuki Kitazume, Mao Lamdo, Hidetoshi Ohmori, Yasuomi Umetsu, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Takashi Nakamura.

155. THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO (4/3/91) Streamline (Japan) 100 mins. D: Hayao Miyazaki. Tracing the source of some counterfeit cash, Lupin travels to the tiny country of Cagliostro, where he rescues a Princess from a marraige to an evil count.

156. ROVER DANGERFIELD (8/6/91) Warner Bros. 74 mins. D: Jim George, Bob Seeley. Rover is a wise-cracking Las Vegas dog, living the high life as the pet of Connie, a chrous girl. Her jealous boyfriend throws Rover into the Hoover Dam, but he survives, washing up on a farmyard where he tries to fit in, and fall in love.

157. FIST OF THE NORTHSTAR (9/27/91) Streamline (Japan) 100 mins. D: Toyoo Ashida. In post-apocalyptic wasteland, a martial arts master, Ken, is beaten and presumed dead, but returns for revenge and to avenge the weak. NY release 11/15/91.

158. BEAUTY & THE BEAST (11/13/91) Disney. 85 mins. D: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise. Brainy young woman, scorned as a bookworm by local townfolk, is imprisoned by an enchanted Beast with whom she begins to fall in love. The only animated feature, to date, nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. Re-released 1/1/02 in Imax with additional song sequence (“Human Again”).

159. AN AMERICAN TALE: FIEVEL GOES WEST (11/22/91) Universal. 74 mins. D: Phil Nibbelink, Simon Wells. The Mousekovitz family decides to move west — where villianous Cat R. Waul lures them into his evil schemes. Fievel saves the day by teaming up with a vegatarian cat, Tiger, and over-the-hill canine marshall, Wylie Burp.

To continue this list, click here for ANIMATED MOVIE GUIDE Part 3 1992 – 2000.

Writen, compiled and copyright ©2013 Jerry Beck.

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