ANI-MOVIES, *Son Of The White Mare

After 40 years, the lost animated fantasy epic is finally available in English. Originally titled Feherlofia, the translation of which is Son Of The White Mare is based on a Hungarian fairy tale that borrows elements from Norse mythology. The late Marcell Jankovics was the director of this full-length movie who already had created the first Hungarian animated movie, Johnny Comcob, and his style seems to reflect that of the Yellow Submarine film. Marcell Jankovics was later asked to be a consultant for Disney on their abandoned Empire Of The Sun project which eventually became The Emperor's New Groove, and you can see his work reflected by future animators like Genndy Tartakovsky in Samurai Jack and Primal. The film has been gloriously restored by American company Arbelos Films making it fresh and new for post-20th Century audiences.

A god king known as Forefather has his kingdom taken from him by a trio of multi-headed dragons which capture his son's wives causing the princes to be killed and have their own castle locked off in the Underworld. A single white mare manages to get away and she gives birth to three human sons, the last of which, Treeshaker, receives messages from Forefather's spirit to stay with his horse mother until he has finally come of age. Treeshaker leaves his deceased equine parent behind as he seeks out his other two brothers, the bumbling earth mover Stonecrumbler and the weapons forging Ironrubber. The brothers have to deal with a taunting long-bearded gnome who keeps ruining their dinner plans, only to have Treeshaker finally succeed in descending into the Underworld with a special sword his brother crafted for him. The youngest son takes on each dragon separately, freeing all of the princesses, but he gets trapped in the Underworld. Treeshaker gets help from a griffin after protecting its children who gives him a flight back upstairs. We learn that the brothers were reincarnations of Forefather's original sons, and they go on to be with their former wives each in their own kingdom.

Son Of The White Mare is a fantastic ride employing constantly shifting visuals both in the characters and backgrounds. You can see how stories like this one went on inspire future fantasy properties such as Masters Of The Universe and Marvel's Thor. The original Feherlofia tale is formatted like other creation myths, although there are elements of modern influence in the movie adaptation like some of the dragons appearing like machines of war. The legacy this film left behind made its mark first among 80s animation aficionados, and now has the chance for a totally fresh generation of viewers.