40 Films in Robotech: Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (1975)

      

Disney’s Little Mermaid wouldn’t come out till 1989 – 4 years after the Robotech TV show and 2 years after the Jack McKinney novelization. Ergo, we chose this anime version...

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

Page 410 of Jack McKinney’s book Robotech: Southern Cross – The Final Nightmare (1987)…

 

 SYNOPSIS:  

IMDB.com’s synopsis: “A mermaid falls in love with a human prince, which leads to tragedy.”

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

I’m thrilled that this version of The Little Mermaid is on the 40 Films in Robotech list. This film changed the way I look at sea foam. Seriously.

This Little Mermaid also won Best Animation/Best Film in the 1977 Giffoni Film Festival.

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid director Tomoharu Katsumata also directed Space Pirate Caption Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth (1982). After my parents' trip to Italy when I was just a kid, they returned with a Captain Harlock toy for me. I loved that toy and sought out the comic book and animated tales of Harlock.

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

Besides the Dante connection up above in the “Mention” section, the cool thing about this version of Mermaid is the anime-ness of it: the design of the beasts and environments, the movement of various-sized creatures, and the violence necessary to save oneself from a vicious attack. It’s a beautiful and rare film, IMHO.

To read my ⭐⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (1975) on Letterboxd, click here.