Line #17 Anime/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland


1	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9iqpphwdpf20bgn0kaqodwhmkyj.png]]
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3	''Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' is an AnimatedAdaptation of the ComicStrip ''[[ComicStrip/LittleNemo Little Nemo in Slumberland]]'' by Creator/WinsorMcCay. In it, a young boy named Nemo travels to Slumberland in his dreams after receiving an invitation from Princess Camille. There he is trained to become the new prince. But, under the bad influence of the trickster clown Flip, Nemo inadvertently unleashes the Nightmare King, and has to save King Morpheus after he's kidnapped and taken to Nightmareland.
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5	It was produced in the late Eighties by Creator/TMSEntertainment in Japan, where it was released in 1989 with limited release in the US. In 1992, a re-cut edition was released in the US, which was re-released in 2005 as part of the ''Biggs' Adventure''[[note]]later known as Creator/KidtoonFilms[[/note]] matinee series. This film also served as the basis for ''Nemo'' and ''VideoGame/LittleNemoTheDreamMaster'', two Creator/{{Capcom}}-developed video games for the arcade and Platform/{{NES}}, respectively, in 1990. The latter ultimately became [[AdaptationDisplacement more well-known than the both the film and the comic itself.]]
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7	Was released on Blu-Ray Disc in 2012, this time with the original Japanese audio as an option. It also has [[https://youtu.be/wRs4Y3Kzdt0 an official upload]] on Website/YouTube posted by TMS, and this is the uncut version on the DVD and Blu-Ray.
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9	----
10	!!''Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' provides examples of:
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12	* AccidentalPervert: Flip accidentally [[ThanksForTheMammary grabs Princess Camille's chest]] after they rescue her from water goblins in Nightmareland and gets elbowed for it. Then again, she wasn't old enough to really have much in the way of breasts.
13	* AcidRefluxNightmare: Its implied in the beginning that Nemo's reoccurring nightmares are due to him sneaking some of his mother's pies before bedtime.
14	* AdvertisingByAssociation: The American poster combines this with CoversAlwaysLie. The text boasted, "From the director of ''Film/HomeAlone'' and the director of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}''," referring to co-screenwriter Creator/ChrisColumbus and either [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Frank Thomas or Ollie Johnston]], both of whom advised the animators. None of them directed ''Little Nemo'', or ''Fantasia'' for that matter.
15	* AllJustADream: The entire adventure takes place in Nemo's dream. It's implied that the dream came from his desire to see the circus, as well as his guilt over breaking his promise to his mother to stay away from her pies.
16	* AmbiguousGender: In the original comics, Bon Bon (also known as The Candy Kid) was unquestionably male. In the movie... it's far less clear. S/he's voiced by a female, but that's quite common for young male characters as well. The longer hair and pastel clothes mean nothing in this film.
17	* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: No mention is made of Princess Camille's mother.
18	* AwesomeButImpractical: Zigzagged with the Royal Scepter, an all-powerful magical artifact that can disintegrate any creature of Nightmareland with a single blast of its laser at full power. The downside is the ''long'' list of magic words its user needs to chant to activate that full power, which is easily interruptible, and the incantation itself puts so much strain on the human body that it will ''kill'' the person unless used by a trained adult. Despite all these setbacks, chanting just a few verses causes the scepter to emit a HardLight that essentially turns it into a LaserBlade, strong enough to cut through even the Nightmare King's limbs with a single slash.
19	* BadassAdorable: Icarus puts up a pretty good fight against the gargoyles despite how tiny he is.
20	%% * BerserkButton: Do ''not'' call Icarus a ''rat", especially in front of Nemo. [[ShutUpHannibal Princess Camille learned this the hard way.]]
21	* BewareTheNiceOnes: King Morpheus is as jolly and loving as they come. But anything or anyone that threatens his kingdom or its people will face the wrath of him and his powerful scepter. Both Nemo and Princess Camille qualify as well; they're well-mannered and sweet kids, but it is ''not'' smart to make either of them mad.
22	%% * Big Good: King Morpheus, who incidentally shares the name of another Big Good.
23	* TheBigGuy: One of the five Boomps is quite a lot larger than the others.
24	* BigNo: Many times, mostly by Nemo.
25	* BittersweetEnding: While Nemo does learn the importance of both keeping promises and taking responsibility for them if he breaks them, the friends he made in Slumberland are not real as everything was just part of his dream.
26	* ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou: Nemo bases many of Slumberland's residents on people he saw at the parade in the beginning of the film. For example, he bases [[TheSmartGuy Professor Genius]] from the piano player, [[LoveInterest Princess Camille]] from the girl who gave him a rose, [[TokenEvilTeammate Flip]] from the clown who knocked him over, and [[BigGood King Morpheus]] from the kindly ringleader who gave him a ride.
27	* TheCameo: WesternAnimation/GertieTheDinosaur (another Creator/WinsorMcCay creation and one of the earliest animated characters) makes an appearance during Nemo and Flip’s escape into Slumberland, where the two of them make her sneeze with one of Flap’s feathers.
28	* CanonForeigner: Professor Genius, who seems partly based on Dr. Pill from the comics though his appearance is different. Also, Icarus, Nightmareland and the Nightmare King are unique to the film. The Boomps are also more or less based on the Imp from the comic, but split into five, and changed into friendly goblins instead of a single racist caricature.
29	* CastFromHitPoints: It's implied that the Royal Scepter can do this if its user isn't strong enough. When Morpheus announces that he will pass it on to Nemo, the crowd becomes extremely worried for the boy's safety until the king mentions that Nemo will have to grow in both wisdom and bodily strength to use it. Later, Icarus reminds the Boomps that the scepter will kill Nemo if he attempts to use the full incantation to defeat the Nightmare King. When Nemo does use it, it does seem to have consumed his life before Morpheus revives him.
30	* CatapultNightmare: Coupled with a BigNo. And it turns out to be a DreamWithinADream.
31	* CentralTheme: Promises and responsibility to both keeping them and making up for broken ones.
32	* ChairReveal: Professor Genius takes Nemo to the throne room to be "properly" introduced to the king, but the throne turns out to be empty. Judging by the Professor's reaction, the king pulls this type of vanishing act a lot.
33	* ChekhovsGun: Early on, Flip accidentally pulls a map of Nightmare Land out of his coat, hastily switching it out for a Slumberland one. After the king is kidnapped, Flip's map is used for a rescue mission to Nightmare Land.
34	* CigarChomper: Flip. See also MustHaveNicotine below.
35	* TheCollector: [[spoiler:The Nightmare King traps his prisoners in [[CrystalPrison pillars of crystal,]] and refers to them as his "collection."]]
36	* ComingOfAgeStory: More or less for Nemo.
37	* CompressedAdaptation: It took Nemo months to finally reach the Princess in the comics, and yet in the film Nemo dreams everything that happens to him in Slumberland in a single night. Of course, doing a plot like the movie has as a weekly comic would probably translate to about one or two years worth of storyline.
38	* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Execution in Slumberland is carried out by firing the convicted into space from a giant cannon.
39	* CoolCrown: For Nemo's coronation ceremony, Princess Camille wears a jewel-encrusted headpiece with two large golden ornaments hanging down on either side. The effect almost makes it look like she's wearing headphones.
40	* CoolKey: The key to the Forbidden Door is gold, and the handle is a stylized dragon.
41	* CoolTrain: King Morpheus rides around on a toy one.
42	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: King Morpheus first appears to be a childish, slightly bumbling figure but don't get the wrong idea about him. He knows when to be serious and nothing is more important to him than his daughter and protecting his beloved kingdom.
43	* CuteBruiser: Princess Camille, seen when she punches Flip straight in the jaw and holds her own against water goblins.
44	* DamselInDistress: Princess Camille, twice. The first time was light when she was attacked by water goblins but manage to put up a fight before the others joined in to help her. The second time however [[spoiler: was ''much'' more serious. She didn't stand a chance against the gargoyles when they captured her along with the Professor and Flip. [[ItsAllMyFault Naturally, Nemo feels pretty bad about failing to protect her]]]].
45	* DeadpanSnarker: Flip
46	* DefrostingIceQueen: Princess Camille. Subverted though, she's not really cold or cruel at first, just a bit rude and stuffy. She quickly shows her true, sweet self after Nemo calls her out on it.
47	* DirtyCoward: Flip, who doesn't hesitate to sell out his friends at the drop of a hat (usually Nemo) in order to cover his own ass.
48	%%* DisneyDeath: Nemo at the end.
49	* {{Disneyesque}}: Rare for an anime film. It's very similar to TMS's work for Disney's animated TV shows of the 80's (''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'', ''[[WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987 DuckTales]]'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'').
50	* DreamIntro: The film opens with Nemo having a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.
51	* DreamWithinADream: Happens to Nemo twice. Both times he realizes he's still dreaming when, after waking up from a CatapultNightmare, he finds the Royal Scepter in his bed.
52	* DreamsVsNightmares: The film pits Slumberland against the evil Nightmareland, as Nemo has to go on a quest to rescue King Morpheus from the Nightmare King.
53	* EasilyForgiven: Even though Nemo breaks his promise to not opening the door, no one holds a grudge against him when he admits to it; even King Morpheus tags along as he compliments Nemo for his bravery that destroyed the Nightmare King for good.
54	* EtTuBrute: Nemo breaks his promise not to open the Forbidden Door, releasing the Nightmare King and getting King Morpheus kidnapped.
55	* FailureKnight: Nemo feels this way when King Morpheus and later Camille are captured by the by the Knightmare King and his minions. Makes up for it in the final battle though.
56	* FantasyWorldMap: Flip is the only one who has a map of both Slumberland and Nightmareland. Not only that but he's also the only one who can understand it.
57	%%* FunPersonified: Flip ''thinks'' he is.
58	* GoodParents: Besides looking for an heir, the reason King Morpheus invites Nemo to Slumberland is so his lonely daughter will have someone to play with.
59	* TheGoodKing: Shown in the coronation ball, King Morpheus is ''very'' beloved by the people of Slumberland
60	* GotMeDoingIt: When Nemo and Icarus first meet Camille, she repeatedly mistakes Icarus, the flying squirrel, for a rat. It gets to the point where Nemo accidentally slips up and refers to him as a rat too, much to Icarus' annoyance.
61	* HarpOfFemininity: Princess Camille is playing one when Nemo meets her.
62	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Nemo knew full well he'd likely die if used the scepter's full power, but he did so anyway to save King Morpheus and the Princess. Thankfully, Morpheus repays this heroic deed by reviving him.]]
63	* HeroismIncentive: Nemo initially refuses to go with the Professor to Slumberland because [[GirlsHaveCooties the Princess being a girl makes him uneasy]]. But when he gets [[ThroughHisStomach the Princess' gift of cookies]], he gladly accepts the invitation.
64	%%* TheHerosJourney: Follows it quite closely, actually.
65	%%* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Nemo when it comes to Flip.
66	* HumanPackMule: Flip is demoted to carrying luggage after his map of Nightmareland is ruined and the gang finds better and more knowledgeable guides to escort them through the realm.
67	* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: The Royal Scepter certainly counts. Saying the whole incantation required allows it to fire a WaveMotionGun that can take down even the Nightmare King, and spouting just a fraction of the chant turns the scepter into a LaserBlade.
68	* InsistentTerminology:
69	** Nemo is '''NOT''' in his underwear. He's in his pajamas.
70	** And Icarus is ''not'' a rat.
71	* ItsAllMyFault: [[spoiler:Nemo for opening the door. It was partially Flip's fault too. Or going back further, it was also King Morpheus’ fault for not only entrusting a clueless child with such an important key in the first place, but not even telling him why he shouldn’t open the door.]]
72	* {{Jerkass}}: Flip
73	* LastMinuteHookup: Nemo and the Princess finally kiss at the end... too bad Nemo wakes up from his dream immediately afterward.
74	* LikeASonToMe: [[spoiler: Nemo quickly becomes this to King Morpheus]].
75	* LonelyRichKid: She might be royalty, but Princess Camille is this in spades.
76	* MagicalIncantation: "Jazama Pajama! Pajama Jazama!!"
77	-->'''The Nightmare King:''' Ooo, pajamas do ''scare'' me so! [[EvilLaugh Mwahahaha!]]
78	* MaleGaze: Flip eyeing and attempting to flirt with the obviously underage Princess Camille.
79	* ManChild: Nemo first meets King Morpheus while the king is playing with a toy train in a playroom.
80	* MarshmallowHell: A dance teacher pushes Nemo into her buxom bosom (twice), much to his dismay.
81	* TheMillstone: Flip pretty much causes everything bad that happens.
82	* MoodWhiplash:
83	** Nemo's dream at the beginning of the movie quickly becomes a nightmare.
84	** Also, when the Nightmare King invades Nemo's coronation ceremony and kidnaps the King.
85	* MoodSwinger: The Nightmare King is quite temperamental, to say the least.
86	%% * {{Mordor}}: Nightmare Land.
87	* MustHaveNicotine: Flip continues to sneak cigars even after the princess banned him from smoking any.
88	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Nemo, after his carelessness leads to the release of the Nightmare King from his prison and the capture of King Morpheus.]].
89	* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: The Boomps, who are "good goblins" and are just misunderstood by the other residents of Nightmareland.
90	* NeverSayDie: One reason scenes were deleted from the VHS release was that the plot point of Nemo possibly dying if he used the scepter was censored, which necessitated even his DisneyDeath being shortened.
91	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Nemo is the one who unleashes the Nightmare King, after Flip talks him into opening the forbidden door.
92	* NightmareSequence: Pretty much the whole second half of the movie, plus the first dream he has.
93	* NoOntologicalInertia: [[spoiler: The Nightmare King's crystal pillars vanish when he dies, freeing the prisoners inside of them.]]
94	* NotSoAboveItAll: The Professor. Sure, he has a serious, gentlemanly, and general no-nonsense personality, but whenever the opportunity to dance presents itself...
95	* OhCrap: Flip briefly panics when he realized he accidentally showed Nemo his map of Nightmareland before producing the map for Slumberland.
96	* OhNoNotAgain:
97	** This is the Professor's reaction when he finds King Morpheus is ''not'' on his throne when Nemo first arrives in Slumberland.
98	** During the song about training Nemo to be a prince, the horse that Nemo tries riding on flips him off his seat and onto the fat dancing lady from a few minutes before, who catches him, and he says, "Not again!"
99	* OrWasItADream: A couple times Nemo wakes up in his bed, thinking that the whole adventure was a dream; only to find the Royal Scepter under the covers of his bed and realize he's still not awake.
100	* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: The Boomps.
101	* PajamaCladHero: Nemo spends most of his adventure clad in plain white pajamas. He does occasionally get the chance to change out of them, but just ends up back in them again at the start of each new dream.
102	* TheProfessor: Professor Genius, though only in name.
103	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Nearly the case for Nemo, who makes up for releasing the Nightmare King by using the Royal Scepter against him, despite knowing doing so could kill him. Fortunately, thanks to Morpheus, he gets better.
104	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
105	** King Morpheus has frequently protected Slumberland from the Nightmares of Nightmareland. [[spoiler:He even sealed their king away years ago.]]
106	** Princess Camille goes with Nemo to Nightmareland to rescue her father.
107	* SayMyName: By Nemo most of the time, although Princess Camille does her share of it too.
108	* SceneryPorn: If you like Studio Ghibli's penchant for prettiness, you'll like this. Hardly surprising, since one of the creative minds behind the project was the legendary comics artist Creator/{{Moebius}}. To say nothing of the guy who created the original ''Little Nemo'' comics. Scenery Porn hardly begins to describe Creator/WinsorMcCay.
109	* ScoobyDoobyDoors: Slight variation. Flip and Nemo run between two rows of large pillars while being chased by guards.
110	* SealedEvilInACan: The Nightmare King was imprisoned behind a giant door beneath Slumberland, and King Morpheus decides to entrust the only key that can open the door to Nemo. [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero Guess what happens....]]]]
111	* SealedWithAKiss: Slight variation, as it isn't the end of the film, just the end of the dream.
112	%%* SidekickCreatureNuisance: Icarus, the flying squirrel.
113	* SinisterStingrays: The [[BigBad Nightmare King]] has a large flying stingray who serves as his [[TheDragon right-hand man]]. This manta ray is easily the most dangerous of the Nightmare King's servants; spying on the heroes when they enter Nightmare Land, nearly killing Nemo multiple times in the final battle, and in its dying actions manages to destroy Nemo's flying bed.
114	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Heavily idealistic. Theres a sense of childlike wonder and imagination present throughout the entire film.
115	%% * SpeechImpairedAnimal: Icarus
116	* StationaryWings: Icarus, the flying squirrel, who can hover and stay aloft while gesticulating wildly.
117	* TechnicolorDeath: [[spoiler:The Nightmare King's death is very colorful.]]
118	* ThanksForTheMammary: Flip accidentally grabs Princess Camille's chest shortly after they rescue her from water goblins in Nightmareland and gets elbowed for it. Then again, she isn't old enough to really have much in the way of breasts (probably making this worse, not better).
119	* ThatCameOutWrong:
120	-->'''Nemo:''' Hey, don't apologize to me, apologize to my rat! [[OhCrap OOPS!]]
121	* ThroughHisStomach: Nemo initially doesn't care to meet Princess Camille...until Bon Bon presents the cookies she'd prepared as a gift for him, at which point he's all for it.
122	* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: Princess Camille, daughter of King Morpheus, who looks rather old to be her father.
123	* TooDumbToLive: Somewhat [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as it was only a nightmare of Nemo's, but Nemo's mother seems to consider [[SkewedPriorities baking her pies a higher priority than the fact that a possessed evil train is trying to break through their house and kill both she and her son.]]
124	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Icarus, the [[SpeechImpairedAnimal speech-impaired]] flying squirrel with goggles is never remarked upon by anyone in the real world.
125	* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The movie seems pretty lighthearted and happy until the Nightmare King is unleashed.
126	%% * VillainProtagonist: Flip, somewhat.
127	* WantedPoster: Flip shows off his wanted poster to Nemo while they're hanging out, claiming he'll be as [[FameThroughInfamy famous as Flip]] if they keep palling around.
128	-->'''Nemo:''' Say, what are you wanted for?\
129	'''Flip:''' For having ''fun''.
130	* WouldHurtAChild: When Nemo and the Boomps finally reach his lair, Nightmare King tortures Camille to lure Nemo out of hiding. [[spoiler:It works]]. Since she's locked in a crystal pillar in a suspended-animated state, we never find out what effect the torture was having on her, but maybe it's for the best that we don't.

Context Anime / LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland