Twice Upon a Time (1983)

Two wannabe heroes and their friends must stop a madman from giving everyone nightmares.

Directors:

John Korty, Charles Swenson

Writers:

Bill Couturié (screenplay), Bill Couturié (story),

Stars:

Lorenzo Music, Marshall Efron, James Cranna

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lorenzo Music	...	Ralph, the All-Purpose Animal (voice)
Marshall Efron	...	Synonamess Botch (voice)
James Cranna	...	Rod Rescueman / Scuzzbopper / Frivoli Foreman / Rusher of Din - Street Preacher
Julie Payne	...	Flora Fauna (voice)
Hamilton Camp	...	Greensleeves (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Narrator / Chef of State / Judges / Bailiff (voice)
Judith Kahan	...	The Fairy Godmother (voice) (as Judith Kahan Kampmann)
Gillian Gould	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
Geraldine Green	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
Larry Green	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
William Hall	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
David Korty	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
Elma Barry Robertson	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
Clyde E. Robertson	...	Rusher of Din - Sleeper
William Browder	...	Rusher of Din - Office Executive

Storyline

Once upon a time, there were some people called the Rushers of Din. Each night as they slept, sweet dreams were delivered to them from sunny Frivoli, while nightmares came to them from the mysterious Murkworks. But the malevolent master of the Murk, Synonamess Botch, was not content. He wanted the Rushers to have non-stop nightmares. To do that, he would need to gain control of the Cosmic Clock. To accomplish this, he kidnaps the deliverers of the dreams, Greensleeves and the Figmen of Imagination, and then tricks Ralph, the All-Purpose Animal and his pal Mumford into stealing the mainspring from the Cosmic Clock. Realizing they've been tricked, Ralph and Mumford try to get the spring back and prevent Botch from unleashing his nightmare bombs. Along the way, they get help from their Fairy Godmother, Greensleeves' niece Flora Fauna, the junior varsity superhero Rod Rescueman, and Botch's own head nightmare writer, Scuzzbopper.

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Plot Keywords:

nightmare | madman | bomb | fairy godmother | vulture | 

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drömmarnas land

Filming Locations:

Main Post Office - 2000 Allston Way, Berkeley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Korty Films, Lucasfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

The credits sequence features a photo of voice actor Lorenzo Music, who was notorious for not allowing pictures of himself to be seen.

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Quotes

Rod Rescueman: I'm a super hero!
Fairy Godmother: You're kidding
Rod Rescueman: I'm actually not a full fledged one, I'm on my learner's permit but that's almost as good.
Fairy Godmother: You have a resume, perhaps I could check something out?
Rod Rescueman: Yeah I do, right here. It's a blank piece of paper but it is notarized and it's legal signed.
Fairy Godmother: You've made my day! If only I could give you a little test you could show me that you're capable of doing...
Rod Rescueman: I've got an idea!
Fairy Godmother: Yes?
Rod Rescueman: Why don't you give me a test?
Fairy Godmother: There's an idea!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The credits screen has the voice actors's portraits on a typewriter and the character they voiced next to them except for the character named "Mumford", he never spoke throughout the movie. Mumford as "Himself"

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Connections

Features Happy Days (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Champagne Time"
Written by George Cates
Performed by Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra
Courtesy of Rainwood Records & The Welk Music Group

User Reviews

Easier To See Than Explain!

I kind of liked this animated film, at least the first time. On the second viewing, this George Lucas-produced movie was too slow for me. Why I found that, I can't remember (it's been awhile) but on my first look I remember the uniqueness of this movie.

It is different from the rest simply because it gives you a combination of animation and black- and-white stills. It goes back and forth and sometimes on the same scene. The visuals aren't the only strange aspects. You also get a dash of zaniness in this comedy. You just don't know what crazy thing you are going to see next. There are so many unexplainable scenes that it's one of these films is better seen than explained!

I traded the VHS, along with others, for DVDs when they first came out. Now, I wish I could see this again......on DVD.