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Mad Monster Party
By: Starz / Anchor Bay
4.5 102
Love the classic monsters Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dr. Jekyll, the Creature, Dracula, the Werewolf, and the Invisible Man? Theyre all here in this animated, 90-minute video--and so are the vocal talents of Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller. After discovering the secret of destruction, Baron von Frankenstein is retiring as head of the World Wide Organization of Monsters. Hes handpicked his mortal nephew Felix to be his successor, and his fellow monsters are less than pleased. Even though Felix politely declines to carry on this family tradition, the monsters band together and double-cross one another in comic attempts to expel Felix from the group. The "Rankin/Bass Animagic process" of using stop-motion photography with three-dimensional figures makes this video a visual feast for animation buffs, but it is outdated compared to modern animation techniques. Humorous details, like the count looking into a mirror to comb his hair and seeing only his comb reflected, permeate the video and will have viewers chuckling out loud and on alert for potential missed laughs. This video is best for children from about 5 to 12 years old or adults who want to reminisce over a movie viewed in their childhood. --Tami Horiuchi Where to Buy
by:
on: 07-Aug 2010
Despite having "Frankenstein" himself (Karloff) to actually provide the voice of the Frankenstein mad scientist this 60's live animation entry still indeed lacks something! But it is indeed enjoyable all the same and a good addition to any horror film fan's DVD collection! One great part comes when a very King Kong-like monster appears on screen and snatches up scientist, monster and other spooks all in a single hand!
by:
on: 23-Jul 2010
It wasn't my favorite movie, but it wasn't bad. However, the seller was awesome. The shipping was fast and the dvd played perfectly.
by:
on: 21-Jul 2010
As a longtime Rankin-Bass fan, I stumbled across "Mad Monster Party" while browsing Amazon's site. I wondered why despite being in the approximately correct age demographic I had never heard of this. After all, weren't "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" among the most-loved Christmas specials on the planet? How could I have possibly have missed this Rankin-Bass creature feature with it's brilliant visuals and excellent vocal talents? I mean Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller, what could be better than this?
Then I saw it. All 95 minutes of it. That's when I realized that despite the Rankin-Bass nameplate, despite the spectacular look of the film, despite the great voices, there was one thing inherently weak about the movie: the plot. In a movie of feature length, there needs to be a well-crafted plot to prevent the onset of boredom. In "Mad Monster Party", we have instead a series of dull gags interspersed with filler masquerading as a plot. Here is the plot in a nutshell: Dr. Frankenstein has decided to retire and cede his empire to his nephew Felix. A large cast of monsters attends the party at which he intends to unveil this news, and they plan ways to double cross each other and kill Felix. That's pretty much it, other than to say that the conclusion is equally bleak, nihilistic, and humorless, without revealing the actual plot resolution. In other words, this wasn't fun and wholesome enough to be a true children's classic like "Rudolph", but wasn't really suitable as adult fare either, mostly due to the terrible quality of the jokes, the even worse quality of the songs, and the plodding pacing between plotpoints. This should have really been a 30 minute television special, not a 95 minute feature.
I have a real soft spot for the Rankin-Bass team, but went back and forth about a rating on this one. I finally settled on three stars, as the visuals are outstanding and quirky, and the vocal characterizations (especially from Karloff) are wonderful. This is the only Rankin-Bass production that I have seen once and am content to never see again. Enjoy it for what it is, but don't expect it to be in the same league as their other justifiably better-known works.
by:
on: 18-Mar 2010
I remembered this from years ago, and was quite excited about seeing it available on DVD. It really is a wonderful show, and I enjoyed it as a 40 year old adult as much as I did when I was 9.
Overall it is a great piece of 1960's kitsch which is great fun. The action is a bit jerky, more so than in Rudolph or other Rankin productions, but it is so fun that isn't an issue. It's similar in ways to "The Munsters" or "The Addam's Family" and other 1960's monster comedies, but it has it's own unique atmosphere and style, so you cannot say that it attempts to copy them in any way.
The monsters are based on the the classics: Frankenstein's Monster, his wife, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, King Kong, etc. and are presented in Rankin Bass's rather silly style, with Phyllis Diller's over the top corny humor and a knock off of Peter Lorre for comedy relief. There are some original elements as well, such as the Zombie Air Corps. I cannot say that it is first rate humor; it isn't, it's really cornball, but in a fun enjoyable way.
Another reviewer made the claim that it hasn't aged well, and I cannot in all honesty dispute this. However, you can say the same about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, but that does not necessarily make them any less desirable or enjoyable.
In summary this film is not an award winner, but it is quite fun and enjoyable, and if you are like me you will have fond memories of it which will allow you to enjoy it all the more.
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