ADVENTURES OF SINBAD (1962)
(a.k.a. ARABIAN NAITO: SHINDOBADDO NO BOKEN)
Article #1722 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-1-2005
Posting Date: 4-30-2006
Directed by Taiji Yabushita and Masao Kuroda
Featuring the voices of Hideo Kinoshita, Jumpei Takiguchi, Mahito Tsujimura
(*Note – I found no credits for the actors in the English language version,
which is the one I saw.)

A young man named Sinbad comes by a map to a fabulous treasure and stows away aboard a ship to seek it out. On the way, he has many fabulous adventures.

This animated feature from Japan is a bit of a mixed bag. The story itself is a bit too predictable; the plot involves a handsome young sailing man, a restless princess, a short, fat and simple sultan with a passion for toys, and an evil grand vizier, and I could say the same for several other Arabian Nights movies as well. The dubbing is also fairly indifferent, and is downright bad during some of the songs; the one about the magic guitar is truly awful in the English version. Still, there’s a real charm to this movie; it sustains a mood of whimsy without falling into slapstick, and even through some of the wooden dubbing, the characters maintain a certain appeal that shines through. In fact, I would like to have seen more of the baby whale whom the sailors save from an attacking swordfish at one point. The climax of the movie is definitely the highlight, and it involves the Hero, his boy companion, the princess, the villainous vizier, his army of henchmen, a giant bird, an evil bat, a treasure-filled meteor, a bird-shaped stone idol, and an assortment of bizarre flying jellyfish-like creatures. All in all, I found myself quite satisfied by the movie.