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When the DVD
for “Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu”
came across my doorstep, I had to look at
it a couple of times. There were rave reviews
printed on the cover, yet I had never even
heard of this film. I usually like to keep
up with the new children’s films available,
especially animated ones, but somehow this
one missed my radar. Looking again at the
cover I notice that it actually says, “Kids
really love this movie.” On the back,
I notice it is mentioned that it is family
approved by the Dove Foundation, that it
has won the Film Advisory Board Award of
Excellence, and is also the winner of 6
International Children’s Film Festivals.
Yet somehow, I missed out. With all these
accolades, I thought I might as well check
out.
“Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu”
follows the story of one of the descendants
of Marco Polo. Named for his ancestor, young
Marco takes a journey to the mythical kingdom
of Xanadu (and no, not the one where Olivia
Newton John sings to Michael Beck).
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He overcomes the many dangers put in his way
by the evil magician Foo-Ling, who doesn’t
want young Marco to reach his destination.
Foo-Ling has seized the throne and wants to marry
Princess Ming Yu and knows that Marco will be
his undoing. But with the help of his friends,
Reginald the Seagull, the mysterious Babu, and
the Delicate Dinosaur, Marco and the Princess
manage to join the two halves of a magical medallion
passed down through their families. The great
powers of the medallion allow Marco to chase after
Foo-Ling through space and time.
The first thing I noticed about this film was
the animation style. I’m not going to say
it was bad, because it isn’t. It just seems
a bit dated. The style looks very much like the
old “Scooby Doo, Where Are You” cartoons.
The motion was a lot more fluid, it’s just
that the artwork was similar. It looked like it
was made in the 1960’s. I’d have to
say the story it self was pretty good, but admittedly
I think it will only appeal to younger kids. Not
toddlers, but those from the 4-8 range. I enjoyed
it some, but the animation style kept distracting
me.
The DVD itself comes with quite a few extras,
including a fairly well made behind the scenes
documentary. This feature has a lot of interview
segments, as well as a look at the artwork and
some of the voice over actors at work. There’s
also a short featurette that expands upon the
theory that this film is a worldwide sensation.
It shows audiences around the world, and includes
sequences from the movie in different languages.
If you like the songs from the film, they’ve
included 3 music videos with scenes from the movie.
If that’s not enough, you can also take
a look at some of the artwork from the film and
the theatrical trailer. The most unusual feature
has to be the “Xanadu It Faster” short.
It allows you to watch the entire 80 minute movie
in 4 minutes. I swear it’s like watching
it in Fast Forward. Very odd.
As far as children’s movies go, “Marco
Polo: Return to Xanadu” is not bad, and
I can certainly see why younger children might
like it. Again, it’s not really geared towards
adults, but that’s okay. I’ll still
watch it with my kids.
Directed by: Ron Merk
Starring (the voices of): Nicolas Gonzales, Tony
Pope, Elea Bartling, John Mathew, John C. Hyke,
Michael Kostroff, Paul Ainsley,
Extras: Splat! – The Making of Marco Polo,
Xanadu it Faster, Marco Travels Around the World,
3 music Videos, Art Gallery, Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 2/10/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website
We'll give Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu a C+.
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