by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Takashi, one of the busiest Japanese animation directors in the business, was the guiding force behind the feature-length cartoon Metamorphoses. True to its title, the film is inspired by the allegorical tales of Ovid, with a few scattered anonymously written mythological tales thrown in. Goddess Diana transforms hunter Acteon into a stag, Phaeton has his fateful chariot ride, Perseus avoids getting "stoned" by Medusa, and so on. As with most Japanese cartoons, the characters all have huge, saucer-like eyes, in emulation of the style popularized by Osamu "Astroboy" Tezuka. What Metamorphoses lacks in strong story values it makes up for in sheer technique.
