Winds of Change

While I lived through the seventies, I was way too young to truly understand just how trippy and experimental the decade was. But now, you can relive the magic through animation! This is one weird film, a compilation of five different Greek myths from Ovid's Metamorphoses, from the warped minds of Sanrio (who later unleashed the demon that was to become Hello Kitty). None of the characters speak, instead there's an omniscient narrator explaining what is going on, provided by the somewhat-laconic Peter Ustinov. Also, the stories feature a disco-riffic soundtrack ripped from the decade, with songs by MickJagger and Joan Baez. Think of it sort of like Sanrio's answer to Disney's Fantasia, with a heavy dose of Heavy Metal mixed in for good measure. Fairly dark and foreboding artwork -- except when it comes to the protagonists of each story, which are played by the Precious Moments Players. Stories include the myths of Actaeon, Orpheus, Envy, Perseus and Phaeton. All nice little tragedies to scare young children with. This really is a weird product of the seventies, and probably only of interest to buffs of the history of animation.