Product Review

Master fantasist Karel Zeman once again dips into the imagination of Jules Verne and comes up with this fascinating tale of juvenile adventure.

"The Stolen Airship" is nominally based on Verne's "Two Years' Vacation", but adds elements of "Mysterious Island" and other fantastic adventures. The young heroes of the tale are five boys who steal a balloon from a county fair and set off for adventure. But their craft is destroyed in a storm and they wind up on a desert island. There they encounter many amazing things, including strange beasts, mutineers and Captain Nemo and his submarine, 'The Nautilus'. There's a spy (with a removable arm) and a whole host of odd and fascinating aircraft and machines.

Zeman creates a dazzling array of visual images using stop-motion and hand drawn animation combined with a layout of backgrounds designed to look like moving woodcut pictures from old children's books. Combine his understated sense of humor and you have the recipe for a classic adventure for young and old.

DVD EXTRAS
Le Dirigeable Fantastique (1907) - The always imaginative George Méliès creates his own vision of an imaginary airship. (B&W, Silent with a new music score).
Voyage To Jupiter (1909) - An early French fantasy film in which a magical scholar takes a trip to the fifth planet only to receive a rather unwelcome reception. (B&W, Silent with a new music score).
The Flying House (1921) - Animator Winsor McCay sends a married couple on an unlikely journey around the universe while still in their own bed. (B&W, Silent with a new music score).