This little known animated adaptation of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera is possibly the most accurate to the original book. For that alone, it is of interest to phans who prefer versions closer to Leroux like myself.
The story is condensed into little under an hour, changing or cutting few details, and taking a lot of word-for-word dialogue from the book. Lots of aspects which other versions overlook are kept intact- the Persian, Box 5, and the torture chamber to name a few. Christine's character is also given the somewhat feisty nature she had originally- most other versions keep her a stock ingénue. I must also commend the Phantom's voice actor; the character is given a great voice: dramatic, smooth, and even kind of sexy (okay, I find it sexy anyway).
Alas, for all its accuracy, the animation is terrible, making Scooby Doo look like Fantasia. The characters' movements are stiff and you could make a drinking game based off how many times animation is reused. However, I will say that the character designs aren't eyesores and the backgrounds are good.
All in all, it's a decent version. If you liked the book and the Chaney Phantom, you might want to watch this one, if only once. It's no masterpiece, but it's entertaining and might interest children who have not been introduced to the story.
7/10
The story is condensed into little under an hour, changing or cutting few details, and taking a lot of word-for-word dialogue from the book. Lots of aspects which other versions overlook are kept intact- the Persian, Box 5, and the torture chamber to name a few. Christine's character is also given the somewhat feisty nature she had originally- most other versions keep her a stock ingénue. I must also commend the Phantom's voice actor; the character is given a great voice: dramatic, smooth, and even kind of sexy (okay, I find it sexy anyway).
Alas, for all its accuracy, the animation is terrible, making Scooby Doo look like Fantasia. The characters' movements are stiff and you could make a drinking game based off how many times animation is reused. However, I will say that the character designs aren't eyesores and the backgrounds are good.
All in all, it's a decent version. If you liked the book and the Chaney Phantom, you might want to watch this one, if only once. It's no masterpiece, but it's entertaining and might interest children who have not been introduced to the story.
7/10