Land of the Lost Jewels

This cartoon would look super with a good restoration job. The colors are magnificent but the picture is somewhat blurry, even on the DVD. It needs a very good transfer. The stunning visuals would make - at least for adults watching - for the story, which is geared for little kids.

"The Red Lantern" is a fish who is caught by two little kids in a canoe. He talks and tells the kids about the magical "Land Of The Lost" at the bottom of the sea. They trust him, and he takes them there. Magically, they are able to breathe and talk and are given a tour of this incredible place.

While the young boy and girl get rides on the "Taxi Crab" the scene switches to the "Distribution Center" where King Fido is meeting the new arrivals: lost items that have dropped the the sandy shore of the water. One of them is an emerald pen who turns out to be a singing grasshopper named "Happy Go Lucky." He also plays the violin! (Hey, it's a cartoon.) He entertains King Fido with a nifty little song. The kids come by and Isobel, the girl, spots the pen. Isobel, who looks just like "Little Audrey," knows him; it's hers and also belongs to the toy shop elsewhere in this underwater land. The grasshopper wants to go back but the king is adamant that the emerald stay out with the other lost jewels. It's the rules.

Can the girl get her talented, talking emerald pin back at Toyland? That's the question in this unusual cartoon which may be geared for the little ones but has appeal and stunning artwork that makes it a good one to watch for adult animated fans. The dialog is all in rhyme and isn't bad, either.