Tokyo OG
So... I just saw this flick. The sound quality was horrid at best. The dialog was hilariously stupid, no depth to the story at all. I've lived in Miami for over 25 years, so most of the irrelevant dialog must be cultural.Aside from that... watch it with low expectations. I haven't seen the a dubbed version, but if there is then I hope it has a better story line than the original Cuban version, at least better dialog in the very least. For a Spanish animated film from the 80's... it's pretty cringe worthy. If you can understand Spanish, prepare to laugh for 10 minutes, followed by confusion, followed by being uncomfortable with the dumb dialog.
Bonehead-XL
This is one I've been meaning to get to for years. I remember first hearing about it on a list of "Cartoons for Grown-Ups." Along side "Heavy Metal" and a bunch of Bakshi was "Vampires in Havana." The title always stuck with me though I never had much desire to actually seek the flick out. Hey, look at that, there it is on Netflix Instant.The plot is surprisingly complicated. Dracula, after forming a European union of vampires, orders his mad scientist son to create a formula to allow vampires to walk around in the daylight. It doesn't work at first. Later, in 1930s Cuba, he has perfected the formula and raised Dracula's grandson on the juice. Because of this, young Pepe doesn't know he's a vampire and spends his time playing jazz and seducing babes for the revolution. (To the protest of his girlfriend.) Meanwhile, a cartel of Chicago vampires want to buy Dracula's castle and make it an in-door beach. In-door beaches are apparently quite the revenue stream for vampires. The councils come after the formula while local criminal elements are also after Pepe. Got all that? Despite being released in 1985, I suspect the movie was in development for a long time. The animation is loose and sketchy, like a (more) demented version of "Rocky and Bullwinkle." It would have been fine in the 1970s but probably looked very dated in 1985. Which isn't to say there aren't stand-out moments like when Lola imagines her married life with Pepe. There are a couple of clever sight-gags, like a vampire bar built under a hospital, blood on tap straight out of patients' arms. The movie never gets huge laughs but has an energetic, anarchic tone that I like. The jazz score is good too.The movie might be the first time some vampire tropes were presented on-screen. Silver bullets harming vampires? Okay, probably not. Vampires from different social backgrounds coming together to form a council? Hmm, I'm not sure. Guns loaded with wooden stakes? Okay, "Vampires in Havana" had to have done that one first. It's an entertaining enough comedy and over quickly at only 80 minutes. For the perverts, yes, there are animated boobs in though whether the character designs will do it for you is a matter of taste.
gavin6942
A vampire family from Cuba is preparing for a showdown between the American vampires and the Eastern European vampires. But with the aid of a scientist, they need a type of vaccination where they can live in daylight.I thought the only film about vampires and organized crime was "Innocent Blood" (1992). Turns out that the Spaniards beat the Americans to the punch by a few years. Of course, beyond that, the films have absolutely nothing in common.Although my Spanish is very spotty, I still enjoyed this film. It was clever, a bit funny, and not at all as cheesy as I might have expected. The animation is not going to impress anyone, but sometimes that is not important. I am curious about the sequel...
woody-imdb
This is my favorite animation movie. Better than Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Shrek or Chicken Run. Juan Padrón is simply a genius: the story is really great, and the script is terribly funny; but I'm afraid you'll need to know some Spanish to enjoy it 110% :-)
