Tammy Grimes, though not a household name, imbues the character of Molly Grue with a wistful mourning.Īnd perhaps “wistful mourning” is the best way to describe the theme of the film. The voice cast is nothing short of magnificent- Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lee, Alan Arkin, Mia Farrow, Jeff Bridges-and many of the actors were already fans of the book before coming aboard. But fortunately, Rankin Bass farmed the animation out to Topcraft, a Japanese company that would go on to make Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind before the company dissolved and many of the artists-including famed animator Hayao Miyazaki-left to start Studio Ghibli.Īnd so, the pieces started falling into place for the film.
