From the powers behind the very successful He-Man and the Masters of the universe' (1983), came a really original and interesting movie length cartoon called The secret of the sword' (1985). With all the true He-Man class, here is a cartoon that has had me captivated both as a kid and an adult. If you are a true He-Man fan, and have not seen SOTS', then you must see it, see it now.
Prince Adam and Cringer are asked by the Sorceress to travel to Etheria (with a new sword of power), in search of the one' who is meant for a special destiny..... to gain the powers of becoming She-Ra, the princess of power!', possessing similar powers to her twin brother, He-Man. She-Ra is able to fight and free Etheria from the grasp of the evil Horde!
The former Filmation' group produced one of the truly great cartoon movies. The story here is really fresh and original. When Prince Adam enters on a quest to find the owner of a mysterious sword, the adventure goes from one battle to another. I love how we learn about the dark secrets of the new planet Etheria', how evil the Horde have been to the planet, the rebellion (which Adam learns are trying to right the wrongs of the Horde) and how great a person Adora is going to be. Yet this story also has very original characters on both sides. Then for the story to contain the aspects of He-man's twin sister', rounds the story of beautifully. The writers of SOTS' were Larry Ditillo and Bob Forward.
The characters of this movie are really well defined. Of course there are the normal characters of Prince Adam and his pet tiger, Cringer. Adam is summoned to Castle Grayskull by the Sorceress, whose part in the movie is of vital importance. However once Adam enters Etheria' we meet some quite extraordinary people. First off the rank is the rebel Bow' and his owl-like side kick called Kowl'. Bow helps Adam escape some evil guards, after this, Bow takes him too meet the rebel leader, the beautiful Glimmer. After Glimmer, we meet the bumbling witch Madam Razz' and her talking broom stick. All of these characters are so different, making them all entertaining and interesting to learn about as Adam is on his adventure.
But the bad guys are pretty evil. The hordes leader is a tyrant named Hordak'. Under Hordak are some, you would have to say, pretty ordinary characters in the realms of the story. Shadow Weaver is an evil witch, with her only desire to serve her leader, you have Grizlor, Catra, Scorpia, Mantana, Leech and the flying pig, imp'. However there is one character on the side of the Horde, who is slowly starting to be turned to the forces of good, that of Force captain Adora'. He-Man meeting her has put doubts in her mind, so much so that she goes to learn what the Horde is really like. But under the evil spells of Shadow Weaver, Adora is kept in check. But for how long?
Then when Hordak plans an evil end to the Rebels, all seems doomed for Etheria. After He-Man is captured by Hordak, Adora has a night's sleep that is disturbed by strange dreams. Once she wakes, she learns the secrets of her past, through her sword of power (which is just like He-Man's, although it has a jewel in the middle of it). I won't tell you her secret past that is for the movie to do. She is told by the Sorceress, to serve the forces of good, For the honor of Grayskull'. When she holds up her sword and shouts those words she turns into She-Ra, the Princess of Power!
Once this happens, all is much better for Etheria, but not so for Hordak, who is most displeased with the new foe that has appeared. Then when Adora decides to return to Eternia with Adam, it infuriates Hordak, so much so that he also returns with them. Here is where we see two old rivals, Hordak, and He-Man's archenemy Skeletor' reunited, to help Hordak win back Adora. Skeletor is one of my favourite He-Man characters and here is as good as ever. I have partially looked at what the story is about, but if I am tempting you too see the movie, please by all means see it.
The people behind making the movie were the four directors, Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed and Gwen Wetlzer who were all a part of bringing us Masters of the Universe'. Here they all put their delicate touch to the film, and help bring out the great story that was written. The voiceover talents were also great on this film. Regulars like John Erwin, Alan Oppenheimer, Erika Scheimer, Linda Gary and Eric Gunden are joined with Melendy Britt and George Dicendzo. All these people have terrific scope with their voices, and were invaluable for a movie such as this one.
I really am a fan of this movie, with each aspect of it being wonderful. There was also a terrific song written for it called I have the power', performed by Erika Scheimer and Noam Kaniel. I guess my only criticism would be the exclusion of one of my favourite He-Man characters, that of Orko. I am sure he would have been an interesting character to add into the story, but I can understand the writers leaving him out. For memory, Orko appeared in an episode of the She-Ra, Princess of Power' series, which I found a big let down after this great cartoon movie. By the way, my favourite She-Ra characters are Kowl and Hordak. I will also admit that a few years ago I went on a journey to find this film and while it took some time, once I found it, the wait was worthwhile.
CMRS gives The Secret of the Sword': 4.5 (Very Good-Brilliant Film)
