Much-loved Eighties animated kids’ TV series The Mysterious Cities of Gold finally gets a DVD release, in a box set containing all 39 episodes and stuffed with extras and collectables, as if to compensate for the long wait. Originally made for France and Japan, but picked up by networks around the world, the series achieved its classic status through successfully combining all those elements that inspire wonder in children – adventure, discovery, science fiction, dreams, far away lands, myths, sword fighting. An epic tale set in the 16th century, when men set sail from Europe for the New World in search of fortunes and the unknown, it stars three children and a parrot who, bound together by friendship, travel through a dangerous adult world looking for the legendary Cities of Gold. They are the Children of the Sun, and the whole series basks in a golden glow, from the solar-powered giant golden condor airship which they fly, to the gold the treasure-hungry Spaniards seek and the sun-worship of the native South American peoples. Though the animation now looks rather basic, the delight in the mysteries and marvels of the world still shines through. The set also includes the short live-action documentaries that followed each episode, picking up on one of its themes, but were not shown when the series aired on BBC.
MORE REVIEWS
Bookmark this post with: