Van Helsing - The London Assignment (Animated) [DVD]

Van Helsing (the London Assignment) is an excellent cartoon! From the beautifully drawn backgrounds to the wonderful talents of the voice actors. (Hugh Jackman actually doing the voice of Van Helsing, as he did in the live action film, making it much more authentic when you watch) No detail has been overlooked to create this brilliant prologue to the new film.

The cartoon blends in perfectly as a prologue and really does gives the real atmospheric feeling of 19th Century London. Some parts will also leaving you in stitches at Van Helsing's witty remarks and when he gets his 'reward'. It definatly leaves you wanting to find out what happens after the end credits role.

As mentioned before, this is the animated prologue to the new Van Helsing film, which introduces us to the world of the famous vampire hunter. We are introduced to various characters that will appear in the film, and learn just what exactly Van Helsing does, as well as get an idea of how he moves, talks, acts and what weapons he enjoys using. We are introduced to the bumbling Carl, who provides the vampire hunter with all his gadgets as well as providing comic relief.

Lastly we also meet Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde, and discover what sinister scheme they have in store for the Queen of England, and what it has to do with the murder of young women...

All in all, a very good film, though my only complaint is that it finishes just a little too soon (It is only 32 minutes long.) However it makes up with this by including the most thorough version of the making of Van Helsing, much better than the ones I have seen on TV. Plus we get a trailer for the game, as well as a making for the game too.

If you've already seen the film, and loved it, then you must definitely buy this! You'll love it as just as much!

Preferences going in:

I enjoyed the Van Helsing (2004) feature film, and am a fan of classic horror films of the 20th century. I watch all types of animation, from short cartoons to Japanese animated movies.

This Van Helsing prequel short film has become a favorite of mine, along with the feature film. As some have said, this might have made a nice addition to a special edition blu-ray disc, since it is 33 min. in length. The historical fiction involving Queen Victoria and Dr. Jekyll's age-reversal elixir was fun. To me, this is the stuff of classic horror. And, as with the movie, the filmmakers clearly love the material and enjoyed making the piece. Voices from actors I enjoy like Hugh Jackman, Robbie Coltrane, and Dwight Schultz were a real treat. As a Star Trek fan, I was attracted by the writer's names: Canadian-born writing duo Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who have many respected Trek credits to their names.

DVD: The unique bonus features were a treat.
28-min. making-of documentary on Van Helsing feature film. This one is quite good, and not on the DVD or BD versions
7-min. making of the Van Helsing videogame. I have not played the game, but the interviews with the actors (incl. Jackman, who lends his own voice) were great. Again, this featurette is unique to the VHLA disc.
7-min. animatics comparisons. Not so thrilling for me, as I have watched similar material on other discs in the past, but a nice inclusion.

Nice to have subtitles in Eng, Fre and Spa, and the 5.1 Dolby Surround soundtrack sounded great from my sound system.

This short film package comes highly recommended for fans of classic horror. As of 2009 it is no longer in print. I got mine for a very low price at a discount retailer in one of their large sales bins that you have to rummage through. Well worth seeking out.

The tone and feel to this animation leaves you wanting more. The voice actors are the same in the key characters from the start of the feature film. I only wish that they could have gone back further or made a follow on from the film. I hope that this is not the end for a great set of characters as this as it would be a complete waist.