Animalympics
| Animalympics | |
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| Directed by | Steven Lisberger |
| Produced by |
Donald Kushner Steven Lisberger Peggy Flook (associate producer) |
| Written by | Steven Lisberger Michael Fremer |
| Story by | Steven Lisberger Roger Allers John Norton |
| Starring |
Billy Crystal Michael Fremer Gilda Radner Harry Shearer |
| Music by | Graham Gouldman |
| Cinematography | Ted Bemiller Paul Nevitt (animation camera) |
| Edited by | Matt Cope |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (U.S.) |
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Release date
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Running time
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75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Animalympics is a 1980 animated television film produced by Lisberger Studios and released by Warner Bros.. It was the third animated feature film presented with Dolby sound. Originally commissioned by the NBC network as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and features the voices of Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer and Michael Fremer.
The film is a series of vignettes presented as the broadcast of the first animal Olympic Games through the fictional ZOO television network. The Games combine summer and winter Olympic events.
The event is covered mostly by Barbara Warblers, a stork, and "anchorturtle" Henry Hummel. The 100-meter dash is covered in the style of a drag race by Jackie Fuelit.
Unlike the real Olympics, continents are represented rather than countries. The continents featured are North America, South America, Eurasia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. Eurasia represents the USSR, whereas Europe represents Western and Central Europe.
The only mention of areas other than continents are the New York City Rats soccer team, Dean Wilson being from California, a Central American marathon runner named Pepé Repanosa, an Acapulco cliff diver named "Primo Cabeza", marathon runner Terry Hornsby being from Boulder, Colorado, René Fromage being from France, and Kurt Wüfner appearing at the downhill event right before a Scandinavian is given a gold medal.
Although many of the segments stand alone, there are some recurring events and important characters. The largest such story is the coverage of the marathon, where competitors René Fromage and Kit Mambo are the favorites to win. Both are determined to win – Fromage having devoted his entire life to the marathon, Mambo determined to make a name for herself – they find themselves surprised when their minds wander to thoughts of mutual admiration and then to love, culminating in the pair holding hands for the rest of the race and crossing the finish line together. Another important story is that of Kurt Wüffner, a West German dachshund skier, and his disappearance to Dogra-la during a mountain climbing expedition shortly after the slalom event.
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