Favorites: Robot Carnival
After a long absense, out of the distant past (of 1987, our time) comes a grand spectacle, nine anime directors with nine shorts about robots compiled into one traveling Robot Carnival. Some of the featured animators were relatively new at directing and continued on to design and direct other favorites, including others listed on this site (or soon will be…). Much of the soundtrack was composed by Jo Hisaishi, best known for his close association with Studio Ghibli soundtracks as well.
While domestic and import releases are out of print, and the domestic cable showings of the early ’90s have long since stopped, Robot Carnival has become a treasure of obscurity.
Story Intro
A faded and torn poster blows off a wall and across a desert landscape, landing on the legs of an unsuspecting child during chores. Recognizing what it refers to, the boy rushes into town and tries to warn the people (in universally-understood comic gibberish) of some impending doom, then runs on. The townsfolk race to their homes, boarding them up, as a great shadow approaches. The Robot Carnival has arrived, a tank-treaded behemoth that accompanies rampant destruction with mechanized music. As a few survivors look on, the last we see of this town is rubble under giant tracks leading off into the desert.