Came for the title, stayed for the epic journey.The mixed reviews over the film and length are disappointing, this is fantastic. Voice acting, animation, pace, characters, and plot are all well-orchestrated.Merging story-lines in the beginning is fun, the student-teacher is very believable, and the childhood errors and interactions hit the mark as well. Strong tones of equal empowerment of genders and admirable work-ethic, however there's a few old fashion characters. This is a journey of finding yourself.I don't want to give away any spoilers but...Easily the most underrated animated movie I've seen in a long time.

The most imaginative anime film I have ever seen. I just saw this "wonder" tonight at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. This film had an interesting and slow beginning which left you wondering what this movie was about. There was a strange conflict at the start between some fantasy creatures which was short and quick, and then opened into an extended bucolic Japanese family scene in the countryside centered on the life of a few school kids. Then surprise, the kids are transported into space on a galactic adventure which literally boggles the imagination and leaves you glued to your seat. But, the movie goes on too long. About 35 to 40 minutes too long. The film makers should not have "tacked on" the Star Wars type mini adventure at the end. It was overkill, it was not needed, really. But, like I said, it is the most imaginative anime I have ever seen. And I just know there was a ton of animators and art students in tonight's audience. I can't describe this movie, you just have to see it.

Version I saw: (subtitled) UK DVD release (projected) Actors: 6/10 Plot/script: 6/10 Photography/visual style: 7/10 Music/score: 6/10 Overall: 7/10 Welcome to the Space Show is a Japanese anime movie. Although (despite what some ignorant people will tell you) there are many such works which are targeted at an adult audience, with deep characterization, complex themes and the like, WttSS is most definitely a kids' film. It evokes Japanese classics like My Neighbour Totoro and Galaxy Express 999, as well as American fare such as ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars and The Goonies. You may note that these are all from the 70s and 80s, and indeed, it does seem to represent a bygone era of innocence, when cinematic kids were not wise-cracking and genre savvy. All this was presented with a bold, colourful visual style that comes from the most modern computer graphics. I found this really rather charming.Unfortunately, the film has problems with pacing. It moves very slowly for large chunks, which might be okay, but there are also confusing rushes of plot and exposition, as well as frenetic action scenes that seem a bit out of place. The whole finale is a big action scene that goes on FAR too long, reminding me painfully of Katsuhiro Otomo's disappointing steampunk anime film Steamboy.I have my doubts that kids would have much patience for this, and may end up bored and restless despite the colour, life and good characters with whom they can identify. For my part, I found it good, but it could have been so much better.

Group of school kids camping out for a week find a wounded dog and rescue it. It turns out that the dog is actually an alien studying earth plants. As a reward he takes the kids to the far side of the moon and beyond. Its complicated plot involving the title space TV show, poachers looking for Wasabi, a lost world and several other tid bits.Amazing feast for the eye has a plot that moves very slowly making it a long haul. It doesn't help that the film has sense of back story that often makes you wish it was even longer. I liked the ideas but found it a tough go. Watching the film at The New York International Cildrens Film Festival this afternoon I was struck by how restless the kids were.I've been going to the festival since it started and this was the most restless audience I've run across. Yes I and they liked it but it seemed like it took forever to get to the rousing climax.Worth a look but I's wait for DVD.