This animated 1984 movie starred "Jan Zonder Vrees" (literally, "Fearless John"), a hero out of Flemish literature.
It is situated in the historic Flemish city of Antwerp, where Jan/John lives with his old grandmother. He prides himself with being absolutely fearless (and he really is), hence his (nick)name.
One day a prank directed against him goes wrong and results in an incident leading Jan to be arrested, wrongly accused of assaulting an innocent man. Jan doesn't agree with this injustice and promptly escapes. He goes on an adventurous ramble through Flanders, teams up with a sidekick, finds true love, and eventually fights a monstrous creature known as... Kludde! (A creature from Flemish mythology)
Basically, this movie is the age-old story of the hero's journey, a recipe that never fails. There's adventure, there lots of wacky humour, weird characters and anachronistic events... Not to mention actual existing places and historical figures from 15th century Flanders.
The animation isn't as polished as the usual Disney features - which is kind of refreshing, really. It gives the film it's own unique character. The animation is otherwise cartoonish and colourful.
Concerning the look, fans of "Hercules - the Legendary Journeys" might want to check out this movie; the main character actually looks very much like a cartoon version of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules, even up to the similar clothing. The anachronistic humour and weird & funny characters also make them two seem somehow related.
Enjoyable by both children and adults, I highly recommend this one if you are looking for a change from the usual Disney-type movies.
It is situated in the historic Flemish city of Antwerp, where Jan/John lives with his old grandmother. He prides himself with being absolutely fearless (and he really is), hence his (nick)name.
One day a prank directed against him goes wrong and results in an incident leading Jan to be arrested, wrongly accused of assaulting an innocent man. Jan doesn't agree with this injustice and promptly escapes. He goes on an adventurous ramble through Flanders, teams up with a sidekick, finds true love, and eventually fights a monstrous creature known as... Kludde! (A creature from Flemish mythology)
Basically, this movie is the age-old story of the hero's journey, a recipe that never fails. There's adventure, there lots of wacky humour, weird characters and anachronistic events... Not to mention actual existing places and historical figures from 15th century Flanders.
The animation isn't as polished as the usual Disney features - which is kind of refreshing, really. It gives the film it's own unique character. The animation is otherwise cartoonish and colourful.
Concerning the look, fans of "Hercules - the Legendary Journeys" might want to check out this movie; the main character actually looks very much like a cartoon version of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules, even up to the similar clothing. The anachronistic humour and weird & funny characters also make them two seem somehow related.
Enjoyable by both children and adults, I highly recommend this one if you are looking for a change from the usual Disney-type movies.