Review of The Dreamstone

I can still remember watching this on ITV when I was really young. Once a week, it was my favourite thing to watch. I never missed it, and I never wanted it to end. For a long time after they stopped showing it I had hoped they'd bring it back one day, but they never did and I eventually almost completely forgot it... But alas, thanks to the blessing that is Youtube, I recently came across it once again completely by chance after not seeing it for over twenty years, and as I watched all the seasons straight through(minus one-and-a-half episodes) as I had never been able to as a child, I realised to my delight that "The Dreamstone" was an even greater show than I had remembered. I was amazed by the endless dazzling variety of the art, witty humour, and sheer imagination on display. The animation is so rich, and still holds up incredibly well even today, with tons of enchanting little touches to be found in any given episode. It really has some uniquely fascinating artworks and striking visuals to it, from the sunny utopia that is The Land of Dreams to the Mordor-like volcanic barrenness of Viltheed, to the heavenly radiance of the crystalline Planet of Dreams beyond... I love how the entire voicing cast was done by British actors of all kinds, that helped make the show so different and unique and is part of what made it so memorable to me. Zordrak was such a magnificent villain. Much more than a mere generic dark lord, I love how the show wasn't above making him look a buffoon and fallible every now and then. His low grumbling voice was so menacing, and his thunderous bark was just scary! And his Urpney underlings were so hilarious. The only things about the show that vaguely bug me now is that some of the good guys verge more than a little on being sickly sweet, I also find the design and voicing of Urpgor the completely mad scientist to be over-the-top and annoying... The sweeping operatic theme song "Better than a Dream", and the stunning animation of Rufus' dream that accompanies it was very clever, because you could really *feel* how it was deliberately designed to conjure up and capture the rather epic and awesome concepts of dreams that above all else I believe sat at the very heart of this show. Even as an ignorant little happy kid I strongly grasped that about this programme and loved it for it. Such a grand and marvelous concept: This mysterious, mystical place beyond space and time, where the benevolent Merlin-like Dream Maker and his infernal dark dragon opposite battle endlessly over the control of dreams or nightmares via the precious Dreamstone through which they could they could be channelled into the minds of sleepers everywhere... This has got to be one of the most tragically underrated gems ever! It's a baffling mystery to me how such a magical and cheerfully captivating series like this one could have ever been robbed of its prime and place in animation history. It seems to be perilously unknown mostly, and that makes me sad, to think it may be forgotten when it has so much more worth and magic I it than most animated shows of it's era or ever for that matter.. But regardless of whether it's largely remembered or not, what a show! It stands strong as a testament to the magic of the imagination. It truly was the stuff that dreams are made of, and it will always have a special place in mine. It was beautiful... X