Synopsis:

Astrid Linden, the author of Pippi Longstocking, created another children's classic fairytale in Mio, My Son, brought to the screen as Mio in the Land of Faraway. Mio is an orphaned child living with a brute of an aunt who never finds anything but the worst to say about him. He's beaten up every day after school and has only one friend. On the days he's not harangued by these young tuffs, he spends his time daydreaming about what life would be like if his father where with him. After a particularly bad row with his aunt, Mio runs away to live life on his own. On his way, the local grocery merchant presents him with an apple and a wish for only good to come his way. Not long after the apple turns to gold and a disembodied head appears. The head beckons Mio to climb upon its beard and the two take flight through time and space from the streets of the world to the fairytale land of Faraway! Once there, he meets his father who is the King of the land of Faraway. After a brief reunion, Mio learns of his calling as the son of the King. The Evil Lord Caro-pronounced K-Row (Christopher Lee) has captured most of the children of the land and turned them into bats or birds. All who have come against him have died horribly. Only the son of the King wielding a magical sword can cut through his heart of stone, killing him and freeing the children. Mio along with his pal Yim Yim (Christian Bale) set out to hunt down Caro and return those children to their parents and siblings. Quite a healthy responsibility for a kid that can't even fight. Anyway, Mio has his hands full as he prepares to do battle with the dreaded Lord Caro. Of comic note, every time that Caro's name is uttered, you get a Frau' Bluher kind of response from both the livestock and the elements

Audio/Video:

Both the audio and video are very poorly rendered and detract from the film's presentation. The audio is a tinny DD2.0 that does nothing in the way of supporting the dialogue of the feature. It's a very weak platform that never picks up or gives the audio any support whatsoever. While it's listed as 2.0, it plays more like a mono presentation. Visually, the film is equally drab. In the widescreen version of the film, the colors are washed out and there is an abundance of grain and pixellation throughout the whole of the feature. Sadly, this is the Anchor Bay I've come to know and despise.

Extras:

The only extra is a trailer for the film.

Overall:

While technically, this disc stinks, the storyline is marginally acceptable. Little kids who haven't been exposed to Disney or any other great storytellers will probably like it. But for those who have an imagination and know what current cinema can produce, this won't even make the 15-minute mark in the way of attention span. It's an almost cute story that plods on and on until its merciful end. Even Christopher lee's presence couldn't save this wretched bit of flotsam. Skip it