Version I saw: UK cinema release (subtitled) Actors: 6/10 Plot/script: 7/10 Photography/visual style: 7/10 Music/score: 6/10 Overall: 6/10

Clarke's Law, originated by the great science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke, states that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Napping Princess is one of an enormous number of works over the decades that have played with this interplay between magic and technology.

Kokone (Mitsuki Takahata) is an ordinary high school girl who gets caught up in industrial espionage machinations when her father is accused of stealing tech for automating of motor vehicles from a previous employer. She goes on the run with his tablet computer and the family motorbike which the father has been tinkering with. Meanwhile, her sleep is overtaken by dreams of a magical kingdom which Princess Ancien (also voiced by Takahata) tries to protect from monstrous behemoths, despite the machinations of an evil vizier, with the aid of... a magic tablet (an alternative title for the movie of 'Ancien and the Magic Tablet' can still be seen in the end credits). Is Ancien a parallel version of Kokone? If not, who is she? What exactly is the technology the father has been developing? As elements of the real world and Kokone's dream world start to bleed into each other, events buld to a climax around the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics opening ceremony (the film was released in 2017, they couldn't have known).

Writer/director Kenji Kamiyama carries over much of the art style from his previous work Eden of the East, as well as innovative use of modern and near-future telecommunications. He is a dab hand with science fiction, having been one of the primary hands in the creation of the acclaimed series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The vibrant energy of the fantasy scenes, complete with a steampunk sensibility that blends in robots and machines seamlessly, contrasts with the mundanity of modern Japan, and the combination is visually arresting.

The concept of a fantasy world that parallels and comments on the real one is hardly new - I could point to The Wizard of Oz or Sucker Punch, or in anime Black Rock Shooter and When Marnie Was There. It's a rich seam for stories though, and far from mined out. I feel that Napping Princess overplays its hand a bit though. It feels like a teenage writer's first excited attempt at playing with a high literary concept, enthusiastic but lacking the methodical discipline that comes with experience, losing its cohesion towards the end. Kamiyama is not a teenager though. He has over 20 years of experience with exactly this kind of work, during which he has been in pretty much constant demand. My theory is that this is actually a story he came up with in his youth and held onto until he could bring it to life, and his affection for it has blinded him to its flaws. That is very much speculation though, and I admit that I have no real evidence to back it up. It could just as well be that the change in story length from the 25-minute TV series episodes he is accustomed to proved his undoing.

As I have said, the visuals are impressive, and the cast and score do their job without standing out. I like the fact that the ideas in the story reach for something bigger, and if only they were stronger, they could have carried the other elements to somewhere really impressive. It's still a good and enjoyable film, as a couple of hours' entertainment, but with the elements it has, I still want to hope for something more...

For my full review, see my independent film review weblog on Blogspot, Cinema Inferno.

Love anime to death, especially Studio Ghibli, so would see anything regardless of the studio and subject matter. There are many great animes out there that are among my favourites ever, and 'Napping Princess', despite not being a favourite, has a lot to admire.

'Napping Princess' (aka 'Ancien and the Magic Tablet') at times tries to do too much, with a lot of ideas and strands, and while thought-provoking the ending is slightly overblown and goes on for a little too long. Otherwise, 'Napping Princess' is a very intriguing and extremely well made film that makes the most of an inventive and ambitious concept. The merging of dreams and reality was beautifully done and always coherent, and there is admiration for how the film manages to incorporate many elements and execute a vast majority of them very well with enough complexity and magic.

The animation as expected is wonderful. Rich in meticulous background and character detail, atmospheric and ethereal in colour schemes and alive to nuances in its use of settings and character gestures and expressions, it becomes a character of its own. The music has whimsy, haunting beauty and understatement, while not overbearing the drama and letting it speak when needed.

Strong writing always helps and 'Napping Princess' has that, being thoughtful and not taking itself too seriously that it becomes dreary, there is some humorous quirkiness that lightens things a little. It doesn't feel too over-complicated either. There's plenty of warmth and heart, the characters are rootable and the voice acting dynamic.

Overall, very well done and deserving of more attention. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I have got round to seeing this movie today and I have to say it has very interesting concept.

This movie is about a girl in her late teens called Kokone who dreams of a world called Heartland, a place where she can use her magical powers. She lives with her father but did not know what happened to her mother when she was young.

Her father, Momotaro, is then later taken into police custody because they suspect that he has the magical tablet. So it is up to Kokone to team up with her friend Morio to save him and learn the truth about her past.

In terms of animation and art style it is nicely done and the graphics especially the backgrounds of each seen are very good. The 2D character designs are well in detail they look similar to the designs from Summer Wars (which also has voice actress Brina Palencia in from the English dub). In terms of dub the voice actors are good.

The ending is all structured out well and I like how it is all put in a scrapbook.

From me it's big thumbs up from my side but the only is that one scene never made any sense but other then that it a pretty good.