When people think of the best series the “father of manga” Osamu Tezuka has worked on, most immediately think of amazing properties like Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Princess Knight. There’s essentially zero chance they think of, or even remember, his involvement in a forgotten Halloween special made back in 1972.
Mad Mad Mad Monsters is an animated special that’s loosely related to the Ranken/Bass stop-motion classic Mad Monster Party?. Yes, Osamu Tezuka worked with the same studio that made Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty The Snowman but not on either of these more memorable films.
Mad Mad Mad Monsters was made by Tezuka’s Mushi Production and he wasn’t the only anime legend attached to the project. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, known for his character designs in Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta, was the key animator on the film.
“All of Universal’s greatest classic monsters gather at the Transylvania Astoria Hotel for Frankenstein’s monster and his bride’s Friday the 13th midnight wedding.”
Synopsis from IMDB
While there are plenty of amazing horror anime movies to watch — Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek and Perfect Blue come to mind — this may be a cool way to connect with the late Osamu Tesuka during Halloween.
