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Directed by storied mogul and industry disruptor Haruki Kadokawa, and released two weeks before Jurassic Park, Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story emerges from amber today as an exemplar of a bygone era of Japanese blockbusters. It follows Chie (Yumi Adachi), the young daughter of a palaeontologist who soon befriends an adorable T-Rex. As everyone seeks to exploit the dino-discovery for profit, the pair soon find themselves on the run from shady men in black and profiteers forcing Rex to act and model for endless advertisements and merchandise (pointing to the film’s actual promotional campaign, the “media-mix” strategy that spanned toys, a CLAMP manga and songs… even cementing the popularity of Kentucky Fried Chicken as a de facto Christmas tradition in Japan!) Featuring expressive creature effects by Carlo Rambaldi (Alien, E.T., Possession); chase scenes by carriage, snowmobile and hot air balloon; in-camera height jokes and tokusatsu-indebted “suit-mation”, as well as startling Christmas imagery, Rex is as adorable as it is unhinged, functioning as both wholesome Holiday crowd-pleaser and cult curio in the making, available in the West and remastered in high definition for the very first time! (Haruki Kadokawa, Japan, 1993, 106 min.) In Japanese with English subtitles
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