The 1980s were such a different time in terms of animated movies. Nowadays even the most progressive ones seem lukewarm compared to the topics discussed in this movie. The subject of the death being the main point of the film.

Watching this as a child was a nightmare, yet I remember it fondly. To a child, this is such an atmospheric movie with what feels like real life stakes. Similar to Pinocchio with its cocktail of presumed adult topics and places as casinos and criminals and betting on horses, we watch our main character grow and develop morals through what feels like very real consequences of their behaviour.

As an adult, I can see how predictable this movie is and I recognize all the tropes in this movie but I have to take into account the fact that this came out 30 years ago and considering this it still holds well in my eyes. I didn't tear up as I did when I was 7 years old yet I can appreciate the sentiment of this movie.

The music is great, better than you would expect in the children's movie, so lively yet melancholic reminiscent of the golden times of animated movies with its jazzy scores and character modelling reminds me of classic Disney movies with their shagginess and imperfections down to the rosy checks of our main female character similar to Snow White's in the classic movie.

This despite being mostly forgotten is such a classic. At the time when animation was still considered more of a marketing technique rather than art this movie stormed in and put its best into the world combining both relatability and lightness with a lot of effort.
I wouldn't call this a masterpiece but man rewatching this felt like coming home after a long tiring day.