TIME BANDITS
1981,
Janus Films,
110 min,
UK,
Dir: Terry Gilliam
When 11-year-old history buff Kevin discovers a time-and-space portal in his bedroom wall, a band of dwarves takes him on a series of rousing, funny and scary quests, where they meet Robin Hood, Napoleon and Agamemnon and search for "The Most Fabulous Object in the World." As the Chicago Reader's Dave Kehr pointed out at the time of its release, "All the hidden themes of the Disney films … are made brutally, and often hilariously, explicit. The film is resolutely, passionately anti-adult, yet much of the humor has an adult sophistication and edge to it; this is one kids' movie that doesn't condescend."
