Van Helsing: The London Assignment

 Van Helsing: The London Assignment

Van Helsing: The London Assignment, is a 2004 animated short film (33 min) that was released to Pay-Per-View as a tie-in and prequel to the film Van Helsing, that was released the same year.   Though the film looks and feels like an anime it was created by Universal Cartoon Studios, and released by Universal Studios Home Video.   The short is directed by Sharon Bridgeton, and produced by John Kafka, and written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens (a wife and husband writing team).    The film features of voices the characters from the live-action film, including Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing, David Wenham as Friar Carl, Tress MacNeille as Queen Victoria, Tara Strong as the Young Victoria, Dwight Schultz plays Dr. Henry Jekyll/Jack The Ripper, with Robbie Coltrane as Edward Hyde/Jack The Ripper. 

The film takes place just before the events of the feature film Van Helsing, and leads up to the opening scene of the live-action film.     The short-film is beautifully animated with a mix of traditional animation and computer animation.  Many films struggle with the mixing of the animation styles, for example how terrible the Dragonlance film looked, Van Helsing: The London Assignment however totally nails the animation.  It looks and feels much like an anime film from Japan, and it is paired with a great, if brief story.   It feels like it should an episode of an animated series, and I would watch that series if it did exist, and though it can work as a stand alone work, it is definitely best paired with the live action film that it leads up to.   If this film has any flaw it is only that there is not more of it, and that it feels rushed and incomplete, which when paired with the live action film, it isn't incomplete at all, but if you watch it as a stand alone work, know that without that follow up film, it is really not complete feeling.  I feel like it was a missed opportunity not to show this in the theaters before the actual film plays, like a 33 min bonus to get the viewers excited for the live-action film.  I really do wish that there was an animated series based on this, there are so many more adventures that Van Helsing and Friar Carl could have had together, and I think that they would have been fun to watch, especially with such beautiful animation, and great writing to go with it.   

I definitely recommend checking this out, along with the live-action film that it accompanies, it is worth the short amount of time that it runs.   This film has no shortage of action, and adventure, with a touch of classic Universal Monster Film themes thrown in, and beautiful animation, and a decent plot, and the voice acting alone is definitely worth the view.   




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