Serendipity the Pink Dragon, anime or not?

[goat]

I'm puzzled by one of my favorite childhood movies. I can't tell if it's anime or not. "Serendipity the Pink Dragon" is its English title. The Japanese title is "Serendipity Monogatari: Puura-tou no Nakama-tachi" or "Serendipity Stories: Friends on Pure Island". If it weren’t originally released in Japan I wouldn't think it was anime. It's weird though, since it was based on the book by Stephen Cosgrove, definitely not Japanese. The illustrations in the book were drawn by Robin James (also not Japanese). Actually, there's a whole Serendipity series (ever heard of Leo the Lop or Misty Morgan?), just not about Serendipity. I think there was a TV series, but I just have the movie. It's so old/unpopular that I can't find a picture of the movie online, but I have a link to a picture of the book on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... eader-link

The movie does look pretty different, though. Here's some other info:

Music and Songs: Bullets and Takawo Watanabe
Written by: Collins Walker
Executive Producer: Masawo Takiyama
Associate Producer: Patricia Curran
Produced and Directed by: Jim Terry

This is what the back of the video box says:

What's little on top, big in the middle and pink all over?

Just For Kids Home Video

Serendipity the Pink Dragon
Based on the ever popular Serendipity book series!

This is a tender tale of the delightful inhabitants of Paradise Island, a beautiful island in the South Pacific. Here lives our heroine, a warm-hearted, peace loving dragon with large gentle eyes...her name is "Serendipity." Always tender and elegant she guards the sea around the island with her friend Bobby, a young boy who has been stranded. Together, they have many exciting adventures with the other unique and colorful characters in this wonderland. Serendipity...a story that is joyful, beautiful and fantastic!

90 minutes
A Fully Animated Feature Film

Professionally Duplicated (EP Mode),
Printed and Packaged in U.S.A.

Copyright 1989 Fuji Eight Co., Ltd.

Distributed by Celebrity Home Entertainment, Inc., Woodland Hills, CA 91365
Artwork and Design copyright 1990 Celebrity Home Entertainment, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.

And some other stuff from the credits:

Cast
Cleo Rae
Mr. Angelo
Cody Walker
David Monson
Ginny Masters
Harry Metrano
Danielle Romeo
Andrea Deschamps
Geoffrey Deschamps

Edited by Thomas Walker

Post Production Facilities
Celebrity Duplicating Services
Audio Post Production
Score One Studios

Characters created by Yoichi Otabe
Animation Design by Nobuo Onuki

Directed by Yoshikune Nishi and Toyo Ebishima

Original book copyright 1974
Price/Stern/Sloan Publishers Inc.
Serendipity and the Pink Dragon are trademarks of Price/Stern/Sloan Inc. of Los Angeles, California


Sorry there's so much, I didn't want to leave anything out in case it turned out to be the one thing some one needed. I'd love to hear anything anyone knows. Thanks!

[Madzack]

Is it the one where there's this mad sailor dude who wants to find the island?

[goat]

Yes!! Captain Smudge!! And he has a bird, too, um...Madlark, that's it. I can't believe some one else has heard of it!

[Madzack]

I was a kid then. I seem to have more sympathy for Captain Smudge than most of the inhabitants of the island.

Why do the Islanders fear Captain Smudge, BTW? Whatever damage has he done on the island?

[goat]

He wanted to steal the gold and make it some tourist attraction? Dunno. Peela-Peela (the parrot) is one of my favorite characters. Last time I watched it, I noticed she was refeffered to as "he" "she" and "it". I think she's a girl though. Also, my favorite color combination has always been pink and green, I guess I imprinted on Serendipity or something. Did your tape have really crappy quality? Mine always did. The sound was messed up and stuff.

[Madzack]

I didn't watch it on tape. It was on local TV during some festive season, and I had nothing else better to do so I watch it.

The dubbing was almost bad, and wtf (re)wrote the theme song?