Jan Nickman	...	(Director)
	...	(Writer)
James Reynolds	...

Summary: The Mind's Eye is my favorite and most prized CG animated videotape of all time---it was my first of it's kind.There were other computer artists and animators who jumped on the bandwagon with their releases at the time of this new emerging video trend.Quite often the results were rather crude and archaic looking with bad visual and audio editing techniques. Many used a cheap Casio keyboard production for soundtrack music. They released poor imitations that were absolutely nothing like this collection.The competition just couldn't hold a candle to the Mind's Eye...

I also purchased the rest of the Mind's Eye series years later on dvd format( still, the original is a marvel in it's own right despite being VHS with hi-fi 2-track stereo only channels).Why this amazing collection of computer animated visuals hasn't been re-mastered onto the dvd format with a full blown digital surround/THX/DTS audio presentation puzzles me!I purchased my VHS copy back in 1990--- one of the first copies and not a later re-issue.

The Mind's Eye sort of represents a second generation of computer artists (as the medium was still evolving). As an artist myself,The Mind's Eye served as an inspiration for some of my early drawings with color pencils ! True, computer animation has made many leaps and bounds and is more advanced and sophisticated with the new technology and software available.However, The Mind's Eye represents cutting edge computer graphics of the time. What also matters is the imagination, ingenuity, and artistry of each animator's talents used for this 1990 computer generated collection that takes you through a journey of the history of man's civilization and various life forms in their eco systems; it does this in a simplified and surrealistic manner.It's an awesome video journey worth taking despite it's VHS picture quality. There is no IMAX or widescreen presentation. So what?!The great visuals with their rich colors and shapes made me feel like a kid again the first time I saw this video.It will bring the child out in you! Each short story is mesmerizing and thought provoking in a relaxing sense. There is much awe and wonderment to behold !

The soundtrack provided by James Reynolds is also a superb tapestry of adult contemporary pop-like instrumentals and a modest and non-overwhelming dose of new age music that was created perfectly for each video segment. A hint of other various musical genres were used such as a touch of classical and a dash of funky jazz.A lot of it is strongly in the vein of an adult easy listening radio format.Yet, other songs possess a made-for-t.v.-ad jingle quality since portions of The Mind's Eye have appeared in television product commercials of the past here in the U.S., Japan, and abroad; They have a naturally playful and lighthearted whimsical feel that simply conveys fun (especially the jazzy-like video segment with the robots).There is nothing brooding or heavy here.It can be quite atmospheric at times, but not in a pseudo-ambient way. It may not be Vangelis or Enigma(a couple of videos on The Mind's Eye could have used actual Enigma music or been used as Enigma music videos) but it's an excellent soundtrack to purchase on cd. See what kind of visuals your mind will be stimulated to conjure without viewing the actual videos just with the soundtrack music alone!