By Vernon Nickerson

Film animator chronicles a 40- year journey to make a movie with his teen idol Ike Eisenmann (of Walt Disney’s Escape to Witch Mountain’ fame). Just when I had given up expecting anything that gave me a warm fuzzy trip down memory lane to suddenly appear in the middle of 2021 and COVID-19 Delta Variant, a funny valentine comes along. Professional animator Dion A. Labriola tells a fascinating tale of the great late 70’s early 80’s story of a young closeted gay man’s obsession– to make an animated film starring his idol Ike Eisemann.

Have you ever dreamed a dream almost everyone thought was impossible to achieve? How about when everyone discouraged you from pursuing your vision, then one person encourages you? Did that encouragement put you over the finish line to transform your dream into real life? Wait! Please don’t answer that question out loud until you watch Dion Labriola and his friends tell the story that climaxes with a long-deferred dream becoming real.

Voila! That’s it! If you loved the classic children’s story about what happens when you become “real” after living as an animated/illustrated piece of graphic art, re-read The Velveteen Rabbit. Then go directly to the nearest cinema and see Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol. You will want to share this experience with a close friend or family of friends, especially if you, like me, were coming of age during the Carter- Reagan years. By the way, Don’t stop dreamin! You never know how or when your dreams will become realities!

“Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol” will have its West Coast Premiere at Dances With Films on Sunday, September 5^th at 2:30PM PST at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, CA. For more information and to follow “Dear Ike: Lost Letters to a Teen Idol” please go here https://dearike.com/dear-ike-home or Facebook

LINK TO DWF TICKETS: https://danceswithfilms.ticketspice.com/dwf24-dear-ike-lost-letters-to-a-teen-idol

Dear Ike Trailer from Dion Labriola on Vimeo.