The story of " Amanda: A Dream Come True " is a narrative centered on a young girl named Amanda who possesses a magical gift: her drawings come to life within her dreams. Her adventures begin when she draws her favorite superhero, Steve Strange
, a character created by a fictional famous animator of the same name. Key Plot Elements
The Dream Machine: A device invented by the fictional artist Steve Strange
that allows him to enter his own cartoons and interact with his characters.
The Protagonist: Amanda is a talented 10-year-old artist who receives a replica of the Dream Machine as a gift from Steve Strange .
Dimensional Adventures: Using the machine, Amanda and Steve travel through various settings, including prehistoric landscapes with dinosaurs, ancient Egypt, and outer space. amanda a dream come true cartoon by steve strange top
The Conflict: The duo must defend the cartoon world from Dr. Nightmare, a villain who seeks to erase Steve's creations and use the Dream Machine to conquer the real world. Character Profile: Steve Strange (Superhero) In the context of this cartoon, Steve Strange
is a superhero capable of traveling through both time and space. He serves as a mentor and companion to Amanda, guiding her through the imaginative realms she helps bring to life. Amanda A Dream Come True Cartoon By Steve Strange
Title: The Synthesis of Synth-Pop: Analyzing "Amanda" by Steve Strange and the Realization of the Audio-Visual Dream
Abstract This paper explores the intersection of music, visual art, and cultural identity through the lens of "Amanda," the debut single by Steve Strange (of Visage fame). Often overshadowed by the massive commercial success of "Fade to Grey," "Amanda" serves as a critical artifact of the New Romantic movement. This analysis examines how Strange’s background in the "Bromley Contingent" and the Blitz Kids scene informed a work that blurred the lines between pop song and theatrical performance. By treating the song and its accompanying performance style as a "living cartoon," this paper argues that "Amanda" represents a dream come true not only in its lyrical content but in its manifestation of a fabricated, idealized identity—a hallmark of the Synth-Pop era.
To understand the significance of "Amanda," one must first understand the architect. Steve Strange (born Steven John Harrington) was not merely a pop star; he was a cultural curator. As the frontman of Visage and the host of the Blitz Club in London, Strange presided over the birth of the New Romantic movement. This subculture rejected the drab austerity of late-1970s Britain, embracing instead a philosophy of glamour, androgyny, and historical pastiche. The story of " Amanda: A Dream Come
"Amanda," released in 1982 during a hiatus of Visage, was Strange’s debut solo single. While it did not achieve the chart dominance of his work with Visage, it stands as a pure distillation of the New Romantic ethos. It is a "dream come true" in the sense that it represents the ultimate realization of style over substance—or rather, style as substance. The track transforms the artist into a caricature of romance, effectively creating a "cartoon" version of a tragic lover, rendered in synthesizers and eyeliner.
Because Strange worked on a shoestring budget, Amanda has almost no dialogue. Instead, it relies on diegetic sounds—the hum of a refrigerator, the screech of seagulls, the mechanical whirr of the spinning top. The only vocal track is the lullaby "Dream a Little Dream of Me" played on a broken music box. This silence forces the viewer to project their own fears and hopes onto Amanda, making the experience intensely personal.
Before analyzing the cartoon, we must understand its creator. Steve Strange (no relation to the Visage singer) emerged from the early 2000s Newgrounds and Bitter Films scene. Unlike the polished output of Disney or Pixar, Strange’s work was gritty, hand-drawn, and psychologically dense.
Strange vanished from public view in 2010, but before his disappearance, he released a trilogy of short films exploring memory, loss, and surrealism. Amanda: A Dream Come True is widely regarded as the crown jewel of this trilogy.
Fans and critics have labeled Amanda: A Dream Come True as a "top" series for several distinct reasons: embracing instead a philosophy of glamour
1. Visual Poetry Strange’s art style is immediately recognizable. Eschewing sharp, jagged lines for soft, watercolor-esque animation, every frame looks like a lullaby. The "dream sequences" are particularly stunning, employing shifting palettes of neon pinks and cosmic blues that feel reminiscent of Steven Universe meets Sailor Moon.
2. Emotional Maturity Despite its cute exterior, the cartoon tackles heavy topics with grace. One standout episode, “The Broken Star,” deals with the grief of losing a grandparent. Strange uses the dream mechanics not as an escape, but as a metaphor for how we process loss. Amanda learns that while she can dream of a world where her grandmother is still alive, she must eventually wake up and carry those memories forward.
3. The "Steve Strange" Touch What elevates this series to the top of indie lists is Strange’s direct interaction with his audience. Known for his transparency on social media, Strange often releases "storyboard commentaries" explaining why he chose certain colors or plot twists. He treats his fans like collaborators, and that love bleeds into every frame of the show.
Before we dissect the cartoon, we must understand its creator. Steve Strange (no relation to the Welsh new wave musician of the same name) was a reclusive British-American animator who worked in the shadows of the major studios during the 1980s. While giants like Don Bluth were breaking away from Disney, Strange was operating out of a converted barn in Norfolk, England, using a hybrid technique he called "Emotion Capture."
Strange believed that mainstream animation had become too sterile. He argued that computer-assisted tweening killed the "soul" of a drawing. Consequently, his masterpiece, Amanda: A Dream Come True, was created almost entirely by hand, frame by agonizing frame, over a period of six years (1987–1993).
The "Steve Strange Top" moniker that often follows the title is a fan-made distinction. Collectors rank his works by quality and emotional impact; the "Top" tier is reserved for Amanda, as opposed to his earlier, more esoteric shorts like The Clockwork Sparrow or Mildew Manor.