Amanda A Dream Come True Cartoon By Steve Strange Review

By Steve Strange

Amanda Rivera was seven the first time she dreamed of flying. Not in the careful, tethered way of birds—she dreamed of vaulting from rooftops and skimming along ribbons of cloud, her hair a comet’s tail, laughing until the sky felt like home. Each morning she woke with her pillow tangled, cheeks flushed, a small, stubborn certainty that somewhere beyond her ordinary town a place existed where dreams were not just dreams.

Years later, Amanda lived in a small apartment above a bakery, sketchbook always under her arm. By day she drew whimsical inventions—tea-brewing umbrellas, bicycles with pocket gardens—selling doodles to tourists and odd jobs to save for art school. By night she worked at the bakery, frosting cupcakes and listening to customers’ passing lives. Her talent was bright and private: she could make people smile with one quick ink stroke, but the world she wanted—the animated, impossible world from her childhood dreams—remained stubbornly out of reach.

One rainy evening, a flyer appeared on the bakery’s corkboard: “Aurora Studios — Contest: Create the Next Cartoon Hero! Winner’s concept becomes animated short.” Amanda’s heart tripped. She imagined her characters dancing across a big screen, the rustle of applause like wind in her sails. She entered on a dare and on hope, sending a single page: a sketch of Amanda—herself as a character—leaping between clouds wearing patched boots and a jacket stitched with constellations. The title scrawled beneath read: Amanda — A Dream Come True.

Weeks passed. Winter leaned into spring. Then a narrow envelope arrived, postmarked Aurora Studios. Inside was an invitation: “Selected as finalist. Bring your portfolio.” The letter tasted like possibility.

At the studio, a corridor of concept art rose like a forest; color seeped from walls, characters peered from frames, and in the center of it all stood the director, an energetic animator named Lila, who saw everything like motion already in place. Lila loved Amanda’s design—the way the heroine’s smile carried curiosity, how the patched boots hinted at adventure. “We want to make this world sing,” Lila said. “But we need a story. Something honest. Can you tell it?”

Amanda thought of her childhood dream and the many small nights she'd spent tracing stories into the margins of menus. She told them about rooftops, clouds that folded like blankets, and a small resolve that took up more room than she did. Lila offered a deal: Amanda would consult on character and story, and the studio would animate the short. With trembling joy, Amanda agreed.

The production began like a choreography of kindness. The writers asked questions that felt like turning over favorite stones—“Why does Amanda fly?” “Who fears her flying?” They sketched her world not as a single act of flight but as a series of moments that shaped who she was: a childhood roof-top rescue of a frightened cat, a teacher’s offhand comment that art should be “practical,” a neighbor who taught her to mend torn pockets as if mending could stitch confidence into a life.

They gave the town a sound—the clatter of trams, the whisper of laundry lines—and a color palette that liked twilight. Amanda’s animated self wore the same patched boots. Her jacket held pockets for keepsakes: ticket stubs, a pressed bluebell, a scrap of her mother’s handwriting. The antagonist was not an evil villain but a weathered gallery owner named Mr. Calder, who believed that art belonged on walls, not in clouds. He worried that stories untethered to “reality” were distractions. He was stern but not cruel—more the shape of doubt than malice.

The short opened on a simple civic announcement: the town planned a “Practical Things” fair where every invention and artwork would be judged for usefulness. Mr. Calder presided. Amanda had sketched a flying contraption—an accordion-powered glider stitched together with friendship and string. People chuckled. “Too fanciful,” they said. That night Amanda climbed to the rooftop and wept into the dark, then remembered the cat she once saved and the small, deliberate stitches of neighbors who’d taught her to keep going.

The next day, determined, she patched the glider with more care and a little magic that was partly imagination, partly the goodwill of those who believed in her. The fair arrived. Amanda’s contraption was light as sigh; when she unfolded it she did not soar, not at first. She ran and tripped and laughed and tried again, and through each tumble she found new bearings—an old shoemaker holding a wire steady, a child offering her a ribbon, Lila in the crowd cheering like she always would.

When Amanda finally rose, it was not because she had conquered gravity with a single stroke but because she had gathered the town’s small faith into a shape: people clapping, a cat leaping to her shoulder, a ribbon caught in the wind. She flew low at first, then higher, skimming the gutters and then the church steeple, painting the sky with kicks and joyful whoops. Mr. Calder watched, his sternness softening as if the color of the sky had just changed his mind.

The short ended with Amanda landing on the bakery roof where her older neighbor, Mrs. Park, breathed a laugh like relief. “You always had to try it, dear,” she said. Amanda looked at the small stitches on her jacket, the bluebell between her fingers, and felt the world in its right place. The credits rolled over a city that seemed suddenly bigger and kinder.

When Aurora released the short online, it was small at first—shared by friends, then by strangers who liked the sincerity of a girl who simply wanted to fly. Viewers loved the gentle honesty: it didn’t pretend that dreams were effortless, only that they were worth the slips and stitches. Amanda became not a celebrity but a quiet symbol: permission to try impossible things and to bring the town along.

Steve Strange—an animator known for his charmingly human cartoons—visited Amanda months later. He asked how much of the story came from her real life. Amanda shrugged. “Some of it,” she said. “Mostly, it’s all of us.” Steve smiled and sketched a small strip showing Amanda asleep with a little cloud hovering above her head—a final flourish. Amanda A Dream Come True Cartoon By Steve Strange

Years after the short, young artists sent Amanda drawings: characters with patched boots, jackets stitched with constellations and pockets full of hope. Kids built backyard gliders and learned to stitch. Roofs became places to leave folded notes and small coins. Mr. Calder opened his gallery to exhibit papier-mâché flying machines. The town learned that practicality and wonder could be neighbors.

On quiet nights, Amanda still climbed to the bakery roof. She’d look up at the spangled blanket of the city and, sometimes, she’d jump. Whether she rose or fell didn’t matter so much anymore. She had learned the lesson the animation taught: the act of trying, of patching and running and laughing, stitched dreams into the lives of others. That was the true flight.

Amanda’s story—drawn first on a napkin, then on celluloid—had become what she’d always wanted: a small, honest bridge from imagination to the everyday. And somewhere beyond the borders of the town, other children dreamed themselves into the sky, finding roofs to start from and hands to help them along.

—End

The story of Amanda: A Dream Come True is a narrative centered on the boundless power of a child's imagination and the magical intersection of art and reality. Created by the fictional animator and comic book artist Steve Strange, the series explores the adventures of a young girl who discovers she has the extraordinary gift to bring her drawings to life. The Core Premise and "The Dream Machine"

The narrative begins with Amanda, a 10-year-old girl who is an avid fan of Steve Strange's cartoons. After sending a fan letter and her own drawings to Strange, she receives a life-altering gift: a replica of his "Dream Machine." This device allows Amanda to scan her illustrations and enter a dream world where they become tangible realities.

The primary companion in her journey is Steve Strange, a superhero character (and the artist's in-universe alter ego) who possesses the ability to travel through time and space. Amanda learns that Strange is more than a fictional character; he is a real entity within this dream realm who requires her creative help to protect his world from destruction. Themes of Exploration and Conflict

The "Dream Come True" series is defined by its episodic exploration of diverse settings. Using the Dream Machine, Amanda and Steve travel through various "portals" to experience:

Prehistoric Landscapes: Riding triceratops through volcanic fields.

Historical Eras: Adventures in ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, and the Wild West. Cosmic Frontiers: Travels into outer space.

However, the world faces a persistent threat from Dr. Nightmare, a mysterious villain determined to erase Steve's creations. This antagonist seeks to capture the Dream Machines to bridge the gap between dreams and the real world, turning Amanda’s imaginative haven into a battle for control over creativity itself. Psychological Symbolism

Beyond the adventure, Amanda’s journey acts as a form of escapism. In many interpretations of her character, her retreats into dream worlds—where she might imagine herself as a mermaid, a fairy, or even an orphan—reflect a deep-seated yearning for independence and freedom from the pressures of her real-life environment. Her dreams are not just playgrounds, but spaces where she can process her reality and assert her own agency through art. Amanda A Dream Come True Cartoon By Steve Strange

Amanda: A Dream Come True is a creative project and story concept by artist Steve Strange that explores the boundaries between imagination and reality. The Story Concept

The narrative centers on a young girl named Amanda who possesses a unique gift: everything she draws comes to life in her dreams. By Steve Strange Amanda Rivera was seven the

The Protagonist: Amanda is a creative 10-year-old who loves building fantastic worlds through her art.

The Hero: Her favorite character is Steve Strange, a time-and-space-traveling superhero she created herself.

The Conflict: During a vivid dream adventure, Amanda discovers that Steve Strange is more than just a drawing—he is a real entity who needs her help to defeat a villain threatening all of his creations. Behind the Creation

The project is authored by Steve Strange, described as a famous animator and comic book artist who drew inspiration from his childhood love of science fiction.

The "Dream Machine": In a meta-fictional twist, the artist Steve Strange is said to have invented a "Dream Machine" that allows him to enter his own cartoons.

Multi-Media Presence: The story of Amanda and Steve Strange has been developed as both a comic book series and a TV show. Key Themes

Creative Empowerment: The story highlights the power of a child's imagination and talent.

Adventure: Plots often involve traveling to diverse settings, including prehistoric eras with dinosaurs and deep space with aliens. Amanda A Dream Come True Cartoon By Steve Strange

The Gentle Revolution: Nostalgia and Innocence in Steve Strange’s "Amanda: A Dream Come True"

In the pantheon of 1980s pop culture, Steve Strange is best remembered as the pompadoured frontman of Visage, the architect of the New Romantic movement, and a style icon who challenged gender norms on Top of the Pops. However, beyond the synthesizers and the heavy eyeliner lay a softer, more whimsical creative impulse. This impulse found its outlet in Amanda: A Dream Come True, a children's cartoon project that stands as a fascinating counterpoint to Strange’s public persona. While it may seem like a curious detour for a synth-pop pioneer, the project is a sincere exploration of innocence, serving as a "dream come true" for the artist himself—a realization that the flamboyance of the 80s was, at its heart, a form of playground dress-up.

To understand the significance of Amanda, one must first contextualize the era in which it was conceived. The 1980s was a decade defined by excess, where fashion and music collided in a riot of color and texture. Steve Strange was the ringleader of this aesthetic circus. Yet, Amanda stripped away the clubland cynicism, revealing the inner child that fueled the New Romantic movement. The New Romantics were, in many ways, adults refusing to grow up, playing with costumes and identity in the same way children play with action figures. With Amanda, Strange abandoned the pretense of the nightclub and embraced the genuine article: a world designed for children, free from the pressures of the charts and the critics.

The cartoon itself, centered on themes of fantasy and aspiration, mirrored the escapist nature of Strange’s music. Visage’s biggest hit, "Fade to Grey," was a melancholic anthem about the passage of time and the allure of the night. Amanda: A Dream Come True operates on a similar frequency but adjusts the tone from melancholic to hopeful. The narrative framework—a dream realized—resonates with the core ethos of the New Romantics: the idea that through sheer will, costume, and performance, one could manifest a fantasy life. For Strange, who famously ran the Blitz Club with an iron fist and a velvet rope, the creation of a cartoon was an extension of his world-building; the Blitz was a club, but Amanda was a world where everyone was invited.

Furthermore, the project highlighted a tender vulnerability often hidden beneath Strange’s aloof public image. In an industry often criticized for its manufactured nature, Strange’s foray into animation felt authentic in its intent. It bridged the gap between the avant-garde and the accessible. While his fashion choices were deemed subversive by the British press, his work on Amanda was universally wholesome. This dichotomy suggests that Strange understood the power of imagination before all else. The project served as a reminder that the seeds of avant-garde art are often watered by the cartoons and stories we consume in our youth.

From a legacy perspective, Amanda: A Dream Come True acts as a vital piece of the puzzle in understanding Steve Strange. It prevents him from being pigeonholed solely as a "pop star" or a "club promoter." It reveals him as a multifaceted creator who valued the narrative as much as the melody. In the context of the 1980s, where the line between media personalities and musicians began to blur, Strange was ahead of the curve, leveraging his creative capital to explore different mediums. The cartoon stands as a testament to his versatility—a proof that the man who sang about "The Damned Don't Cry" could also tell a story about a dream come true. The Gentle Revolution: Nostalgia and Innocence in Steve

In conclusion, Amanda: A Dream Come True is more than just a footnote in the career of a New Romantic icon; it is a key to decoding the movement itself. It strips away the synthesized basslines to reveal the beating heart of the 1980s: a profound desire to hold onto the magic of childhood. By creating a cartoon, Steve Strange admitted that the greatest dream is not necessarily to be a star, but to retain the ability to wonder. In doing so, he proved that the most subversive act of all was simply to be sincere.

Steve Strange passed away in 2015, but he remained proud of Amanda: A Dream Come True until the end. In his memoir, he wrote: "I made a cartoon for the kid who is staring out the rain-streaked window of a bus, wondering if anyone else knows they exist. If that kid finds my work, I have succeeded."

Today, the original 1992 film is a holy grail for animation collectors. The VHS tapes sell for over $300 on eBay. A digital restoration is rumored to be in the works, but rights issues remain tangled between Strange’s estate, the German distribution company, and the Canadian studio behind the TV series.

In the meantime, low-resolution copies circulate on archive.org. Fans have created subreddits dedicated to decoding the film’s imagery. Independent animators cite Amanda as a major influence on the "dreamcore" and "weirdcore" aesthetics that dominate social media today.

On its surface, a cartoon titled “Amanda: A Dream Come True” by an artist named Steve Strange seems destined for saccharine predictability. The name “Amanda” (from Latin, meaning “she who must be loved”) combined with the cliché of a “dream come true” suggests a greeting-card illustration of rainbows, romantic fulfillment, or personal triumph. However, the inclusion of the creator’s moniker—Steve Strange—radically recontextualizes the work. As the lead singer of the 1980s new wave band Visage and a seminal figure of the New Romantic movement, the real-life Steve Strange was a performance artist of alienation, glamour, and the stark gap between fantasy and reality. Thus, a cartoon bearing his name cannot be a simple celebration; it must be an anthropological dissection of the dream itself.

The origin of Amanda: A Dream Come True is almost as surreal as the cartoon itself. Following the commercial decline of Visage in the mid-80s, Steve Strange found himself struggling with addiction and the fickle nature of the music industry. In a 1994 interview with The Face magazine, Strange revealed that during a period of rehabilitation in Wales, he began having recurring vivid dreams about a young girl with mismatched eyes and a talking silver fox.

"I couldn't escape her," Strange said. "Her name was Amanda, and she was lost in a world that looked like the inside of a music box mixed with the backstreets of Berlin. I started sketching her to exorcise the dream, but instead, it became an obsession."

Using the modest fortune he had saved from his "Fade to Grey" royalties, Strange founded Strange Magic Productions. He hired a small team of disillusioned Disney animators and European graphic novelists. The goal was simple, if daunting: create a fully hand-drawn animated film that looked like nothing else on Earth. The keyword, as Strange would later scrawl on the production bible, was "Amanda: A Dream Come True"— a title that served both as a plot summary and a personal manifesto.

At its core, the cartoon tells the story of a reclusive protagonist—often interpreted as a self-insert of Strange himself—who creates an animated character named Amanda. Amanda is envisioned as the "perfect" companion: beautiful, kind, witty, and possessing a gentle melancholy that mirrors the creator’s own soul.

However, the "dream come true" part of the title is literal. Through a magical-realist twist (often depicted as a glowing sketchbook or a mystical animation cel), Amanda steps out of the cartoon world and into the real, monochrome existence of her creator.

The series (which spans several animated shorts, comic strips, and illustrated storyboards) follows the pair as they navigate this impossible co-existence. The episodes alternate between:

Strange’s visual signature is immediately recognizable. He employs:

Animation critics have described the look of Amanda: A Dream Come True as “Studio Ghibli meets One Thousand and One Nights, directed by Spike Jonze. ” It is nostalgic and futuristic simultaneously.