Van Helsing: The London Assignment is a wild and clever animated prequel, slightly more than a half-hour, to the live-action hit film about 19th-century monster hunter Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing. Set just before actor dark hero heads off for battle with Count Dracula in Eastern Europe, The London Assignment finds Van Helsing attempting to stop Dr. Jekyll, and the latter's terrifying associate, Mr. Hyde, from their bizarre and bloody quest to turn septuagenarian Queen Victoria into a lovelorn girl again. While the widescreen artistry is often brutal, it is also breathtaking, especially in a fantastic chase sequence involving train cars. Besides Jackman, several actors from the feature lend voices to their cartoon counterparts, including Robbie Coltrane (as Hyde), Alun Armstrong (as Cardinal Jinette), and David Wenhman (as sidekick Carl). --Tom Keogh