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Babes in Toyland
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Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
Find all by Walt Disney Video
Directed By: Jack Donohue
Audience Rating: Unrated
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Theatrical Release: December 14, 1961
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $14.99
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Starring: Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello, Ed Wynn, Tommy Kirk
Enjoy a happy excursion into the world of Mother Goose in Walt Disney's first musical production! All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary! This joyful musical fantasy is a delightful experience for the whole family!
User Submitted Babes in Toyland Reviews
October 5, 2008
Babes in Toyland
I found the delivery etc good.The product in very good condition.The product itself a poor depiction of the Babes in Toyland
July 18, 2008
Classic Disney
I have been searching for some time for this movie, the later Disney stuff is not of interest. The nursery rhyme stories come to life in this one and it is entertaining for adult and kids alike the "fight" scene is not the type to cause stress to little people and the "March of The Toys" battle music is very stirring. That scene is the main reason for me looking for this one. A very light hearted movie I think many will enjoy for a change.
May 26, 2008
Entertaining; a Little Light on Plot
Walt Disney decided to capitalize on his stable of stars by creating his first full-length live musical movie. Disney stars Annette Funicello ("The Mickey Mouse Club," "The Shaggy Dog"), Ed Wynn ("Mary Poppins," "That Darn Cat (1965)"), Tommy Kirk ("Old Yeller," "The Monkey's Uncle"), Henry Calvin ("Zorro," "Toby Tyler"), Gene Sheldon ("Zorro," "Toby Tyler") and Kevin Corcoran ("Old Yeller" and "Toby Tyler") all made appearances in this movie.
The plot of this movie is relatively simple, and all the scenes were filmed on sets. Mary Contrary (Funicello) is going to wed Tom Piper (Tommy Sands, "The Longest Day," "Ensign Pulver"). Unbeknownst to Mary, she will inherit a great deal of money when she gets married. However, evil Barnaby, played by Ray Bolger ("The Wizard of Oz"), is aware of the inheritance. Barnaby decides to enlist the aid of Gonzorgo (Calvin) and Roderigo (Sheldon) to do away with Tom. Of course, in a Disney movie made for children people disappear, and that is what happens to Tom.
After a song and dance number, Tom and Mary realize that the children have gone off to the Forest of No Return to find Bo Peep's lost sheep. Tom and Mary head off to find the children, only to learn that the forest is full of wonders both scary and delightful, including the Toymaker (Wynn) and his assistant Grumio (Kirk). The ending is delightful stop-motion fun that is the best part of the movie.
The Good: The entertainment is mostly family friendly. The trees in the Forest of No Return are a little scary, and Barnaby is a schmuck, but with mom and dad close by even the littlest ones should be able to watch this film. The Toymaker's shop (mansion?) is cute, and the special effects at the end are nice for 1961.
The Bad: Where's the widescreen? This movie's aspect ratio is 1.75:1, which means that this full screen version has cut a lot out. The plot is simple. It feels like an episode of "The Mickey Mouse Club" stretched to an hour and forty-five minutes.
There's a lot to like about this movie. The stars are cheery and will remind some of us of when we were in love with Annette in the early 1960's. Walt Disney was still at the helm and his movies had an innocent image about them. However, if you are looking for a better version of the story, I recommend "March of the Wooden Soldiers," featuring Laurel and Hardy. That movie can be scary for little children, but it is better.
Good Luck!
February 8, 2008
Classic movies
I think this movie is wonderfully delightful, it shows how talented Walt Disney was before all the trash was brought into the movies.
January 7, 2008
Great Service
I really enjoy using Amazon it is easy to use and I can pretty much find what I am looking for. The pricing are not bad either I have had very good luck with Amazon. My movies always come in great shape and I have never had a problem with them working as well. I was very happy to find Babies in Toyland on here it was a movie that I enjoyed as a child and my sister as well. I was very happy with my movie and my sister was happy with her copy as well.
December 28, 2007
Babes in Toyland
The video was what I expected, but the plastic housing broke off on the 1st showing. We were able to re attach it, but that has to be done every time that we view it.
November 29, 2007
Babes In Toyland
I bought this DVD as an extension of our family tradition. I watched it on TV during the Christmas holidays as a child because there was no such thing as "videos", my children watched it on video and now I recently bought it for my granddaughters on DVD. It's a great film with dancing and singing and just a wholesome movie that the whole family can enjoy together year after year during the Christmas season.
July 16, 2007
A Classic
I have loved this movie since a child. I was so happy when I found it. I share it with my nephews and they loved it just as much.
June 8, 2007
absolutely necessary!
As a child I couldn't get enough of this film. When I learned it was availabe on dvd the first thing i did was buy it. The second thing i did was call my mother. No film could ever be as worthy of dvd status as this one! If you have children please show it to them. It is something that i hope is an essential part of childhood.
May 29, 2007
Toyland Uber Alles
If this 1961 Disney musical reminds you a bit of 1939's WIZARD OF OZ, that's hardly surprising. You got your fairy tale villages (well, Mother Goose,actually, but who's counting?): you've got spooky forests with trees that come alive and scare innocent children : and you've got Ray Bolger (this time as a bad guy, but still dancing up a storm when given a chance). There's even an Ed Wynn connection, sort of, since the lovable comedian, seen in here in a fairly small role, reportedly once rejected the title role in the '39 classic because it was "way too small." I guess, 22 years on, he had learned his lesson.
Apparently, both this version of BABES IN TOYLAND and the earlier Laurel and Hardy adaptation, took considerable liberties with the Victor Herbert stage play--to the point where you could say they were only loosely adapted on same. Since the source work is not really considered a classic itself, such revisions probably shouldn't matter much. Hollywood-izing (or "Disney-izing") classic fairy tales or children's literature is one thing, submitting a turn-of-the-century operetta to the the same treatment should not upset purists too much.
It is interesting to note, however, that by 1961, the thrust of the storyline had switched from a scheming uncle trying to rob children of their inheritance, to a Snidely Whiplash type villain out to force the beautiful, innocent young Mary (who despite her name and her cockle-shell full garden is anything but "contrary"--in general anyway , although she lets her contempt for the villain, Barnaby, show) into marriage so that he rob her of HER inheritance (and presumably other things as well). Of course to do so, he must dispatch her handsome young fiance, Tom Piper, which proves to be no easy task, after all, especially when the sole help this arch-villain can enlist are a couple of bumbling refugees from the old ZORRO TV series.
The fact that the Disney folks were thinking that older-teen style mushiness played better than little kid adventure may have been indicative of a change in the cinematic Zeitgeist--we're on the verge of the swingin' 60s after all--or maybe it just had to do with the fact that Annette was a hot Disney property at the time and they needed a plotline that would focus on her and NOT on the cute little kids (all supposed to be her younger siblings, it would appear). In fact the screen emphasis on Annette and beau Tom Piper (Tommy Sands) is so great that aside from Ann Jillian (billed here as "Ann Jilliann") as Bo Peep, it's not even clear who the other kids are supposed to be. Perennial Disney favorite, Kevin Corcoran, is listed as Boy Blue in the credits. Who knew? He doesn't even get to blow his horn.
So it's a kids' movie in which the actual kid actors get short shrift and little screen time. Well, of course, Judy Garland was already an adolescent herself by the time she played Dorothy. Annette is a bit older than that: I believe she's about 20 here, and while she in no way possesses the vocal power and acting chops of a young Garland, she certainly projects the girl-next-door charm that had become her trademark by this time. Tommy Sands actually does have the smooth good looks and even smoother vocal style of a potential musical star, but he was born a bit too late for that genre's heyday. This was to be his sole musical, unfortunately for him: and his regular job as a teenage idol endured about as long as his real-life marriage to Nancy Sinatra. All in all, kind of a shame.
I was fascinated to learn (from a previous reviewer) that Disney himself had wanted to make a quality musical and was actually quite unsatisfied with this film. He did manage to achieve that goal just four years later with MARY POPPINS. As for BABES IN TOYLAND itself, it ain't half bad. The musical numbers, many of which really were from the Victor Herbert operetta, are entertaining. The choreography is pretty good (although the dance numbers could have been SHOT better). The stop motion animation is pretty effective in the toy soldier battle scenes. And the cast is quite good (and let me throw in a mention for Tommy Kirk as well, another appealing Disney regular of the era, who would soon be blackballed by the company for proving to be relatively uncloseted in his personal life).
Kids, who aren't too jaded by contemporary special-effects-laden fare, should enjoy the film. The dialog and some of the lyrics are just sophisticated enough to give the adults something to savor as well (yes, they did that back then too: they just didn't have to ANNOUNCE it by giving all the wisecracks to a hip comedian like Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy). All in all, not bad.
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