Babes in Toyland DVD

Babes in Toyland
This second film adaptation of the Victor Herbert operetta Babes in Toyland was producer Walt Disney's Christmas offering for 1961. The 1903 Herbert original had very little in the way of a plot, so screenwriters Joe Rinaldi, Lowell S. Hawley, and Ward Kimball lifted elements from the 1934 filmization of Toyland, which starred Laurel and Hardy. Annette Funicello plays Mary Contrary, about to wed Tom Piper (Tommy Sands) in the heart of Mother Goose Village. The villainous Barnaby (Ray Bolger), who covets Mary for himself, orders his bumbling henchmen Gonzorgo (Henry Calvin) and Roderigo (Gene Sheldon) to do away with Tom. Hoping to turn a profit, Gonzorgo and Roderigo sell Tom to a band of gypsies, enabling Tom to make a surprise return-in old-lady drag to rescue Mary from Barnaby's clutches. Later, Mary's younger siblings (including Disney regular Moochie Corcoran) wander into the Forest of No Return, compelling Tom and Mary to go after them. Everyone winds up in Toyland, where they try to help the Toymaker (Ed Wynn) and his invention-happy assistant Grumio (Tommy Kirk) meet their quota for Santa Claus despite the continued meddlings of Barnaby. Keep an eye peeled for 11-year-old Ann Jillian, making her screen debut as Bo Peep. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Ray Bolger as Barnaby Tommy Sands as Tom Piper Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary Ed Wynn as Toymaker Tommy Kirk as Grumio Kevin Corcoran as Boy Blue Henry Calvin as Gonzorgo Gene Sheldon as Roderigo Mary McCarty as Mother Goose Ann Jillian as Bo Peep Brian Corcoran as Willie Winkie Marilee & Melanie Arnold as Twins Jerry Glenn as Simple Simon John Perri as Jack-be-Nimble David Pinson as Bobby Shaftoe Bryan Russell as The Little Boy James Martin as Jack

Crew Tom Mahoney - Choreography Bill Thomas - Costume Designer Jack Donohue - Director Robert Stafford - Editor George Bruns - Composer (Music Score) Mel Leven - Songwriter Edward Colman - Cinematographer Walt Disney - Producer Lowell S. Hawley - Screenwriter Ward Kimball - Screenwriter Joe Rinaldi - Screenwriter Victor Herbert - Featured Music Victor Herbert - From Musical by

Babes in Toyland
Young children tend to enjoy Babes in Toyland immensely, but older viewers find it rather tough going. Certainly, there are assets for everyone, starting with the sterling Victor Herbert score, which -- even in the "contemporized" version heard here -- is full of melodies that soar gracefully and land with just the right lilt upon the ear. Toyland also has some delightful costumes, and the look of the fairy tale characters is a treat. Though the sets are a bit too artificial, they're undeniably colorful and eye catching. And the climactic "March of the Toy Soldiers" sequence is quite fun to watch. And visually, director Jack Donohue has found some imaginative ways to capture the environs on film. But the picture never comes together the way it should. The story is really nothing but a sketch, there's no real menace to the villain, the tone is fudged constantly, the pieces don't hang together and -- most damagingly of all -- no one but the very young really cares about the characters or what happens to them. Of the cast, Ed Wynn is a lot of fun, but Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands are flat and dull as the young leads. Tommy Kirk has some good moments, which is more than can be said for Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon, given the unenviable task of competing with the memory of Laurel and Hardy in these roles in a much better earlier version. Ray Bolger tries very hard, but making this villain a comic character is the wrong decision, and ultimately even Bolger's skill can't keep the character from becoming tiresome. In the end, the biggest problem with Toyland seems to be that its creators didn't really believe in it -- and so all their hard work to make it magical instead just makes it mechanical. ~ All Movie Guide
 

Bill Thomas: Academy, Best Color Costume Design (nominated) George Bruns: Academy, Best Musical Score (nominated)

Golden Globe, Best Picture - Musical (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DDS: Dolby Digital Surround Additional Features: cc Dolby Digital Surround Sound Fullscreen (1.33:1) DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: G DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 106 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Opening Credits/Mother Goose Village [8:50] 2. Mr. Barnaby's Plot [5:34] 3. Kidnapping Tom [8:19] 4. Mary Gets Bad News [12:27] 5. Bo Peep's Lost Sheep [8:24] 6. The Gypsy Surprise [9:09] 7. The Forest of No Return [10:18] 8. Toyland [8:30] 9. Making the Christmas Deadline [9:20] 10. A New Invention [7:39] 11. The March of the Toy Soldiers [15:24] 12. The Wedding/Closing Credits [1:47]