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Ahh, thanks! I'm curious, where did you find the information?UrsushH.Bear wrote:Sylvester was voiced by Ray Bolger (who was double cast as Barnaby) This makes some of the interaction between the two especially delightful- once you get the inside joke.
Yes, yes, YES!merlinjones wrote:Wouldn't it be nice if they did a whole series of "Disney Musicals Special Editions" like this - - and included the CD Soundtrack or Cast LP as a bonus!
You can tell by just about everything. There's always some space above or below the actors.merlinjones wrote:I believe it should be 1:66 like almost all the theatrical live-action of the period. You can tell by the title cards as well.
I agree with the first statement very much, but about the soldiers- that's what Leonard Maltin said, too. Why do you feel that way? I thought that it looked great and was very magical.Flanger-Hanger wrote:I felt the movie was to long at some parts and that the march of the wooden toy soldiers was not as good as it could be.
I'm glad that Sylvester and Mother Goose were shown in front of the curtain, so we know that it's supposed to take place on stage- that makes the sets a little easier to digest, I suppose. It is a very odd movie, but having no idea about the original story or other versions, I don't know if it's just the Disney version that is odd, or if the story itself is strange. The sets don't look "real", versus something like, let's say, the "Jolly Holiday" sequence in Mary Poppins, which has a fantastic quality to it.slave2moonlight wrote:I believe I also have mixed feelings about the stagey opening and style of the film...The whole thing is a bit odd and plastique, which I guess is what can be viewed as both appealing and off-putting about the film...
I enjoyed the multiple Annettes during "I Can't Do the Sum", and I really liked the special effects used in Toyland, from the shrinking gun to the soldiers coming to life. Again, it was magical for me. What would you (or anyone who has issues with the special effect) rather have been done?MickeyMousePal wrote:The only thing I really didn't like about this film is that the special effects are kind of cheap I know this isn't a Matrix film but it could have had better special effects.
I wonder if he said that after the movie was reviewed and not doing as well as he had hoped? I really wonder how Walt felt about the film, especially during its production, I guess, before his thoughts could be influenced by critics and audiences!UncleEd wrote:I heard Walt hated this film though. I've heard he said things like it was the worst film he ever made and "Maybe we can't make musicals here at Disney"
Before having watched the film or reading reviews of it (except for the UD one, apparently, according to an earlier post of mine, but I don't recall what the review said), or knowing anything about the film except it being a Disney musical starring Annette, I had high hopes for it. I thought that it'd be a fun movie. I just had no idea that it would be so lackluster. Your "corny and cutesy-poo" comment is very similar to what Leonard Maltin said- he quoted some reviews, saying that the film would be enjoyed by kids under 5 years of age, but there's not much for everyone else, or something to that effect. Also mentioned was that Tommy Sands & Annette must be the worst screen couple ever- how they were boring, I guess. Interesting comment of "It might have worked better as an animated film". Was there ever any talk at the studio about making an animated Babes in Toyland, or was the story chosen so Disney could get into live-action musicals?Owlzindabarn wrote:As for the film...sigh...this is the one Disney film that should have been a big classic hit but wasn't. It has all the elements that it needs: terrific cast, great score, good special effects...but it may have been too corny and cutesy-poo even for 1961. I think it's kind of in-your-face; it takes terrible liberties with people's nerves from time to time. All the jokes misfire because the powers that be are jabbing you in the ribs so hard that you can't laugh. It might have worked better as an animated film, but I dunno. (If it had been, you'd bet that little kids would watch it more often, and that it'd be a 'classic' just because more people would have seen it when young).
Tommy Kirk and Ed Wynn were my absolute favorite characters- I thought that they were funny (well, especially Ed Wynn, but I enjoyed Tommy, too). I didn't get a contemporary feel from Tommy, myself. I didn't feel like he was trying to compete with Ed Wynn, either- his character is an apprentice who is trying to do his best and show what he is capable of to his boss, who is very hot and cold ("You're a genius!" one minute, to "You're a nit-wit!" the next, even though the apprentice did nothing wrong!).Owlzindabarn wrote:Then Tommy Kirk comes in...he too, seems too contemporary. He just kinda breaks the fourth wall a little. His hair is tousled and you almost expect him to snap his fingers and say "yeah, yeah, baby!" I usually like Kirk, but here he's almost a pushy presence, like he was a 19 year old punk trying to compete onscreen with Ed Wynn (lotsa luck there, cat). Grumio is a little cocky when he should have been sweeter, dorkier and clumsier. He just takes me right out of the film. I don't know.
The story was actually chosen as a replacement. Walt Disney had bought the rights to the Oz books and was preparing to make a film called "The Rainbow Road to Oz" that was to be Disney's first big budget live action musical. Ray Bolger had signed on to reprise his role as Scarecrow, but after some early development, it became clear that the film was not going to do well in comparison with the MGM classic based on the first book. And so Babes in Toyland was chosen as a substitute, since a score already existed and only needed lyrics. Ray Bolger was moved to playing Barnaby and popular Mouseketeer Annette Funicello seemed the obvious choice to headline the film, with crooner Tommy Sands playing opposite.blackcauldron85 wrote:I bought Babes in Toyland
Interesting comment of "It might have worked better as an animated film". Was there ever any talk at the studio about making an animated Babes in Toyland, or was the story chosen so Disney could get into live-action musicals?
I knew about Rainbow Road to Oz and how the Mouseketeers were supposed to do it- I saw the footage somewhere...on one of the Treasures, maybe? Or on YouTube- I don't remember! I agree with everything in the second paragraph. I agree about "I Can't Do the Sum", but the other musical numbers weren't special for me, although "Castle in Spain" had its fun moments- to me, that scene was just too long to enjoy more than I did.Babes in Toyland—Poor Babes and Toyland. It really is a movie only a Disney fanatic could love. Ward Kimball had actually been set to direct, had even been flown out to New York City to tap into Broadway talent, but, according to John Canemaker in Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation, was relieved of his duties when Walt Disney felt Kimball was getting a little too big for his britches. That is really too bad because, when considering the fun Ward Kimball made of science and space exploration in his series of television specials, Babes and Toyland really could have been something great.
The problem is that the film is far more cartoonish and sugar-coated than anything Disney ever did in the animation world. Even the most playful and fantastic of the Silly Symphonies series didn’t wallow in sweetness like Babes in Toyland. In terms of the plotting, Ray Bolger’s Barnaby is so cardboard, he never presents a real threat, and Annette Funicello never seems fully disturbed by the events at hand. Similarly, Tom and Mary’s emotions never seem believable. They have all the chemistry of Sunday School teachers (due to the script and the staging, not necessarily the actors). Without earnestness, the audience doesn’t really become involved, and for anyone above the age of nine who is not a Disney fan, the corny tone and histrionic presentation is almost embarrassing to watch.
What highlights the film does have are from its musical numbers. Annette’s “I Can’t Do the Sum” is very fun, as is Ray Bolger’s “Castle in Spain.” Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin are also great in “Slowly He Sank Into the Sea.” The opening number “Lemonade” is enjoyable because it gives Annette Funicello a chance to showcase her dance abilities, the only opportunity she had to do so in film or television. As for other cast members, Ed Wynn is a hoot as the Toymaker and Tommy Kirk is delightful as his assistant Grumio.
While the soundtrack has never been available in stores, as of 2005, it was available at Disneyland from the music shop with the machine that burns discs and prints cases.
It's interesting that the author says that Annette and Tommy Sands are both part of the problem of the film, and yet provide some of the film's charm. I think that, had they shown more emotion (the author was spot-on mentioning Annette dabbing at her dry eyes), the two leads could have improved the film somewhat, since I feel that their acting limited the appeal of the film, since many people just didn't connect with or feel for those characters.It's hard to say exactly where Babes in Toyland went wrong. It could be that Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands are grossly out of their league in either singing or acting the roles of Mary Contrary and Tom Piper. Listening to some of the movie's key songs, such as Just a Whisper Away and Just a Toy, is actually very painful as these two pop voices attempt to sing classic Victor Herbert melodies.
I've never seen any other version of this classic operetta, but it seems unlikely the story would have proved such a perennial holiday classic if it was intended to pander down to the smallest audience members as the Disney film does. Beginning with Mother Goose's introduction, which seems like it was taken from storytime at the library, the film directs itself toward enchanting children. Because of this, even in her moments of dire distress, Mary Contrary never seems very upset (despite how often she dabs at her dry eyes and nose), Tom and Mary never really seem all that in love, and Barnaby never seems to be all that intimidating.
The special effects vary greatly. In I Can't Do the Sum, there are some great effects of four additional color-tinted Annettes singing and dancing with the real one, including one scene where they pop out of a mirror. But for all the many great effects, there are also some not-so-great ones. The costumes for the trees, for example, in the Forest of No Return seemed to have been taken on loan from a local college production.
But despite all this, there's something very appealing in Disney's Babes in Toyland. If Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands are part of the problem with the film, they are also part of its appeal. As so many have said before, Annette's success probably came from her personality, and in Babes in Toyland, a little of her radiating charm goes a long way. Plus, it is the only film in which we get to see her doing what she loved to do-dancing, though she only gets a few opportunities to really move.
Similarly, if Tommy Sands is really more of a Sunday School teacher than a love interest, at least he has some of the same charm as Annette, giving them a pleasant enough chemistry. And he does get one great moment in the film, playing Floretta the gypsy in disguise.
Much of the rest of the cast is lots of fun as well. Ray Bolger as the villainous Barnaby, though he is more cartoonish than anything Disney ever animated, is fun, getting to sing and dance through several numbers, including Castle in Spain. Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin are good, basically replaying the roles they played on the Zorro TV Series (though one gets the idea that Bernardo is considerably smarter than Sheldon's character in this film), including getting to sing one of the new songs for the Disney film, the funny Slowly He Sank Into the Sea. And as always, Ed Wynn and Tommy Kirk are a great addition to any Disney movie.
In addition to the cast, there are the great Victor Herbert songs and some great choreography. And because the film starts on a proscenium stage, the film avoids the odd stage-musical blocking that can sometimes plague musical films where the cast dances for an unidentified audience. Because it is established that we are basically seeing a filmed stage musical (not completely, of course, but the illusion is created), the audience is identified, and it is more understandable why the dances are staged facing the camera. So, despite its many flaws, Babes in Toyland is fun enough to make it a guilty pleasure.
That would be wonderful. Heck, I'd even take it on DVD as long as it is in it's OAR and has a few bonus features. And The Parent Trap would also be a welcome addition to my Disney Blu-Ray collection.jediliz wrote:I hope we get a 50th anniversary Blu Ray in 2011 along with a rerelease of the original Parent Trap (w/o the dumb television sequel(s), on Blu Ray.