
<center>Babes in Toyland (1961)

Originally released - 14 December 1961
Director - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0232902/">Jack Donohue</a>
Main Cast
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002088/">Annette Funicello</a> - Mary Contrary
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0762378/">Tommy Sands</a> - Tom Piper
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001961/">Ray Bolger</a> - Barnaby
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0943956/">Ed Wynn</a> - Toymaker
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0456565/">Tommy Kirk</a> - Grumio
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0130886/">Henry Calvin</a> - Gonzorgo
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0791021/">Gene Sheldon</a> - Roderigo
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565416/">Mary McCarty</a> - Mother Goose
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002019/">Kevin Corcoran</a> - Little Boy Blue
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0422713/">Ann Jillian</a> - Little Bo Peep
Songs
Lemonade
Just A Whisper Away
We Won't Be Happy Till We Get It
Slowly he Sank Into the Sea
Castle in Spain
I Can't Do the Sum
Floretta
The Forest of No Return
Toyland
The Workshop Song
Just a Toy
March of the Toys
Academy Award Nominations - 2
Best Music / Scoring of a Musical - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005980/">George Bruns</a>
Best Costume Design - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0858528/">Bill Thomas</a></center>
Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, thus depriving Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep are stolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby's henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.
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Babes in Toyland is a musical on a grand scale. Set in a storybook land where people live in pumpkins and shoes with heart shaped windows, Babes in Toyland in a film full of magic and fun. I adore the sets for this film, it appears the concept for their design was along the same lines as those for Mary Poppins to have a "stage" feel to them, only Babes in Toyland's are even more theatrical. From the opening scene where Sylvester the goose sticks his head through the curtain, the "stage" aspect is all too apparent. Everything in this film is over the top, but in the good ever so slightly tongue-in-cheek way. Slapstick, silliness, in terms of acting, and assault of colour from the sets and costumes, even sheep that have been dyed various colours, in fact it could almost pass as a black and white film that had been badly colourized the palette is so vivid. However like I say the silliness, wackiness and rhyming dialogue must have been all too apparent throughout the making. Naturally next to the happy storybook village is the forest, called what else but "The forest of no return", which upon discovery that Bo Peep's sheep have been seen going in there results in the entire village simultaneously gasping!
As a child I adored this film, and still do. It is so carefree, light hearted and whimsical would be the perfect adjective to describe this movie. This movie often takes a lot of flack because it is a remake, but undeservingly so. Obviously the comic relief quasi-villains Roderigo and Gonzorgo are derived from Laurel and Hardy, it's unmistakable, but the two actors, so survive well on their own.
In fact the word 'plethora' is one befitting the cast of this movie, you'll recognise many faces that are crammed in here Mouseketeer Anette Funicello as Mary, Ed Wynn as the toymaker, Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin familar from the Zorro TV show, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran who often starred as brothers in films such as Swiss Family Robinson and Old Yeller to name a couple and many other minor characters who turned up in various other Disney projects over the years.
The villain Barnaby again is very over the top, the quintessential "villain" caricature. Sleek black hair and moustache to twirl, clad in black with a black hat and cape and carrying a cane, in fact compare Barnaby to the Bowler hat guy from the upcoming Meet the Robinsons, notice any similarities?

Begin Disney's first live action musical, the movie is bursting with music and song, very little is pure dialogue. All there are a couple of dance numbers in the production too. Some of the musical numbers are very memorable too, why they have never found their way to begin included on any of the many many Disney compilation albums is beyond me. The very funny "Slowly, Slowly he sank into the sea" still makes me chuckle even now thanks to the Roderigo's daft antics as Gonzorgo tries to inform Mary of Tom's supposed death through song.
Another very memorable song is "The Forest of No Return" sung by the trees, and the "I can't do the Some" number which 5 Anette's sing in a variety of colors. Along the gypsy song/dance/acrobat number is another highlight and Tommy Sands is very convincing as a decrepid old crone, in another amusing musical number "Floretta".
As the movie progresses in Toytown other highlights from the film include Grumio's inventions which usually end in disaster no thanks to the bumbling toymaker, such as the toy making machine and the toy shrinking machine. The latter being responsible for the film's climax. As the evil Barnaby gets his hands on the shrinking gun, the toymaker, Tom and the two sidekick villains all find themselves shrunken down to a couple of inches high, adding a Honey I Shrunk the Kids vibe into the mix. He may only be a few inches high, but Tom gets in the cavalry, natuarally the toy cavalry to prevent Barnaby marrying Mary through forcing the dwarfed toymaker to perform the service. Which leads to the films amazing climax
Hands up if you though Babes in Toyland was just a live action film? Well you're wrong, the climax features some wonderful stop motion animation, The toy soldiers rally to the aid of Tom and attack the towering Barnaby. It makes for a wonderful, exciting climax and again voices the time, and money that went into this project. The marching toy soldiers are probably the longest surviving aspect of this film, Park visitors may have clapped eyes on them, but many probably wouldn't know the connection to the unfairly forgotten masterpiece musical. After Barnaby also gets himself shrunk the battle concludes with a sword fight between the tiny Tom and Barnaby. And what better to conclude after the victory that Tom and Mary getting married as the snow falls from the sky and off they go in a horse drawn sleigh.
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I'm going to say it, this is my all time favourite live action Disney film. It's such a care-free, whimsical film. It conjours up feelings of childhood and innocence, even to this cynical old moaner. Even though aside from the snowy finish the film is not set at Christmas time, it has a Christmassy feel to it. Probably because of the toy workshop, the wooden houses with heart shaped shutters, the carved wooden doors and interiors with painted flowers. This is a film which desperately needs more attention by fans and by Disney themselves. Come on Disney give us all a present and give us a restored 2 disc special edition soon!
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Next time: The Santa Clause
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