Babes in Toyland (1961)

I have just seen a wonderful film for the first time! It is the first wonderful film in ages having seen a load of dreadful ones including two by the usually wonderful Disney Corporation Maleficent and, yes, Frozen which was, admittedly, better than Maleficent but neither of those are as good as this seriously underrated classic! Now I have no doubt the Laurel and Hardy version will be better than this one as it is very rare that a remake is better than the original but as I've not seen that one yet I can only go by this one for what it is. This a fun enjoyable musical with some wonderful songs wonderful over-the-top hammy acting a wonderful storyline wonderful bright colours and wonderful dancing! Oh, and I am a middle-aged man thus proving this is not just a film for children! This is a film that can be watched and enjoyed by one and all!

This is one of my favorite Disney live-action movies. I can remember watching this movie every winter. I would always dance and sing along to it. I have never seen any of the other versions of Babes in Toyland, so I don't know if it is better or worse, but I think this version is just delightful. I was lucky enough to find a copy of it years ago so that I now have my own personal copy. I don't understand how people can't like this movie. Yes, it is geared towards small children and the effects are atrocious, but it's Disney in the 60's and they were much more cutting edge then than they are now. And while I personally think Annette Funicello is a dreadful actress, the rest of the cast delightfully makes up for it.

Babes In Toyland was one of my favorite movies when I was a little girl. It allowed me the assurance of innocence for a little while longer. And even today.....at the age of fifty, I can watch this movie, close my eyes and be in 'Mary's' place and getting married to Tom....I actually married a 'Tom'. Wish my grandkids could feel that innocence for a little while.....time goes by so quickly. Yes, it was a silly movie...but to a little girl...it was a fantasy....the way movies should be. Dang, I am sounding old! ha-ha The music, the innocent romance...the good verses evil even in the least dangerous of ways, gives a little girl a chance to get away....just for a little while..and wish upon a star.....

This version seems low on Disney magic... Too much of the movie revolves around Ray Bolger's burlesque villain and his henchmen. (One's skinny and one's fat - but they're a poor substitute for the real Laurel and Hardy, who'd done their own version of Babes in Toyland in 1934.) The second half is better - when the characters arrive in Toyland, with Ed Wynn as a bumbling Toymaker and Tommy Kirk his helper. The super-lightweight plot is a weakness and a strength, with twists that are unpredictable and occasionally odd. The movie culminates with a bizarre battle where the villain is attacked by animated toys...Some of the dialog rhymes, but no one seems enthusiastic about it. Annette isn't particularly winning in this one, and even the dancing is hard to see, because the dancers' legs are covered by long storybook dresses. (And bad lighting, casting a few extra shadows.) On the plus side: Tommy Sands has a great voice, and the Disney chorus sings lush harmonies. And young Ann Jillian, as Bo-Peep, sings her few lines wonderfully...