The Water Babies (1978)

High! High! High! Cockalorum! La La la la la la! look 'Waterbabies' fans. if you want to put this movie up on a pedestal as a High! High! High! work of art, then you should know your 'Waterbabies' facts.i thought this movie was pretty good. i can't say i know the entire iconology or pre-production history of 'Waterbabies' like some of it's enthusiastic fan base, but i did think it had a lot of quality for a kiddie flick. good production values, a good cast, and high! high! high! standard hand drawn animation. can't say i ever heard of this film when i was growing up, but there was more to it than i would have guessed. i mean it had culture, it was based on Charles Kingsley's classic poem for babies.some people attacked the hand animation as being bad. come'on. anyone who knows good hand drawn ani. can look at this and tell it wasn't cheap. even the character design preceded stuff like 'A shark's Tail'.this movie was not ghastly or butt clenchingly bad, like some 'Waterbabies' haters would have you think. it was just gnaw on the chipmunk really weird. it did kind of freak me out a bit (i was really high! high! high! however) and the numerous reps of 'High Cockalorum' did make me want to run from my TV screaming. but this movie had high! high! high! production standards for a kiddie flick.basically 'Waterbabies' was about believing. in waterbabies that is. i mean they could exist couldn't they? maybe they're like loch nessie or that big foot thing. i personally think they are related to sea monkeys. sea monkeys are real right? i saw sea monkey's with me own eyes when i was little so i know they exist. i think i'll have another doobie and contemplate this. 'Baby' fanz sing! high! high! high! Cockalorum!

Like many, I first saw The Water Babies as a child/young teen in the late seventies/early eighties. It has remained with me since then with its catchy tunes, memorable portrayals, less-then-successful animation, and a story full of heart, coldness, and ultimately good vanquishing evil. Recently I sat down and saw it again after at least two decades passing, and I noticed THIS time around its striking similarities to The Wizard of Oz. No, these aren't blatant likenesses but hear me out. In this one we have a boy and his dog - having personal problems at "home," running away from something and in the scene right after they run away, changing the substance of their appearance. In This one, the boy and dog become animated. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and Toto are in color. In this one, the boy and dog are told they must find the Water Babies for answers and then ultimately the Kracken for guidance and he has the ability to let Tom go home if he shows he has courage, etc... In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy must also find an authoritative figure that tests her before he will allow her to return home. In the Water Babies, Tom meets three characters that will help him on his journey to the Water Babies - Dorothy has three helpers as well. When each helper is met, we are entertained with a rendering of "Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, HI Cockallorum...We're on our way." In the Wizard it is "We're off to see the wizard." Dorothy has a good witch sort of look after her; Tom has a woman with many roles(Billie Whitelaw) do the same. If you look closely at the two, there are many other likenesses. That being said, The Water Babies is not a knockoff in any way, I was just commenting on the eerie likes between the two. This film has some solid performances from bad guys Bernard Cribbins and the always fascinating James Mason. The kids playing Tom and Ella are good. The supporting cast of Joan Greenwood(love her voice!), David Tomlinson, and the vocal talents of John Pertwee and Lance Percival add greatly to the mix. I must confess that the animation is less than sterling even for its time but is adequate enough to the challenge. The three animated characters that help Tom get home are all likable. I always have trouble picking my favorite between the French swordfish and the John Inman/Mr. Humphries like seahorse. The scene where we hear this guttural, maniacal laugh from a shipwrecked vessel only to see a seahorse with a huge polka-dotted bow-tie bob out always has me rolling! The Water Babies is a lot of fun. Sure, it is more of a children's film, but it has and always shall have a fond place in my heart. The bulk of the credit for what successes the film does have must go to director Lionel Jeffries. Jeffries is a wonderful comedic actor and his sense of humor is clearly evident throughout.

I saw this movie as a child and fell in love with it. It has a sweet sensitive story. Something children can appreciate. I loved so much as a child I had to find it for my daughter. It is definitely a movie I would watch with kids. It reminds me a great deal of story's of a Disney nature like Pete's Dragon and Mary Poppins. Both because of the live action and cartoon features but on its premise. It is also a good story to show kids that if they tell the truth they can be trusted and adults will listen to them. I think all kids should see it and would enjoy it. It is such a break from the violent movies of bad taste so many kids watch these days. It has all the charming qualities so many of today's movies don't have.

I remember the first time I saw this movie I fell in love. My parents taped it for me so that I could watch it over and over again. I actually still have a copy of it on an old BETA tape. Unfortunately, I watched it so much that I ended up pretty much wearing the tape out. Okay, so compared to the animation and acting of today, it can't compare but it was made in '78, what do you expect? Animation and film have come a long way since then it's not going to be like the films of today. All I have to say is that it's a good family movie that I will always enjoy. If you like classic movies, I would recommend this one.