Babes In Toyland

Disney, 1961
Starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, Ray Bolger, and Ed Wynn
Directed by Jack Donahue
Music by Victor Herbert and George Bruns; Lyrics by Mel Levin

Here's another children-oriented musical fantasy from 1961. This time, we get an adaptation of the popular Broadway operetta from the early 20th century. It's probably composer Victor Herbert's most famous show today, spinning off the holiday standard "Toyland" and the instrumental favorite "March of the Toy Soldiers." Let's head to Toyland for a wedding...and to see if the old tale still holds up today...

The Story: Mother Goose (Mary McCarty) and her sarcastic talking goose Sylvester introduce us to the world of Mother Goose Land. We're just in time to see some of the most famous nursery rhyme characters celebrating the engagement of Mary Quite Contrary (Funicello) and Tom the Piper's Son (Sands). One resident is less-than-thrilled with the announcement. Barnaby (Bolger) is a nasty old man who is determined to have Mary for himself. He hires the mercenaries Gonzorgo (Henry Calvin) and Rodrigo (Gene Sheldon) to kidnap Tom and steal Mary's sheep, leaving her defenseless and without income. Gonzorgo and Rodrigo make the mistake of selling Tom to the gypsies. When they show up in Mother Goose Land, Tom comes with them.

Meanwhile, Mary's siblings, including Little Bo Peep (Ann Jillian), have gone looking for the sheep in The Forest of No Return. A concerned Mary and Tom go after them. They all end up in Toyland, where the Toymaker (Wynn) and his nerdy assistant Grumio (Tommy Kirk) are trying to meet the Christmas deadline. After one of Grumio's inventions blows up and destroys their inventory, Tom, Mary, and the kids volunteer to help them make more. But Barnaby and his goons aren't far behind...and Grumio has another new invention that's going to make it a lot easier for them to capture Mary and take over Toyland!

The Song and Dance: This is another one where the colorful and adorable sets and costumes and the supporting cast really shine. McCarty's wonderfully sarcastic Mother Goose and the very funny Sylvester liven up the first half and really make you wish they were in more of the movie. Bolger's having a ball as the old fashioned cape-and-mustache villain. Calvin and Sheldon's innocent tomfoolery fits in better here than the Three Stooges' slapstick did in Snow White, and Wynn's hilarious as the absent-minded and eccentric Toymaker.

Favorite Number: Bolger has a great solo on "Castle In Spain," dancing with spouting water as Barnaby tries to convince Marry to become his wife. "The Forest of No Return," despite the obvious puppet trees, is still appropriately spooky today. Tommy Sands does surprisingly well with his solo on "Floretta" in drag. I've always liked the creative stop-motion work on the toys in "March of the Toy Soldiers" (the details on all those old-fashioned playthings are awesome) and the nifty multiple-Mary effects on "I Can't Do the Sum." Bolger's joined by Calvin and Sheldon for the very funny "And We Won't Be Happy 'Til We Get It," the manifesto of every fantasy villain.

What I Don't Like: Once again, the lovers here are as stiff as boards (though at least Sands and Funicello are both decent singers who don't need the dubbing). Most of the songs were re-written; the most famous, "Toyland," is reduced to a throw-away for the kids as they enter the Toymaker's Factory. Tom and Mary's second duet "Just a Toy" can come off as more creepy than romantic to some folks nowadays, with it's slightly sexist description of woman-as-doll. (I've wanted the doll Mary's working on in that scene for years, though.)

The Big Finale: This is my favorite version of this show, over even the Laurel & Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers from the 1930's. (Which I'll cover eventually on this blog as well.) A great choice for families during the holidays.

Home Media: Easily available in most formats; the Blu-Ray is in widescreen.

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