Voices of Rhett Atkins, Mark Willis, Hynden Walch, Clea Lewis
Directed by Paul Sabella and Phil Mendez
Music and Lyrics by Mark Watters
The beloved Mark Twain novels about carefree Tom, his girlfriend Becky, best buddy Huckleberry Finn, and their adventures have been adopted to film as far back as 1907. Considering their enduring popularity, it's a bit of a surprise that this is the first American animated version, though there were two Japanese cartoons based around the books in 1976 and 1980. This one switches things up by going the Disney Robin Hood route of making the cast all animals and using country music to tell its rustic tale. How well does this classic work as an animated musical? Let's begin at Tom's church, just as it's attacked by the nasty bear Injurin' Joe (Hank Williams Jr and Kevin Michael Richardson), and find out...
The Story: Mischievous Tom Sawyer (Atkins) never stops getting into trouble. He only goes to school at all because he has a crush on sweet newcomer Becky Thatcher (Walch), which infuriates the girl he previously claimed to like, Amy Lawrence (Lewis). His Aunt Polly (Betty White) is tired of his shenanigans, but no matter how often he gets into a pickle, he and his best friend Huckleberry Finn (Willis) always seem to get out of it. They may be in over their heads when they first witness a murder, and then Tom and Becky get lost in a cave and find treasure...and Injurin' Joe.
The Animation: About on the level with higher-end animated TV shows from this era. It's bright and colorful and the characters move fairly well, but lacks some of the detail Disney and other large studios put into their work. There's a small amount of CGI, mainly the steamboats in the beginning and the end, and they stick out like sore thumbs.
The Song and Dance: Far better than I anticipated for a direct-to-video animated film from the early 2000's. Other than consolidating a few characters and changing one, it actually did a good job adapting the book. It not only included darker sequences like the murder, it actually plays them for suspense and does a good job of it. Atkins is a charming Tom, Lewis is hilarious playing Amy and her crush, and White was apparently thrilled to play not only a well-endowed character, but an animal - she was a well-known animal activist. Don Knotts has a great time as Joe's dim-witted mutt helper who almost takes the rap for him, too.
Favorite Number: We open with the rousing gospel "Leave Your Love Light On," as the pig Reverend and his all-porcine choir preach to the heavens to bring in money for the poor. Tom's "Can't Keep a Country Boy Down" has him fantasizing he's a pirate or a sultan as he dreams of finding great wealth and adventure. He admits he's fallen "Hook, Line, and Sinker" for Becky Thatcher in another dream sequence, including them actually turning up as fish evading a hook. He convinces his buddies to paint a houseboat in this version with "The Houseboat Painting Song." Becky and Amy admit they share "One Dream" of being Tom Sawyer's only favorite girl. Huck and Tom are "Friends for Life" in a colorful, surreal dream sequence that has them frolicking among sentient lily pads and neon tree leaves that lift them into the air.
What I Don't Like: Allow me to repeat that this is a low-budget direct-to-home-media release from 2000. The animation is just so-so, and not only are the songs forgettable, but most of them are part of weird dream sequences that have nothing to do with the plot. This probably didn't need to be a musical. Most of the cast will probably mean something only to fans of country music from this time period. There's the changes from the book, too. Some characters were eliminated, others were changed, and while it's pretty dark for a kids' movie from this era, it's still toned down from the originals.
The Big Finale: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. While not perfect, it's certainly better than it has any right to be, probably one of the better direct-to-home-media animated movies of the early 2000's. Recommended for country fans, animation fans, and those who want to introduce their 8 to 12-year-olds to these classic stories.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but not that expensive when it does appear. You may be better off streaming this one; it can be found for free with ads on Tubi.
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