Voices of Margaret Rutherford, Bradley Bolke, Bob McFadden, and Laura Leslie
Directed by Jules Bass and Kizo Nagashima
Music by George Wilikins; Lyrics by Jules Bass
First of all, Musical Dreams Movie Reviews will be going on vacation hiatus from the 18th through the 25th. Reviews resume the 26th.
Second, we return to the wild world of Rankin-Bass for their first 2-D animated film. Having done Hans Christian Andersen stories and world history for their first two movies, they turned their attention to Mother Goose. These little rhymes go as far back medieval England, but the versions that are most familiar nowadays are Charles Perrault's Tales of Mother Goose from the 17th century. How does the story of Mother Goose (Rutherford) and her triumph over the Crooked Man (Bolke) look nowadays? Let's begin as Mother Goose and the chorus explain about their topsy turvy world over the credits and find out...
The Story: Mother Goose is nervous when she travels over the moon to visit her sick sister (Bryna Raeburn). She has good cause to be. Count Walktwist the Crooked Man and his enchanted army swoop down and kidnap Old King Cole's daughter Princess Harmony (Leslie) and her sweetheart Prince Robin. He holds them for ransom and forces Cole to give up the kingdom to him. All of the adults are made servants, and the knights become evil slaves to him. Upset at the loss of their parents, Little Jack Horner (Kevin Gavin) and Mary Quite Contrary (Susan Melvin) try to find a way over the moon to tell Mother Goose what's going on and bring her home to save them. They're later joined by cheerful egg Humpty Dumpty (McFadden).
The Animation: Some of the earliest design work from Paul Coker, Jr, and his only theatrical 2-D work. The caricature of Rutherford is spot-on, but other characters look bland or have strange designs. The Crooked Man is all green angles, while Princess Harmony is wispy and white. Where this stands out in the color. The vibrant primaries and black and white used for Mother Goose's world really pop, even on the copy currently at YouTube.
The Song and Dance: Some decent songs and performances liven up this one. Bolke in particular makes a deliciously over-the-top Crooked Man. Melvin is funny and spunky as tough little Mary, who is determined to show that girls can be just as good on adventures as boys. Rutherford has some funny moments when we do see her.
Favorite Number: We open with Rutherford and the chorus performing "Great Big Wacky World" as she flies over the sights and landmarks of her kingdom; the chorus reprises it over the end credits. "Good-Bye" is a sort-of song for Rutherford as she wonders why she's leaving her beloved people. She talks the lyrics, but there's a rather lovely sad melody under them. Harmony tells her father that "I Still Believe In Fairy Tales" and romance.
Humpty Dumpty reassures Jack that "It's Never Too Late" to save his parents and the kingdom in a charmingly upbeat duet. Mary asks stubborn Jack why he won't give her "Half a Chance" to show what she can do. Harmony and Robin complain that "I Can Predict" what the other will do, even while in the dungeon. The Cat with the fiddle gets the purple cow dancing to jump over the moon in a lively instrumental number.
Trivia: Margaret Rutherford's last film.
What I Don't Like: For a musical called The Wacky World of Mother Goose, this is neither all that wacky, nor does it have much of Mother Goose. In fact, Rutherford's role is limited to the first ten and last ten minutes and a few minutes in between at her sister's house. The story is downright dark for Rankin-Bass. Soldiers are turned into evil crooked versions of themselves; parents are kidnapped for slaves. Goosey Goosey Gander is a giant gray nightmare of a bird. They even manage to make that giant candlestick Jack jumps over look terrifying enough to give kids nightmares. Most of the characters are either as bland as the kids or annoying as heck.
The Big Finale: Recommended only for those who must see everything Rankin-Bass or are looking for background noise for elementary-schoolers.
Home Media: The DVD is out of print and ridiculously expensive. If you must see this, it can currently be found for free on YouTube and the Internet Archive.
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