Animation Celebration Saturday - Once Upon a Forest

20th Century Fox, 1993

Voices of Michael Crawford, Ellen Blain, Benji Gregory, and Paige Gosney

Directed by Charles Grosvenor

Music by James Horner; Lyrics by Will Jennings and others

Concern for the environment was so prevalent during the early 90's that it even seeped into animation. Having had mild success with Ferngully: The Last Rainforest the year before, Fox returned to the well with an even more emotional story about taking care of our earth. It wasn't a hit at the time, but is it worth checking out 30 years later? Let's begin with dawn at a lovely meadow called Dapplewood, as the animal residents are starting to awaken, and find out...

The Story: Cornelius the badger (Crawford) mentors four little "Furlings," Abigail the energetic mouse (Blain), Edgar the sweet and shy mole (Gregory), Russell the always-hungry hedgehog (Gosney), and his sweet little niece Michelle (Elizabeth Moss). One day, poison gas from a ruptured truck leaks into the forest. The children are with Cornelius and are unharmed, but Michelle loses her parents and inhales the gas. Cornelius sends Abigail, Edgar, and Russell to retrieve Lung-wort and Eye-bright, the only herbs that can save the little badger. The trio learn to work together to avoid a barn owl, cross a construction site, help a wren (Rickey D'Shon Collins) get unstuck from the mud, and retrieve the lung-wort from a cliff, and discover their own hidden talents in the process.

The Animation: Extremely Disney-esque and very typical of this time period and of Hanna-Barbara. The woods are beautiful, with their sun-dappled forests and blooming plants...but then you get the ultra-realistic construction site and the devastation wrought by the poison gas. The animals look like a cross between The Secret of Nimh and some of the cutesier Hanna-Barbara TV shows of the 1980s like The Biskitts or Shirt Tales. They're designed to be adorable, especially little Michelle, but they can get some darker expressions out of them - check out when they realize Michelle is sick.

The Song and Dance: I do give Hanna Barbera some kudos for daring to go this dark. Even Ferngully: The Last Rainforest didn't kill off characters or completely destroy the forest. This is darker than some Disney movies of the 90's. Crawford makes an appropriately gruff mentor, and Ben Vereen does get into his big number with the birds and the Furlings after they rescue the wren from the mud. 

The Numbers: Our first number isn't until 15 minutes in, but it's the devastating "Please Wake Up," sung by Cornelius to the comatose Michelle after she's gassed. Even Crawford had a hard time performing this emotional ballad of love and loss. "He's Gone" is the birds' number when they think they're losing the wren to the mud. They change this to the joyous "He's Back" after the kids get him out. Florence Warner Jones performs the gentle "Once Upon a Time With Me" over the closing credits.

Trivia: This would be the last Hanna-Barbera movie released to theaters.

What I Don't Like: See that "dark" thing above. Um, what audience did Hanna-Barbera intend this for again? The cutesy kid animal characters and bucolic setting indicate a children's movie, but the poison gas, construction site, and bird stuck in the mud mourned by his family at a funeral are more likely to give them nightmares, or at least upset them quite a bit. No wonder it was a massive flop in 1993. Some audiences today might not know what to make of this, let alone then. The sequence with the birds and the wren is totally out of left field and feels like it was dropped in from another movie entirely to give Vereen something to do. 

The Big Finale: That said, there are quite a few people who saw this on video in the 90's and found it profoundly moving. Frankly, while it can be moving, the clash of tones and utterly depressing plot was a bit too much for me. Your mileage may vary on whether your elementary school kids are up to this one; might actually be better for tweens if you can get them past the cute animals.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo and the Goblin King

Warner Bros, 2008

Voices of Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Hayden Panettiere, and Wayne Knight

Directed by Joe Sichta

Music and Lyrics by Thomas Chase Jones

We kick off the Halloween season with the first attempt at a musical Scooby Doo story, and one of their two direct-to-home-media movies to revolve around the holiday. Truth be told, this is kind of an odd story for them in several respects. The monsters and magic are real, not just people in magic and special effects, and Shaggy and Scooby are the ones who don't believe in it. Just how unique is this strange fantasy adventure? Let's start on the horror-themed roller coaster at the Coolsville Halloween Carnival and find out...

The Story: Scooby (Welker) and Shaggy (Kasem) sabotage the Amazing Krudsky's (Knight) act when he won't let Scooby into the show, revealing him to be a fraud. The kids get thrown out of the carnival, and Krudsky swears revenge. He thinks he gets his chance when Fairy Princess Willow (Panettiere) tells him about the powerful Goblin Sceptor that belongs to her father the Goblin King (Tim Curry). Krudsky manages to capture her and absorb her magic.

Scooby and Shaggy are trick-or-treating when they encounter Mr. Gibbles' (Wallace Shawn) Real Magic Shoppe. They learn just how real it is when Krudsky appears, steals the magic equipment, and turns Gibbles into a rabbit. Gibbles sends them to the Spirit World disguised as monsters. The cowardly duo discover just how real magic is when the Grand Witch (Lauren Bacall), a talking Jack O'Lantern (Jay Leno), and a town filled with fairies all join them to rescue the Goblin King and stop Krudsky from taking over the world.

The Animation: Honestly not bad for the Scooby Doo direct-to-home-media movies. There's some wonderful details at the Halloween carnival and in the Spirit World, from the opening horror roller coaster to the fairies' town. The characters move well enough, and the fantastical ones, like Fairy Princess Willow, the Goblin King, and the Grand Witch, have genuinely nifty designs.

The Song and Dance: If you love 80's fantasy adventures like Labyrinth or Shaggy and Scooby's antics, you'll get a real kick out of this one. It also somewhat resembles the 80's Scooby show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, with its very real monsters and focus on Scooby and Shaggy. There's an impressive voice cast for one of the Scooby movies, too, with Knight the stand-out as the fake magician who gets way in over his head when he goes looking for real power. (And at the very least, the members of Mystery Inc themselves don't actually sing  here.) 

The Numbers: Mr. Gibbles asks "Who's at the Door?" when Shaggy and Scooby turn up in his shop. He proves that yes, magic is real as the enchanted equipment in his store comes to life. The monsters of the Spirit World sing about how a "Bump In the Night" can scare off most humans. The Goblin King's henchman Glob (Jim Belushi) does the "Goblin Oogie Boogie" with the residents of his master's palace as Shaggy and Scooby try to infiltrate his castle.

What I Don't Like: This is one of the least-typical Scooby Doo movies. If you're looking for something closer to the show, with Mystery Inc chasing criminals in masks, you'll want to go elsewhere. Daphne, Fred, and Velma are barely seen in the beginning and the end. Shaggy and Scooby in particular seem a bit out of character here. They're usually the ones who believe every monster is real. 

The Big Finale: Fantasy fans, fans of the cast, and those who love Shaggy and Scooby's antics will likely get the most out of this Hanna-Barbara Halloween fairy tale.

Home Media: Like all the Scooby Doo films, this is easily found on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Alice In Wonderland (Or What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing In a Place Like This?)

ABC, 1966

Voices of Janet Waldo, Allan Melvin, Howard Morris, and Daws Butler

Directed by Alex Lovy

Music by Charles Strouse; Lyrics by Lee Adams

Though Hanna-Barbara is mainly known nowadays for their shorts and TV shows revolving around goofy animal characters like Yogi Bear or for sitcoms like The Flintstones, they made a far wider variety of programming than comedies and funny animal cartoons. This is one of their lesser-known ones, a take on Alice In Wonderland with an all-star cast and music by Broadway vets Strouse and Adams. How does this very modern Alice's travels through Wonderland look today? Let's begin with Alice (Waldo) outside, playing with her dog Fluff (Don Messick), as her father (Melvin) calls her inside to do homework and find out...

The Story: Alice would rather be playing with Fluff, but when she throws the ball one last time, Fluff follows it into the TV set. Alice jumps in after him and finds herself in a very unique Wonderland, populated with two-headed cave-caterpillars (Mel Blanc and Alan Reed), glamorous Hungarian Queens of Hearts (Zsa Zsa Gabor), and scatting hipster Cheshire Cats (Sammy Davis Jr.). All Alice wants is to find Fluff and get home, but the White Rabbit (Morris) is too obsessed with games to help her, the White Knight (Bill Dana) is too shy, and the Mad Hatter (Harvey Korman) and March Hare (Daws Butler) too involved with hats and tea to be of much use. Alice first has to deal with being on trial for her life after the Queen lies about her taking tarts, and then escaping prison with the help of Humpty Dumpty (Melvin).

The Animation: Typical of the Hanna-Barbara cartoons in the 60's, it doesn't really look so hot nowadays. There's some minor effects with the Cheshire Cat's quick changes and Hedda Hopper and her hats, but it generally looks as cheap as it is. The characters move well enough, but there's little detail on the backgrounds, even in Wonderland. This isn't helped by the washed-out copy currently on YouTube, which makes this look a lot less colorful than it likely was.

The Song and Dance: The music and some funny performances carry the day here. Waldo is a charming and adorable mid-60's Alice, especially dealing with the White Rabbit and his games and point system known only to him. Reed and Blanc are a riot as Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble, the only familiar characters who appear, as a two-headed caterpillar singing "They'll Never Split Us Up." Charles and Adams created a decent score, too, with the opening number "Life's a Game" also standing out. 

I also appreciate the relative fidelity to the story. This is one of the few Alice adaptations that limits additions from its sequel Through the Looking Glass to Humpty Dumpty showing up at the very end in prison. Otherwise, it's a pretty decent condensed, modernized version of the first book. 

Favorite Number: We open with that "Life's a Game" number, as the White Rabbit explains to Alice why he treats everything like a game, including finding Fluff. Sammy Davis Jr. sings "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing In a Place Like This?" as he separates into two, disappears, and appears again. Two-headed caterpillar Fred and Barney do their vaudeville hat and cane routine as they explain to Alice why "They'll Never Split Us Apart." Alice tries to show the gloomy White Knight that "Today's a Wonderful Day" as she romps with small animals around a lovely meadow. Hedda Hopper talk-sings about how different and special all her "Hats" are. Alice despairs of ever being able to say "I'm Home" in the end.

Trivia: There's a record retelling of this story, with Scatman Crothers taking over as the Cheshire Cat, Don Messick as the White Rabbit, Mel Blanc as the March Hare, Daws Butler as the Mad Hatter, Henry Cordon as Fred Flintstone, and Janet Waldo as the Queen of Hearts along with Alice. Apparently there was a one-sided soundtrack with the original cast as well, sold in limited quantities at the drug store chain Rexall that sponsored the show.

What I Don't Like: You can't get much more mid-60's than this. This was likely supposed to be a spoof of TV in 1966, with voices by familiar celebrities of the time...but it's dated rather badly. Of the celebrities and voice actors heard here, Davis, Korman, and to a degree Gabor are probably the only ones even mildly recognizable to audiences today. Fred and Barney are the only familiar characters, making it all the more ironic that their one number pretty much steals the show. Waldo is the only one who gets anywhere near them. 

The Big Finale: Really cute way to pass an hour if you're a fan of the Flintstones or want to see a really different Alice In Wonderland retelling.

Home Media: Never on disc or streaming, the only place you can currently find this one is in a washed-out copy floating around online that admittedly does include the original animated plugs for Rexall and Coca-Cola. The copy on Dailymotion is better, but lacks the plugs.

YouTube

Dailymotion

Animation Celebration Saturday - Tom & Jerry: Back to Oz

Warner Bros, 2016

Voices of Grey Griffin, Joe Alasky, Jason Alexander, and Michael J. Gough

Directed by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone

Music and Lyrics by various

I was actually looking forward to this one. I've wondered why the many sequels to The Wizard of Oz aren't adapted more often. Disney's delightfully macabre Return to Oz is one of my favorite movies. Perhaps that movie's failure in the mid-80's scared filmmakers away from diving further into the Oz mythos than the first book, or they believe it's impossible to compete with the still-popular 1939 version. Warners decided to give it a shot with their own version of several follow-up Oz novels, once again featuring Tom & Jerry. How do they do with another Oz tale? Let's begin back in Kansas and find out...

The Story: Dorothy wishes someone would listen to her when she tells them about Oz. Her aunt, uncle, and the farmhands think she's just talking about her dream. There's a lot more trouble than her wanting more responsibility when Mr. Bibb (Alexander) comes with his barbecue truck and tries to take their animals. Dorothy wants to help, but her aunt and uncle say she's too young and leave her behind while they try to figure out what to do.

Turns out the Gale Farm isn't the only place under siege. Oz was attacked by the Nome King (Alexander), who wants to use the magic of the Ruby Slippers to take back the emeralds from the Emerald City. The Scarecrow (Gough), Tin Woodsman (Rob Paulsen), and Cowardly Lion (Todd Stashwick) make their way to Kansas via a mole tunnel, but it collapses before they can return. They get the Wizard (Alaskey) to take them back via balloon instead. When he and Glinda are taken prisoner, it's up to Dorothy, her friends, and their new companions the Mouse Queen (Amy Pemberton) and the Hungry Tiger (Andrea Martin) to save Oz before the Nome King sends the entire country down to his realm.

The Animation: Same deal as last time. It looks like an MGM/Hanna Barbara short of the 1940's and early 50's. The Nome King and his people are drawn a bit more modern and cartoonishly compared to them, though. The Winged Monkeys have wide, evil grins that bring the Tom & Jerry and Dr. Seuss cartoons directed by Chuck Jones to mind. 

The Song and Dance: This is more like it. Tom and Jerry do better when they have a story that fits them, not just one they're randomly inserted into. There's some creative gags and delightfully energetic music here, including "The Jitterbug," a song that was notoriously cut from the original Wizard of Oz film. Alexander has an absolute ball as the obnoxious barbecue owner and the Nome King, while James Monroe Iglehart is a riot as Calvin Carney at the Kansas State Fair and the Jitterbug. 

Favorite Number: We start off once again with "Over the Rainbow" as Dorothy wishes someone would believe her about Oz. "There's No Place Like Home" turns up twice, for Dorothy and the farm hands in the beginning as they admit the farm took a licking in the tornado, and near the end by Dorothy as she wishes to go back. We also hear "Off to See the Wizard" again, this time as Dorothy and her Oz friends head to the Kansas State Fair to find the Wizard. Calvin Carney happily claims the fair is "A Mighty Fine Affair" as he touts its many delights. 

The Nome King's men immediately go into "All Hail" whenever he's in their sights. His big villain song is "What's Mine Is Mine" as he explains why he wants the Ruby Slippers and the Emerald City. The Lion and the Hungry Tiger share "Oh My, Oh My, Oh My" as they argue over who is the better ruler of the jungle. "The Jitterbug" sends everyone into dancing frenzies whenever he flies over them. 

Trivia: Dedicated to Joe Alaskey, who died during production. 

The first (and to date, only) Tom and Jerry movie to be a sequel to a previous film.

What I Don't Like: First of all, I kind of wish it actually adapted the books, instead of choosing random characters and creating a plot around them. The books flesh out a lot more about the Mouse Queen and the Nome King and many others. Second, the animation suits the time period but isn't that great, and while Griffith does better this time around, she still isn't going to make anyone forget Judy Garland. Andrea Martin's Hungry Tiger doesn't really do much besides argue with the Cowardly Lion. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Oz books or Tom & Jerry, or you must see one of Tom and Jerry's crossovers, make it this one. It's worth seeing for the decent music and performances alone. 

Home Media: Also easily found, often for under $10. 

DVD

DVD - Tom & Jerry: The Wizard of Oz/Tom & Jerry: Back to Oz

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Tom & Jerry and The Wizard of Oz

Warner Bros, 2011

Voices of Grey DeLisle, Joe Alasky, Spike Brandt, and Rob Paulsen

Directed by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone

Music and Lyrics by various

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was far from the first franchise Warners dumped Tom and Jerry into. They appeared in six direct-to-home-media "movies" before this, including the previous crossover Meet Sherlock Holmes. That one went over well enough for them to try inserting the cat-and-mouse duo into one of the most famous musicals of all time. Does it work out better than their visit to Willy Wonka's domain did, or should it have a house dropped on it? Let's begin in Kansas, where a certain cat and mouse (Brandt) chase each other while Dorothy Gale (DeLisle) laments that no one listens to her, and find out...

The Story: Tom and Jerry are shocked as anyone to be caught up in a Kansas twister. Also along for the ride are Dorothy and her dog Toto, who land in Oz ahead of them. The cat and mouse duo first encounter Munchkin mouse Tuffy (Kathy Soucie) when they arrive. He leads them down the Yellow Brick Road to find Dorothy and her new friends the Scarecrow (Michael Gough), the Tin Woodsman (Paulsen), and the Cowardly Lion (Todd Stashwick). On the way, they steal the wand of the Wicked Witch of the West (Larraine Newman), incurring her wrath. No one is happy when the Wizard (Alasky) sends them to capture the witch, least of all Tom and Jerry! They'll have to work together to save Dorothy and figure out who the Wizard really is.

The Animation: At least someone did their homework. This is made to resemble the Hanna Barbara and Tex Avery shorts of the 1940's and 50's. Dorothy looks like a younger Red Hot Riding Hood, while Tom, Jerry, and Winkie Guard Droopy closely resemble their versions from the late 40's-early 50's. It's obviously cheap and it doesn't move very well, but at least it's colorful and relatively suits the characters.

The Song and Dance: I will say that Tom and Jerry work slightly better in Oz than they did in Willy Wonka's domain. Oz is already a fantasy world filled with flying monkeys and talking lions. They're also integrated slightly better, notably helping the others figure out how to get rid of the Wicked Witch of the West. (In fact, Tuffy comes up with a great idea to scare off the Winkie guards that I wish they used in the original film!) The colorful animation suits Oz, the characters, and the time period this was set in well. 

Favorite Number: Even Tom and Jerry (briefly) stop their antics long enough to watch Dorothy sing "Over the Rainbow," though Tom can't resist trying to eat some of the bluebirds who gather to listen. A frustrated Tuffy sings "If I Only Had the Height" in Munchkin Land, since he's too small to be considered a full munchkin. "We're Off to See the Wizard" is heard twice, when Tuffy, Tom, and Jerry head off to find the others, and after they've caught up with them near the Emerald City. We get the ensemble number "Merry Old Land of Oz" when they've all arrived in the Emerald City. The original "If I Only Had a Brain/Heart/Nerve" is heard over the end credits, along with "Off to See the Wizard." 

What I Don't Like: Tom and Jerry do fit in a little better...but that doesn't mean this should have happened in the first place. You don't really get to see much of Dorothy and her friends, or hear the original score. Often, what you do get is a rehash of the much-better live-action movie. DeLisle tries hard, but she's no Judy Garland, and Gough isn't Ray Bolger, either. Newman's Wicked Witch is an improvement, but she still lacks Margaret Hamilton's menace. 

The Big Finale: Tom and Jerry's trip to Oz isn't great, but it's still a lot sweeter than their venture into Road Dahl turf. Fun for kids who are Tom and Jerry and/or Oz fans. 

Home Media: Easily found in all formats. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Extra - Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Hanna-Barbara/Warner Bros, 2017

Voices of Spike Brandt, Lincoln Melcher, JP Karliak, and Jess Harnell

Directed by Spike Brandt

Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

Yes, this is the other movie Warner Bros developed to keep the rights to the Wonka franchise. Hanna-Barbara had been plopping the cat and mouse duo into a series of increasingly strange crossovers with fairy tales or other Warners properties like Sherlock Holmes and The Wizard of Oz (twice) since 2002. How well do they work in the story of five children who find golden tickets and get the right to explore a fantastic candy factory and meet its reclusive owner? Let's begin exactly the same as the original film, with the kids running to the local candy shop for Wonka bars, and find out...

The Story: Tom (Brandt) and Jerry (Brandt) are hungry street critters who badly want a bar of chocolate. So does poor but honest newsboy Charlie Buckett (Melcher), who stops Tom from eating Jerry and stealing a box of chocolate bars. Charlie's Grandpa Joe (Harnell) tells them about how the reclusive Willy Wonka (Karliak) shut his factory to avoid spies who wanted to steal his chocolate recipes.

Everyone is shocked when Wonka announces that whomever finds five golden tickets in his chocolate bars will get a lifetime supply of chocolate and to visit the factory. Tom and Jerry do manage to make money to buy a bar of chocolate, but Charlie ends up with the coin and the last winning bar. To the trio's horror, they discover that rival chocolate factory owner Mr. Slugworth (Mick Wingert) intends to use the children to steal Wonka's secret recipes. With the help of assistant Oompa-Loompa Tuffy (Kath Soucie), the cat and the mouse follow Charlie into the factory and dodge its many wonders to tell Wonka about his rival's plot.

The Animation: It looks like what it is - a direct-to-home-media version of a live-action film. It's colorful and cute, and the characters move well enough. Some of the locations are also recreated fairly well, and there's a few attempts to make a cat and mouse sized version of Wonka's world that's good for a few chuckles. 

The Song and Dance: This isn't a great movie - or even a good one - but there are a few things that work. I appreciate that we actually see Slugworth get punished for lying and leading everyone around by the nose (even if it was on his boss' orders) and Veruca for behaving so badly, especially given in the original book, the worst that happens to Veruca is getting covered in garbage. Tom and Jerry do have a few funny gags, notably when they're trying to earn money for that chocolate bar and get into the factory.

Favorite Number: As in the original movie, we open with Bill the candy store owner (Harnell) singing "The Candy Man" while he sells the local kids Wonka bars. Tom and Jerry spend the number chasing each other and the bar of chocolate Jerry has. We hear "I Want It Now" twice. Slugworth sings it the first time in a rather freaky sequence when he's trying to force Tom, Jerry, and Charlie into helping him get Wonka's secrets. Veruca sings it later in the goose room when she's whining because her Wonka won't sell her father one of the chocolate egg-laying poultry.

Grandpa Joe and Charlie are joined by Tom and Jerry for their rollicking "I've Got a Golden Ticket." Wonka sings "Pure Imagination" as Tom and Jerry try to dodge everyone eating their way through the Chocolate Room and Wonka describes the delights they're experiencing. "Pure Imagination" returns in the finale as everyone - including Tom and Jerry - find a way to fly home.

What I Don't Like: This movie is exactly what it was made to be - a cheap cash-grab placeholder. Tom and Jerry are inserted awkwardly into a story that isn't theirs and a world where they simply don't fit. Their gags  don't work with this whimsical franchise, and the plot isn't crying out for comic relief animals. In fact, we barely get to see the other kids besides Veruca or the parents because the movie is too busy focusing on the cat and mouse antics, which means we don't care like we should when they vanish. We don't see the all-important contract signing sequence, either, though Wonka refers to it in the end. Not to mention, there's still the problem with the solution to the Slugworth side plot being rather anti-climatic. Wingert's annoyingly over-the-top performance makes it even worse. 

The Big Finale: I can understand why this is Warners' last attempt to cross Tom and Jerry with a another franchise to date and their last direct-to-home-media movie with the characters until 2022. Even more than most of the other Tom and Jerry direct-to-home-media crossovers, this is totally unnecessary and is only for their most ardent fans. Everyone else would be fine with the three live-action Wonka films. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, often for under $10. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Yogi's First Christmas

Hanna-Barbara, 1980

Voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, John Stephenson, and Janet Waldo

Directed by Ray Patterson

Music and Lyrics by various

We kick off this year's holiday reviews with Hanna-Barbara's second Yogi Bear movie. This became the first of four feature-length Yogi movies to debut in syndication, and their first movie with the character since Hey There, It's Yogi Bear in 1964. By this point, Hanna Barbara's comic animal characters were an institution on TV. There were three short-lived shows during the 70's that featured crossovers between Yogi and the other characters, but this would be the first film to do so. How well does Yogi's first Christmas awake look nowadays? Let's begin as Snagglepuss (Butler), Huckleberry Hound (Butler), Augie Doggy (Butler) and his Doggy Daddy (Stephenson) arrive at Jellystone Lodge and find out...

The Story: To their horror, the lodge's owner Mrs. Throckmorton (Waldo) intends to sell the lodge to developers building a highway over the mountain. She's coming for the big Christmas Festival and tree-trimming party with her nephew Snively (Marilyn Schreffer). Yogi (Butler) is woken up by the music they all made. He and Boo Boo (Messick) are hired by the Otto, the lodge's chef (Hal Smith), as bakers. Ranger Smith (Messick) intends to take them back to their caves to finish their hibernation, but Yogi inadvertently rescues Mrs. Throckmorton and Snively from an avalanche.

The avalanche was caused by Herman the Hermit (Messick), a nasty old grump who hates Christmas and wants to be left alone. The accidents Herman's been causing to get rid of the noise are the reason Mrs. Throckmorton wants to sell the lodge. To Herman's frustration, Yogi keeps rescuing Mrs. Throckmorton from every situation he throws at the lodge. Spoiled and obnoxious little Snively isn't happy that Yogi keeps beating him at every sports competition. Not only does his aunt approve and think Snively needs to be taught a lesson, she keeps promoting Yogi at every turn. It's not until Snively gets lost and finds Herman's cave that the two realize they have a lot in common and come together to try to take down Yogi's very first Christmas for good.

The Animation: Only slightly above their animated series at the time. There's a little more detail in the characters and their movements. The skiing and skating scenes in particular look decent for the time. Some of the backgrounds are also fairly well-done, particularly in the lodge and towards the end during the tree-trimming party.

The Song and Dance: If you're a fan of Yogi or the other Hanna-Barbara funny animal characters, you'll probably find something to love here. There's some great gags with how Yogi keeps rescuing Mrs. Throckmorton when Herman tries to get rid of her, or how he manages to best Snively at every game. Cindy Bear (Waldo) also gets a few amusing moments later in the movie when she tries to get Yogi under the mistletoe, but Yogi's having none of it. I'm also impressed with how much of a musical this is, with 8 songs including reprises. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Comin' Up Christmas Time," performed by the Hanna Barbara animals and the chorus over the credits as they drive to the lodge. They also tell Yogi and Boo about the wonders of the holiday season. After all, "It's Your First Christmas." Boo Boo reminds his best friend that "Hope" is one of the most important parts of the holiday season. Yogi's attempt to get everyone singing "Carols" goes badly, until Mrs. Throckmorton requests another female voice and Boo Boo brings out Cindy. Cindy hopes "The Mistletoe Song" will finally get her under one with her sweetheart. 

Herman and Snively are proud to be "Mean, Sour, Nasty, and Cruel." They want to ruin Christmas for everyone because they can, and because Herman just wants peace and quiet. The Hanna-Barbara animals are happier "Making a Big To-Do" over the tree-trimming party. Cindy's ecstatic when "I've Been Kissed" by her beloved Yogi. The big finale, "Christmas Is Here," has everyone holding torches as they ski up the mountain to return the bears to their caves and let them finish their hibernation.

Trivia: This is the first of three holiday TV specials featuring Yogi. The more traditional half-hour Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper came out in 1982, followed by Yogi the Easter Bear in 1994. 

"Comin' Up Christmas Time" and "Making a Big To-Do" were originally heard in Casper's First Christmas. "Hope" was written for A Christmas Story in 1972 and was also used in A Flintstones Christmas.

What I Don't Like: How much you enjoy this movie will depend entirely on how big of a Hanna-Barbara fan you are. If you love Yogi and the rest of the funny animal crew, you'll probably get a kick out of this. If you're not into Yogi and/or the Hanna Barbara funny animals. this is absolutely not the place for you. The save-the-lodge plot is cliched and silly, the songs are mostly cribbed from older specials, and the animation is nothing to write home about.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Yogi or the Hanna-Barbara funny animals, this is worth checking out for some fairly amusing gags alone.

Home Media: One of the earliest Warner Archive titles. It can also easily be found on streaming. It's currently free at Tubi with commercials. 

DVD

Tubi

Thanksgiving Double Feature - The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't & Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz

Let's give thanks for holiday specials with these two rarities. While there have been animated specials revolving around Thanksgiving since the 1960's, most of them aren't as well-remembered today as A Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I vaguely remember seeing Oz on cable as a child in the 1980's, but definitely didn't recall it as an adult, and I never heard of Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't until last week. How do they look now for a new generation of animation lovers? Let's start with Hanna-Barbara's entry as two modern families - human and squirrel - gather for dinner and find out...

The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

Hanna-Barbara, 1972

Voices of Bobby Riha, Kevin Cooper, Hal Smith, and June Foray

Directed by Joseph Hanna and William Barbara

Music and Lyrics by various

The Story: Little Bear (Cooper), son of Chief Massasoit, and young pilgrim Johnny Cooke (Riha) get lost in the woods just before Thanksgiving dinner. They encounter many dangers, from rapids to wolves, in their attempt to find their way back to the pilgrim village in time for the big feast. A chatty squirrel (Smith) and his woodland friends lend them a paw in their quest.

The Animation: Pretty typical of what Hanna-Barbara did for Saturday morning at the time, with bright colors and limited movement. In fact, it looks a lot like a Scooby Doo cartoon with more realistic animal designs. Some of the music from Scooby Doo, Where Are You? even kicks in during a chase scene towards the end of the special.

The Song and Dance: Funny little special with a few good chase scenes, especially later on, and decent voice work from the two boys. It's actually interesting to see a special involving the Pilgrims that only mentions their difficult journey, and isn't focused on food, either. This one is all about the kids, Jeremy Squirrel, and their antics. I appreciate how Little Bear is portrayed. He's as curious and inventive - and hilarious - as his pilgrim friend. 

Favorite Number: The catchy opening number over the credits, "This Is Thanksgiving Day," is a real ear worm that'll keep you singing through your own dinner. The boys say "Let's Take the Shortest Road Home" as they strut through the woods with Jeremy leading the way. Jeremy Squirrel and the boys say "I'm Thankful" for food, turkey legs, and friends and family.

What I Don't Like: This is pretty goofy for a Thanksgiving special. There's plot holes galore, starting with the kids don't even question it when the squirrel starts talking to them. None of the other animals in the special talk, either, including the wolf. Some of the gags in the woods don't really have much function besides filler, too. 

The Big Finale: Funny piece of fluff is worth throwing on to amuse kids before or after the big meal.

Home Media: Currently on free streaming site Tubi with ads.

Tubi

Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz

CBS/Muller-Rosen Productions, 1980

Voices of Mischa Bond, Sid Caesar, Bob Ridgley, and Frank Nelson

Directed by Fred Wolf and Charles Swenson

Music by Stephen Lawrence; Lyrics by Romeo Muller

The Story: Dorothy's (Bond) upset because she and her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry will have to be separated the day after Thanksgiving. She chases a thief who stole her aunt's mince pie, only to discover it's the former Wizard (Caesar). His giant green turkey balloon ends up taking Dorothy and Toto back to Oz. They have to steal the Powder of Life back from Tyrone the Terrible Toy Tinker (Ridgley) before he can make a whole army of toys. Helping her along are Jack Pumpkinhead (Ridgely), Tik-Tok the Mechanical Man (Joan Garber) and the Hungry Tiger (Nelson), who would eat anything if his conscience would let him.

The Animation: Typical of the Murikami Swenson films, with its more subdued color and simple lines. The characters do move well enough, and there's even a a little bit of special effects with the Green Gobbler balloon coming to life. 

The Song and Dance: This has some things in common with the Disney film Return to Oz from five years later. Here too, no one believes Dorothy about Oz and its citizens, she goes up against a bearded villain who lives in a mountain, and meets Jack Pumpkinhead, Ozma, and Tik-Tok. The Oz pedigree makes the story a bit stronger than usual for holiday fare. Bond and Ridgely do the best as an unusually feisty Dorothy and bumpkin Jack. Caesar has fun as the Wizard and the multiple-accented mince pie UN Krust, too, and even gets the short's best song, "Beans In Your Button."

Favorite Number: Dorothy and Toto fly over the rainbow on the end of the Green Gobbler to the tune of the dreamy "Everything That Oz Can Be." "Beans In Your Button" is the catchy number for the Wizard as he explains how Dorothy and her crew compare to the settlers who came to Dorothy's native Kansas. Dorothy's slightly syrupy ballad "Christmas, Toys, and Oz" convinces Tyrone that his toys will be better off making children happy than frightening them.

Trivia: Most current copies remove the references to Thanksgiving, though not the ones to Christmas or being thankful for what we have and can do. 

What I Don't Like: I like the story so much, I wish it were longer. We barely see the much vaunted Green Gobbler. Tyrone doesn't get much to do until the end, either, and then he mostly just threatens Dorothy. They could have done so much more with this, including expanding Dorothy's journey to the Emerald City and her time with Tyrone. It all seems really rushed. And yeah, the connections to Thanksgiving are tenuous at best and kind of shoehorned in when they do appear. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out during the holidays for Oz and fantasy fans or those who loved Romero's other fantasy specials from the 70's and 80's. 

Home Media: Currently on DVD packaged with the Swenson-Muller Easter special Peter and the Magic Egg.

Peter and the Magic Egg/Dorothy In the Land of Oz

Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo! Stage Fright

Warner Bros/Hanna-Barbara, 2013

Voices of Frank Welker, Gray DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Mindy Cohn

Directed by Victor Cook

Music and Lyrics by various

Scooby Doo! Music of the Vampire remains the only full musical Scooby Doo project to date, but they did occasionally incorporate musical numbers or songs into plots or use them as background for action scenes. Later Scooby series also frequently referenced or spoofed the pop culture of the time, as with the American Idol references in this episode. How does that tie into a Phantom of the Opera-style tale about a spook haunting the former opera house where a talent show is taking place? Let's begin just as Talent Search is about to go on...or is it? 

The Story: Fred (Welker) and Daphne (DeLisle) are finalists in Talent Search, singing and playing their own material. Velma joins for the finals and to check out local museums, while Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby (Welker) tag along for the famous Chicago deep-dish pizza. As it turns out, there may not be a show. A "Phantom" who once terrorized the Opera House when it became a disco in the late 70's seems to have returned. He's especially interested in a bratty little girl named Chrissy (Ariel Winter) and her obnoxious show business parents who are also finalists. 

As the kids investigate further, Velma begins to realize that the Phantom seems to have distinctly different motives and goals every time he appears. Talent Search host Brick Pimento (Wayne Brady) is thrilled with the publicity, but clean freak assistant director Dewey Ottoman (Peter MacNichol) laments the mess he leaves. Little Emma the violinist (Isabella Acres) wants the money for her family farm, while magician The Great Pauldini (John O'Hurley) wants to show off. While Daphne and Fred rehearse and Velma watches miles of tape to catch a killer, Shaggy and Scooby are happier eating miles and miles of tomato pie! 

The Animation: Not bad for an animated direct-to-DVD film from a decade ago. The colors are clear and bright and the characters move fairly well, especially during chase scenes. There's even some special effects during Fred and Daphne's numbers. I will, however, point out that the rare use of CGI, notably during the car chases, sticks out like a sore thumb and is badly incorporated with the 2-D animation. 

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for trying something different with the usual "man in a mask" criminal. Mystery Inc usually pursues one villain, maybe two at most. This may be the only time that multiple characters played the same bad guy, all with very different motives. Welker and DeLisle are adorable as they try to dance around the idea of maybe liking each other after 40 years, and Cohn is an especially feisty Velma here. Winter does the best of the remaining cast as the spoiled diva child with the material and costume that's way too old for her age and her childish behavior. And frankly, the idea of the musical numbers being stage performances works better with this franchise than going full musical with characters who really can't sing. 

Favorite Number: Welker and DeLisle perform together twice. "I Love You," their sweet uptempo ballad near the end, is the one we hear in full. Their other big number is "It's Enough for Me," though the movie keeps cutting away from them before we can hear it in full. We do get to hear most of Chrissy's  "Homewrecker," a dark ballad about a woman scorned that, as Velma pointed out, is miles beyond Chrissy's years and vocal abilities. There's also Emma's two violin solos, both of which are sprightly and moving enough to make you understand why the Talent Search audiences were impressed. 

What I Don't Like: Getting beyond the gimmick with the multiple Phantoms, this pretty typical of the Scooby Doo cartoons in general. While Velma has more to do than usual, Shaggy and Scooby are limited to their attempts to show off their performing skills to Pimento and eating their way through Chicago's largest pizza. References to then-topical talent contests and reality shows date the film a bit as well. 

The Song and Dance: Not the best Scooby Doo movie ever made, but it's also far from the worst. The funny numbers and creative villain pushes this slightly above Music of the Vampire. Recommended mainly for major fans of the franchise and families with elementary school-age Scooby lovers. 

Home Media: As a relatively recent film, this is easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Extra - Jetsons: The Movie

Universal, 1990

Voices of George O'Hanlon, Mel Blanc, Penny Singleton, and Tiffany

Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbara

Music and Lyrics by various

First of all, Musical Dreams Reviews is going on vacation hiatus from the 22nd through the 28th. Regular reviews resume the 29th. 

Second, this one means a lot to me. My sisters and I were major fans of Tiffany in the late 80's and early 90's. We had the soundtrack and listened to it constantly on our shiny pink and silver cassette player and eventually taped the movie off cable. We were big fans of the TV show too when it re-ran and debuted new episodes in syndication. Is the movie still enjoyable for today's kids, or does it look as dated as some of the "futuristic" inventions in the original show? To find out, let's begin later in the 21st Century, as normal working dad George Jetson (O'Hanlon) begins his day on the job, and find out...

The Story: After years of suffering verbal abuse from his miserly boss Mr. Spacely (Blanc), George is finally made vice-president of Spacely Sprockets. He and his family are sent to the Orbiting-Ore Asteroid, where metal is mined at 1/12th of the cost of running the factory on Earth. George is the only one who's happy. Elroy (Patric Zimmerman) looked forward to his spaceball championship game, and teenage Judy (Tiffany) is heartbroken when she loses out on the chance to date a rock star. George's wife Jane (Singleton) and his dog Astro (Don Messick) are more supportive.

Judy's much happier when she realizes that the elaborate apartment complex at the asteroid includes a massive mall. While she falls for a handsome blue-skinned alien teen named Apollo Blue (Paul Kreppel), Elroy befriends the kid robot on his new team, Teddy-2 (Dana Hill). Meanwhile, George discovers that Spacely's gone through four vice-presidents who were plagued with accidents at the factory. George recruits Teddy's father Rudy-2 (Ronnie Schell) to help him solve the mystery. The boys and their furry friend Fergie (Russi Taylor) follow them on their own...and are the ones who discover who's really behind the sabotage.

The Animation:  The character animation is similar to any Hanna-Barbara show on the air in 1990, but it's the backgrounds and building designs where this one really shines. This is one time where the early CGI standing out like a sore thumb actually works. Most early CGI tends to be boxy and plastic...and that's perfect for the show's retro-futuristic look. The exterior of the factory and the mall in particular are marvels, all translucent tubes and ovals and pearly colors.

The Song and Dance: First of all, I know many fans of the original show complained about pop star Tiffany playing Judy instead of original voice Janet Waldo, but I don't think she's that bad. At least she's an actual teenager who wasn't much older than Judy at the time. Zimmerman and Hall are hilarious as the feisty kid duo who are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Their Scooby Doo-esque antics and some amusing slapstick from George provide a needed lift to the second half. The music my sisters and I loved so much are still decent examples of late 80's pop and remains catchy and hummable to this day. 

Favorite Number: We start off with "We're the Jetsons" introducing each member of the family and their day. Steve McCormick sings "Maybe Love, Maybe Not," the uptempo ballad rock star Cosmic Cosmo charms Judy with at the concert. "Staying Together" by Shane Sutton provides the background for the family's move to the asteroid. Rudy-2 and George lay into the twisty rhymes of "The Factory Rap" as they relate the rules for running the mining asteroid. "I Always Thought I'd See You Again" is Judy's heartbroken ballad at the mall when she thinks she'll never find another guy like Cosmo. Tiffany also performs the lovely "Home" in the finale as the Jetsons pack to leave the asteroid and bid their new friends a fond but sad farewell.

The big one here is another Tiffany song, the catchy "You and Me." The song Apollo wrote for Judy becomes a random but gorgeously animated abstract romantic reverie making use of everything from heart-themed surrealism to pop art to watercolors. 

Trivia: Last film for Penny Singleton, George O'Hanlon, and Mel Blanc; first theatrically released film for Brad Garrett, who voiced Fergie's father Bertie.

Blanc and O'Hanlon did manage to record their dialogue before they passed away during filming. O'Hanlon had a stroke and could only record one hour a day, but he died in the recording studio doing what he loved. Jeff Bergman filled in anything that had to be re-recorded. The film is dedicated to both men. 

Janet Waldo was set to voice Judy Jetson, but was replaced by Tiffany at the last moment to attract a younger audience. Apparently, she can still be heard as Judy in a few lines. 

While the movie didn't do badly at the box office, it was no blockbuster, either, and flopped only because of the high cost of marketing. It would be 27 years before another Jetsons project got off the ground, and that would be a made-for-video movie with WWE wrestling in 2017. (And apparently, there's a live-action version they've been trying to make since as far back as 1985.)

What I Don't Like: This movie has not dated well at all. The message about diversity and how different races can live together in harmony Apollo brings up in the end would have likely been enough to sustain a full plot. The environmental message with the beings who committed the sabotage feels preachy, dull, and tacked-on. There's no mention of environmentalism up to this point, and the resolution comes out of nowhere. Not to mention, both messages are driven home with all the force of those piledrivers in the asteroid. The perpetrators, when they do appear, are entirely too cutesy for a slapstick sci-fi action comedy and feel like they came from an early 80's Hanna-Barbara show like Monchikis or The Biscuitts. 

And...I think the Jetsons were a little hard on George. He wasn't really running out on them. The job and move WERE important. In fact, some of the characters they met were so interesting, I wonder what would have happened if they'd stayed and we'd seen more of them, especially the hilarious robot Two family. There's also the fact that Judy acted like a brat through most of the film. Yes, losing out on a date with a rock star was disappointing, but she barely met the guy, and she carries on like they'd been dating for years. 

The Big Finale: Opinion online seems to be sharply divided on this one. Some also have fond memories of catching this on video and cable and enjoy the cast and music; others, especially fans of the original show, find it to be too dated, silly, and lament the loss of Waldo. Put me in the former camp, but with reservations. Yes, it's dated, but if you love the original show or the cast or the music from this time period, you might actually have a lot of fun meeting the Jetsons and their friends new and old, too.

Home Media: Easily found in all major formats; the DVD often turns up for under $10.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - Invitation to the Dance

MGM, 1956

Starring Gene Kelly, Igor Youskevich, Claire Sombert, and Tamara Tourmova

Directed by Gene Kelly

Music by Jaques Ibert, Andre Previn, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Kelly wanted to make a movie that was nothing but dance for a long time. Filming began in 1952, but wasn't completed until 1954, due to the complicated animation/live-action sequence. MGM further held up the release for two years while they tried to figure out what to do with a dialogue-free, all-dance anthology film with one major star. They eventually sent it out to art houses and upscale theaters in an attempt to cater to more sophisticated tastes. It didn't work, and the film was a flop...but did it deserve that fate? Let's begin at a Circus in a fantasy land, where the show is about to begin, and find out...

The Story: This being an anthology, there's actually three stories. 

The Circus: A clown in Pierrot makeup (Kelly) falls for a beautiful dancer (Sombert), but she loves the daring Aerialist (Youskevich). 

Ring Around the Rosy: When a jealous wife (Daphne Dale) gives the bracelet her husband (David Paltenghi) gave her to an artist (Yousekvich) to make her husband jealous, it sets off a round robin as the bracelet goes all over the city.

Sinbad the Sailor: The sailor (Kelly) is drawn into an animated Arabian Knights storybook by a kid Genie (David Kasday), where he falls for a harem girl and tries to evade a pair of sword-wielding guards. 

The Animation: Done in the sketchy style then in vogue, the sherbet watercolors are likely intended to invoke a storybook come to life. The backgrounds are lovely but fairly static watercolors. The characters move better and are slightly more detailed, and yes, they do move in time with Kelly very well, even now. 

The Song and Dance: Obviously, this one's all about the dance. Kelly gathered an array of ballet stars (Youskevich), stage dance luminaries (Carol Haney), and familiar film dancers (Tommy Rall) to bring these three romantic tales to life. The final segment is the most fun, with its flirtatious dragon, dancing guards, and child Genie who turns into a mini sailor sidekick. The second probably has the best actual performances, especially from star ballerina Claude Bessy as the playful model, Tamara Tourmanova as the streetwalker whom the husband buys the bracelet off of in the end, and Rall as the model's hustler boyfriend. 

Favorite Number: Kelly and the clowns kick things off with a lively and slapstick-filled number in the Circus opening as they show off for the townspeople. The peasants are transported by the circus and the Dancer by the Aeralist...but the Clown wanders through town, dancing of his loneliness after everyone's left. 

"Ring" features two great duets - the playful romance of the Artist and the Model as she steals a sandwich from him and the darker exchange of the Lady of the Streets (Tourmanova) and the drunk Marine (Kelly) who is angry at his girlfriend (Diana Adams) after she gets the bracelet. 

Kelly has another gorgeous romantic duet in "Sinbad," this time with the harem girl as they glide through an imaginary field of rainbow flowers against a misty blue backdrop. (Kelly would do a similar routine in another Hanna-Barbara musical hybrid he did in the 60's on TV, Jack and the Beanstalk.) Kelly's in trouble with the dragon...until Kasday charms it, and it turns out to have more than a sailor meal on its mind! He does even better with the guards, dancing them into jars and shoving them into their hats in a desperate attempt to avoid them.

What I Don't Like: If you're not a fan of dance or Kelly, forget it. This is isn't for those looking for a more traditional musical with a few big chorus routines and spoken dialogue between numbers. You have to love dance as much as Kelly to really get into this. There's the mood whiplash too, from tragic romance to round-robin dark comedy-drama to fluffy animated fantasy. 

The Big Finale: As much as I enjoy dance, I'm not sure what to think of this unique passion project. The dancing is first-rate, but if you're not a huge fan of Kelly, ballet, or modern dance, you'll probably be bored. 

Home Media: Alas, the Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print and not on streaming. Your best bet is looking for the DVD used or catching it occasionally on TCM.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Man Called Flintstone

Hanna-Barbara/Columbia, 1966

Voices of Alan Reed, Mel Blanc, Jean Vander Pyl, and Gerry Johnson

Directed by Joseph Barbara and William Hanna

Music and Lyrics by John McCarthy and Doug Goodwin

This one is in honor of the 60th anniversary of The Flintstones' debut. The Flintstones was Hanna-Barbara's first shot at a prime-time animated sitcom. Fred Flintstones (Reed) is the head of a "modern stone-age family" whose adventures satirize comedy tropes popular in the 60's...and even today. Shortly after the show ended, Hanna-Barbara decided they were popular enough to make them their second venture into feature-length theatrical animation. How does their take on the spy craze of the mid-60's look now? Let's begin in the thick of the action, as goons Ali (Don Messick) and Bobo (Paul Frees) chase Rock Slag...who's a dead ringer for Fred Flintstone...across a stony blue landscape, and find out...

The Story: The goons manage to land Slag in the hospital. Fred also ends up there after an accident with his best friend Barney Rubble's (Blanc) car, right as they're preparing to go on a camping trip. Chief Boulder (Harvey Korman) convinces Fred to take his family to Paris, France in order to capture master criminal the Green Goose before his missile destroys the world, though Fred at first thinks he's chasing a rare bird.

They're barely in Paris before master of disguise Triple X (Frees) sends them along to Rome, Italy, where the Green Goose has his hideout. Fred's supposed to meet with his lieutenant Tanya (June Foray), but he keeps getting chased by Rock Slag's many female admirers. When he does finally make the meeting, his wife Wilma (Vander Pyle) gets the wrong idea and walks off, then pounds Rock Slag before he can rejoin them. Now Fred and Barney will have to be the ones who save the world, before the Green Goose can launch his deadly inter-rockinental missile! 

The Animation: Most of it isn't far removed from what you see in any given episode of The Flintstones on DVD or Boomerang. Hanna-Barbara put more effort into the stylized opening credits, with their slanty geometric designs and bright colors, and musical numbers, particularly Pebbles and Bamm Bamm's two fantasy sequences. "Tickle Toddle" has dreamy effects that match the sweetly silly song, and "When I Grow Up" resembles a toddler's drawing come to life, with stick figures and simple artwork.

The Song and Dance: If you love the Flintstones or spy stories, have I got a treat for you. This was the last appearance of the entire cast of the original show, and they make this a bit different than most other subsequent Flintstone projects. Frees has a great time lending his many voices to the Chief, both of his best agents, and the terrible Green Goose himself, while Foray gets a rare chance to play a temptress. 

Favorite Number: The dynamic title song over the credits give us an idea of what's to come and the spy tropes they're making fun of. "Spy Type Guy" also parodies spy tropes as Fred imagines himself saving the girl. "Team Mates" shows us Fred and Barney's sports prowess and their ability to work together, no matter what. Louis Prima performs "Pensate Amore (Think Love)" over Fred imagining himself and Wilma as Romeo and Juliet on a moonlit Roman balcony. 

"Tickle Toddle" is Pebbles and Bamm Bamm's dream sequence as they imagine themselves flying around the moon. "Someday (When I am Grown Up" sounds like something similar, but this time, it's in Fred's imagination, as he wonders what the kids will be if they're able to grow up...and realizes why putting his life on the line to stop the Green Goose is so important. 

Trivia: The film originally opened with Wilma dressed as the Columbia Torch Lady, a gag that naturally doesn't appear in the current Warner Bros DVD. 

Henry Corden, who provided Fred's singing voice, would take over the character's regular voice as well when Alan Freed died in 1977.

What I Don't Like: First of all, while the music is catchy and fun, with the exception of "Someday" motivating Fred to catch the Green Goose, the songs have nothing whatsoever to do with the plot and are completely unnecessary. The cutesy "Tickle Toddle" in particular exists as padding and to give Pebbles and Bamm Bamm more to do. An extended chase with Fred and a young Italian girl and her brother who want the lady to marry Rock Slag also has nothing to do with spy capers. And frankly, none of this seems especially Italian or French to me; the finale with the abandoned amusement park could have been set anywhere in the Flintstones' world.

The Big Finale: Even with the caveat on the flimsy plot, this is still miles above the two live-action theatrical films from the 90's and early 2000's. Recommended if you're a fan of the Flintstones, loved this as a kid on cable like I did, or have kids who won't mind the goofy spy story and simple animation. 

Home Media: Out of print on solo DVD, but can be found as part of a collection and on streaming, admittedly in the edited version without the Wilma/Columbia joke. 

DVD 

DVD - Flintstones: 2 Movies & 5 Specials

Amazon Prime

Happy Halloween! - Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire

Warner Bros/Hanna-Barbara, 2012

Voices of Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Mindy Cohn, and Grey DeLisle

Directed by David Block

Music and Lyrics by Randy Rogel and Andy Strummer

Scooby Doo, Where are You began in 1969, and was an immediate hit among kids, who loved the antics of ever-hungry Shaggy and Scooby Do. Those meddling teens of Mystery Incorporated have been back in many different forms and programs since then, including this made-for-home media film. While episodes of the franchise have occasionally featured a music-related guest star or incorporated a musical number, this is the first - and to date, only - time they've tried a flat-out musical. How does it compare to other Scooby shows and films? Let's start with, not the kids, but bayou hermit Tulie (Jim Cummings), who'll tell us more about their involvement with the vampires and their strange rituals, and find out...

The Story: Having been worn out by their previous case, the members of Mystery Inc decide a vacation is in order. Shaggy (Lillard) and Scooby (Welker) are hoping it'll be quiet, monster-free, and filled with food...but they only get their last wish. Mystery-loving Velma (Cohn) takes them to Petit Chauve Souis Ville, home of vampire specialist Vincent Van Helsing (Jeff Bennett). 

Van Helsing is hoping the local carnival "Vampire-Palooza" will restore his family's good name and the popularity of his factual vampire books, but his books and the carnival are a bust. People would rather see teen vampire romances and watch a group of performers who live like real vampires perform rituals onstage. Their vampire resurrection ritual gets a little too real when it seems to bring the centuries-old vampire Valdronya to life! 

While Velma joins Van Helsing to figure out what's going on here, Fred takes up with anti-vampire crusader and town mayor Jesper Poubelle (Cummings) to pick up the latest in vampire-catching gear, and Shaggy is convinced that he's been, like, totally bitten by a vampire and is about to turn into one. They all have to join the crusade if they're going to save Daphne from Valdonya and the hypnotized actors, who think she's the Vampire's bride to be!

The Animation: About what you'd expect from a direct-to-DVD movie made a decade ago. The colors are clean and sharp, and while nothing to write home about, the characters move well and the backgrounds are reasonably detailed, especially in the bayou and onstage. There's some decent special effects with the vampire dances and rituals and Valdronya's appearances as well. 

The Song and Dance: Well, I give Hanna-Barbara credit for trying something different with the characters. The vampire scheme is really elaborate, going slightly beyond "bad guy running around with a mask" and into more credible illusions. The kids who "live" their horror roles have a few decent gags, especially when the pale and handsome Bram (Christian Campbell) flirts with Daphne and makes Fred jealous. There's some funny moments when Scooby and Shaggy think the latter's slowly transforming into a vampire about midway through the film, too. 

Favorite Number: The kids sing about how they're "Done With Monsters" in the Mystery Machine on their way to what they think will be a relaxing trip, imagining all the non-mysterious things they'll do when they arrive. "Valdronya Returns" is the vampire actors' big number as they writhe and revel in their crazy special effects, hoping for the majestic evil vampire to rise again. Bram's romantic duet with Daphne hypnotizes her into becoming a bride, asking "Do You Want to Live Forever?"

What I Don't Like: This franchise doesn't really work as a musical. "Kids chasing people in masks" is a weird enough premise as it is. Throwing in musical numbers doesn't really add a whole lot. It doesn't help that DeLisle is the only regular actor who can sing. Cohn and Welker didn't do their own singing, and Lillard's "Scooby and Me," when Shaggy and Scooby claim they'll be together no matter what, is painful. Plentiful spoofs of the Twilight vampire romance series and other teen horror tropes date the story rather badly, too. 

The Big Finale: In the end, I can understand why Hanna-Barbara never tried anything quite like this with Scooby and Mystery Inc again. Only come here if you're a really huge fan of Scooby Doo and absolutely must see all of the films and shows. 

Home Media: As a relatively recent film released direct to DVD and streaming, this is easy to find in all major formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Heidi's Song

Paramount/Hanna-Barbara, 1982
Voices of Margary Gray, Lorne Greene, Roger DeWitt, and Sammy Davis Jr.
Directed by Robert Taylor
Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Having done relatively well with Charlotte's Web, Hanna-Barbara decided to move ahead with another adaptation of a classic children's novel about a little girl and her animal friends. Heidi's Song began production as early as 1976, but Joseph Barbara wanted to improve the quality, and it kept getting pushed back. By the time it finally made it out, elaborate Disney-esque animated musicals were out of style, and it was a box-office failure. Does this retelling of the story of the Swiss girl who manages to charm almost everyone she comes in contact with deserve better? Let's begin with a trip to the Swiss Alps as Heidi (Gray) and her Aunt Dede (Virginia Gregg) make their way up the mountains and find out...

The Story: Heidi's aunt brings her to live with her grouchy grandfather (Greene) in his cabin in the Alps. He's not fond of her at first, until he hurts his leg when a tree falls on it and she takes care of him. She's easily makes friends with everyone, from the goats on the path to Peter (DeWitt) who attends to them. Aunt Dede eventually returns and takes her to the city to be a companion to a little girl named Klara (Pamela Ferdyn) who can't walk. Klara's servants Frouline Rottemeyer (Joan Gerber) and Sebastian (Fritz Feld) don't understand her simple country ways and often punish her, but Klara thinks she's hilarious. After they lock Heidi in the basement, it's Heidi's friends, new and old, to the rescue. With the help of Klara, they free her and return her home to her grandfather and her beloved mountains.

The Animation: Only slightly ahead of Charlotte's Web. On one hands, there's some lush and colorful backgrounds, especially during the numbers in the Alps. Joseph Barbara's push for quality didn't quite help with some other aspects. A great deal of the animation is obviously reused from shot to shot, especially that of the animals.

The Song and Dance: I remember watching this from time to time on cable when I was a kid and mostly enjoying it. It actually holds up much better than I expected. Greene's a decent gruff old grandfather, and Ferdyn (who also played Fern in Charlotte's Web) is a lovely, lively Klara. Gerber and Feld have a high old time as the villains who think they're above Heidi's country ways. The music in particular is very well done. Sammy Davis Jr. revels in his brief scene-stealing role as the king of the rats.

Favorite Number: The cheer-up ballad "An Armful of Sunshine" turns up twice, first as Grandfather is happily describing his relationship with Heidi, then as Willie the coal delivery man (Michael Bell) describes his feelings for the lovely maid Tinette (Janet Waldo) in the city. Grandfather also gets the title song twice, first as he realizes his feelings for his sweet granddaughter, then in heartbreak when she's taken away. Klara performs "Imagine" during a sequence in a ballroom where she dreams of being able to dance with a handsome prince of her own. Davis Jr. steals the movie wholesale with his brassy "Ode to a Rat" in the basement as he struts his stuff to remind the rats that they're not man's best friend.

What I Don't Like: I wish they hadn't rushed the story so much, especially in the first half. Heidi makes far more friends in city and country alike in the book and other movie versions. Frauline Rottenmeyer was nasty to Heidi in the book (though not quite to this degree), but Sebastian was originally her friend and confidante. Several sequences seem to be there just to show off the animation or the music. "Imagine," Davis Jr.'s number, and a sequence in the beginning where Heidi has a nightmare about all the spirits of the mountains trying to take her away from her grandfather are nicely shot, but have little or nothing to do with the plot. Willie and Tintette are pretty much only there to be the generic young couple and add nothing to the plot, either. And why do only the rats talk? All the other animals in the movie are treated realistically, but the rats are done in a more cartoony style and are the only ones with voices.

The Big Finale: It may not be the best animated film of the 80's, but it's still a sweet little movie with some nice performances and lovely music that deserves to be far better-known.

Home Media: The DVD is available via the Warner Archives. The streaming service Vudu currently has it for free, which is how I saw it.

DVD
Vudu

Animation Celebration Extra - Charlotte's Web (1973)

Paramount, 1973
Voices of Henry Gibson, Debbie Reynolds, Agnes Moorehead, and Paul Lynde
Directed by Charles A. Nichols and Iwoa Takamota
Music by Richard and Robert Sherman

Our last review before my vacation hiatus begins is this tale of an unusual friendship between a pig and a spider. The book by E.B White remains a beloved favorite of many - including me - to this day. Is the first film version as touching and enjoyable as the book, or does it smell of rotten eggs? Let's head to the Arable farm at the first flush of springtime and find out...

The Story: Fern Arable (Pamela Ferdyn) rescues a pig who is the runt of the litter before her father can kill it. She names it Wilbur (Gibson) and raises it as her pet. Eventually, Wilbur becomes large enough to be sold to Fern's uncle Home Zuckerman (Bob Holt). He's lonely in his new surroundings at first, and then frightened when a snooty ram (Dave Madden) tells him Zuckerman intends to turn him into bacon and ham in the fall.

Wilbur's life takes a turn for the special when he's befriended by Charlotte (Reynolds), a spider who lives in her web over his pen. With the help of Templeton, the disagreeable rat (Lynde), she weaves words into her web that make the Zuckermans and everyone in the area think that Wilbur is "Some Pig." Charlotte and Wilbur are inseparable, but Charlotte is an arachnid, and she's not going to live forever. Wilbur learns the true meaning of friendship when Charlotte makes a major sacrifice for him..and he helps carry on her legacy.

The Animation: Generally par for the course for Hanna-Barbara in this time, but it does have some nice effects. Some of the slower numbers in particular, such as Charlotte's first version of "Mother Earth and Father Time" and Fern's "There Must Be Something More to Us" have some nice effects and glowing colors. The animals are a little more realistic than usual for Hanna-Barbara while still being cartoony enough to appeal to kids.

The Song and Dance: While not a 100 percent accurate retelling of the book, this is still a very charming adaptation. I'm especially fond of the terrific cast. Reynolds is a wonderful, warm, comforting Charlotte, and Gibson is adorable as Wilbur. Lynde is perfectly obnoxious as the scheming, ever-eating Templeton. Agnes Moorehead is a hoot as the Goose with a habit of repeating her words. The score is gorgeous and atmospheric, possibly the Sherman Brothers' best from a non-Disney animated film.

Favorite Number: Gibson and Reynolds leads the farm animals through the rousing "We've Got Lots In Common," a chorus number on being friends despite our differences. "Zuckerman's Famous Pig" is the big number at the fair with a brass band saluting Wilbur and everyone marching along. Lynde and Moorehead have a great time celebrating the delights and edibles of the fair in "A Fair Is a Veritable Smorgasbord"

The film's best numbers are three gorgeous ballads, ably representing the Sherman Brothers' ability to write slow numbers for musicals without traditional girl-meets-boy plots. The dreamy title number accompanies Charlotte writing the words that will make Wilbur famous. Fern's opening song is a lovely lullaby for Wilbur when she first rescues him, "There Must Be Something More to Us." Charlotte describes the passing of time - and how wonderful life and the changing seasons are - in "Mother Earth and Father Time." She sings a touching reprise towards the end as she recalls how she helped Wilbur in a montage.

Trivia: This took a few years to make it to the big screen. It was originally announced in 1967, but it passed to a few animation studios before Hanna-Barbara took it over.

The movie itself did all right on first release, but was never a major blockbuster...until it made it to video. It was one of the best-selling videos of 1994, and was popular on cable as well. Like All Dogs Go to Heaven, it was so popular, it got a (direct to video) sequel, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Adventure.

What I Don't Like: E.B White hated this movie - he wanted more drama and fewer musical numbers. I love the music, but other things don't fare as well. As mentioned, the animation isn't great, especially compared to Disney's finest, and yes, some things were changed from the book.

The Big Finale: If you've already read the book to your young ones or are about to, this is a charming introduction with wonderful songs and some great performances.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, often for under 5 dollars.

DVD
DVD - Charlotte's Web movie 3-pack
Amazon Prime 

Musicals on TV - Jack and the Beanstalk

Hanna-Barbera, 1967
Starring Gene Kelly, Bobby Riha, Janet Waldo, and Ted Cassidy
Directed by Gene Kelly
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

This charming live action-animated hybrid used to show up a lot of cable when I was barely older than Jack. It was possibly my first exposure to Gene Kelly, long before I saw Singin' In the Rain or On the Town. How does this musical retelling of the famous English fairy tale look nowadays? Let's join Jack (Riha) and his cow on a dusty yellow road to town and find out...

The Story: Young Jack is ordered by his mother (Marion McKnight) to sell his beloved cow. Jeremy Keen (Kelly), a peddler on the road, can tell how reluctant he is to part with her and offers to trade her for some magic beans. It turns out that the beans are more magical than Jeremy thought. When the little boy accidentally plants them, they grow into a beanstalk that reaches the sky!

Climbing the beanstalk brings them to a beautiful land of huge plants and a towering castle. It's the home of a giant ogre who eats little boys and peddlers and has a cat who terrorizes the local mice. Among the treasures the giant has stolen from the local kingdoms is a goose who lays golden eggs and a beautiful princess (Waldo) who was turned into a harp. While Jeremy tries to break the spell and rescue the princess, Jack befriends the mice and encourages them to fight the cat.

The Animation: Only slightly removed from Hey There, It's Yogi Bear. It's the same sketchy style used in most Hanna-Barbera productions of this time period, with super-cute mice and a slightly more realistic-looking cat than usual for them. The effects on Kelly and Marni Nixon's duet reprise of "One Starry Evening" do look pretty good, though, especially as Kelly dances with a cartoon princess.

The Song and Dance: I've always loved fairy tales, and this one is a lot of fun. Kelly and Riha work and dance quite nicely together; Riha has a great scene where he's trying to remind the mice that the cat may be big, but they have safety in numbers. Waldo makes a sweet princess, and Ted Cassidy is an appropriately booming giant.

Favorite Number: "A Tiny Bit of Faith," the song Jeremy sings to Jack several times, is very catch and is probably the best song in the movie. Jack's chorus number with the mice, "Stiffen That Upper Lip," is also a lot of fun. The lone ballad "One Starry Night" turns up twice, first as a song of longing for the Princess trapped in the harp, then as a duet for her and Jeremy after she's freed.

What I Don't Like: The combination of animation and live-action may have looked good on the small screen in 1967, but it now occasionally looks fake or awkward. Several sequences seem to be there more as padding than anything, especially Kelly's number with a pair of "Woggle Birds" who do a routine explaining what they do and disappear, never to be mentioned again.

The Big Finale: A fun retelling if you can find it; great for younger kids or fans of Kelly or Hanna-Barbera.

Home Media: I really wish the Warner Archive release of this one that I have wasn't out of print! Check used venues like Goodwill and eBay.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!

Columbia, 1964
Voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, and Mel Blanc
Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbara
Music by Ray Gilbert; Lyrics by Doug Goodwin

The Care Bears aren't the only animated bears I'm a big fan of. Yogi remains one of the most beloved of Hanna and Barbara's "funny animal" characters of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. He and his picnic basket-stealing antics proved to be such a hit in The Huckleberry Hound Show, he and his buddy Boo Boo briefly got their own Saturday morning showcase in 1960. His ongoing popularity finally prompted Hanna-Barbara to get into the feature animation business, making this the the first animated film to be based after a TV show. Does this story of Yogi, Boo-Boo, and Cindy's cross-country road trip deserve a picnic basket with all the trimmings, or should it be sent to the zoo? Let's head to Jellystone National Park, just as spring is beginning, and find out.

The Story: Spring brings tourists to Jellystone Park...and as soon as the tourists arrive, so does Yogi's (Butler) appetite. After his attempts to snitch picnic baskets gets him caught by Ranger Smith (Messick), he tells him he wants to be transferred to the San Diego Zoo. He convinces another bear to take his place so he can continue stealing food. His girl Cindy (Bennett) and best friend Boo Boo (Messick) think he's gone. Cindy claims she's stealing the food so she can go to San Diego and be with Yogi, but her cage falls off the train and she ends up as the main attraction in a shady circus. Yogi and Boo Boo run off to rescue her. Even after they escape the circus, they still have to find their way home.

The Animation: Hanna-Barbara put some real work into this one, and it shows with animation that's above the norm for them in the 50's and 60's. The backgrounds are lush and colorful, and the characters move better and are more refined than they are on TV. The Venice fantasy number in particular looks terrific, with its shadows and romantic moonlight on the water.

The Song and Dance: The story is nothing to write home about, but even when it's ambling along, the characters are always worth watching. Butler, Messick, and Bennett have a great time playing their respective characters in a couple of hilarious set pieces, including the destruction of the circus that bear-napped Cindy and the three of them running around on the steel frame of an unfinished skyscraper in New York.

Favorite Number: "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a" is a lovely ballad performed by Yogi (singing voice by crooner James Darren) that somehow turns into a random fantasy number in Venice towards the end of the movie, complete with Boo Boo as a gondolier. Cindy has a nice solo early-on when she's trying to tell Yogi how much she's in love with him, "Like I Like You." Boo Boo joins the two on the road for "Whistle Your Way Back Home." Cindy gets to enjoy the antics of three bears who travel with her on the train to "St. Louis."

What I Don't Like: Most of the musical numbers aren't terribly memorable, and a lot of them, like the Venice fantasy and the bears' song on the train, seem to be there mainly as filler. The story is a bit disjointed, lurching from one set piece to the next without much flow. And while the animation is better than it is on TV, it's still not quite at the level of Disney's finest.

The Big Finale: A nice introduction to Yogi's picnic-basket-stealing antics and a fun road trip for Hanna-Barbara fans and younger kids.

Home Media: Warners picked up this one when they merged with Hanna-Barbera owner Turner Broadcasting in the late 90's. The current DVD has glowing, jewel-like colors and decent sound. It's not on Blu-Ray, but it can be found on several streaming companies.

DVD
Amazon Prime