Animation Celebration Saturday - Oliver Twist (1974)

Warner Bros/Filmation, 1974

Voices of Josh Albee, Jane Webb, Les Tremayne, and Davy Jones

Directed by Hal Sutherland

Music and Lyrics by Sherry Gaden and Richard Canada 

Filmation began in 1963 as a two-person outfit. By the late 60's, they had their first major hits with a series of cartoons revolving around DC superheroes and characters from Archie comics. They were known for their low-cost animation that usually revolved around a property popular with kids. Oliver Twist was the first of their two musical retellings of classical British literature. How does it compare with the better-known live action film from 1968? Let's begin with the birth of the title character and find out...

The Story: Oliver (Albee) lives in a workhouse in the mid-19th century, where he's treated little better than a slave. After he asks for more to eat, he's sent to become the apprentice to an undertaker. When the undertaker beats him unfairly, he runs away to London. 

He's taken in by a street gang led by the mischievous Artful Dodger (Jones) and crafty thief Fagin (Tremayne). Oliver's caught on his first job, but is rescued from jail the man the gang tried to rob, Mr. Brownlow (Phil Clark). Mr. Brownlow and his nurse take Oliver in and nurse him back to health. The gang isn't done with him, though. Big Bill Sykes (Michael Evans) in particular is worried the boy will tattle on them. His girl Nancy (Webb) is fond of the boy and is more determined to protect him.

The Animation: About on par with the Filmation TV shows of the time...which means the characters move somewhat stiffly, but there's some exquisite London backdrops. The mean streets are done in attractive deep blues and purples, bringing more life to Oliver's gritty world than the bland cartoony characters do. 

The Song and Dance: There's some decent performances here, along with those lovely backdrops and a few ok songs. I'm actually surprised at how well they stuck to the original story...up to and including Nancy and Bill Sykes' fates. They aren't shown, but that might actually make them even more effective, especially with the young. They even manage to get in some of Oliver's more convoluted backstory. 

Favorite Number: The film opens with the dreamy ballad "Once Upon a Time" over the credits. The first actual number is the Bumble (Leslie D. Mann)'s dreary orders for the boys to "Work, Work, Work." Oliver asks his new frog friend Squeaker "Who's Afraid of Ghosts?" when he's shut up with the coffins. The Artful Dodger claims to be a "Man About Town" as he shows Oliver all around London. Fagin insists that "It's Just a Game" and they're not stealing, only having a little fun. He and his boys perform the title number as they search for Oliver literally all over London, from Big Ben to the mean streets. 

Trivia: Warner Bros was so disappointed with test screenings, they barely released it. It turned up later on NBC as an "NBC Special Treat."

What I Don't Like: The additional animal sidekicks - Oliver's buddy Squeaker the Frog, Sykes' dog Bulldog, and Fagin's bird crew - are standard procedure for most Filmation TV adaptations, but completely unnecessary here other than a few mildly amusing gags. Nancy's breathy ballad "If You Should Leave" is dull and too romantic for a woman singing about a sick boy she barely knows, and sounds way too modern for the 19th century. Most of the characters are barely shadows of their originals; Fagin in particular comes off more as a tired old man than a randy thief. 

The Big Finale: In the end, this is really for only major fans of Jones, Filmation, or 70's animation. Anyone else would probably be better off looking up the Oscar-winning 1968 live-action film.

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

DVD

Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Anything Goes (1956)

Paramount, 1956

Starring Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, and Zizi Jeanmaire

Directed by Robert Lewis

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter and others

After the blockbuster success of White Christmas in 1954, Paramount wanted another big Crosby musical with VistaVision, Technicolor, and a fluffy romantic comedy plot. Once again, we have the basic plot of two women falling for smooth Crosby and his goofy comedian partner. With the original Anything Goes now playing on TV, they dusted off the title, tossed in Porter songs from the stage show and other Porter musicals and a few by other hands, and turned it all into the story of two men who sign a pair of very different dancers for one big role. How does this look today? Let's begin with partners Bill Benson (Crosby) and Ted Adams (O'Connor) as they go to nightclubs to watch two lovely dancers and find out...

The Story: Bill is so impressed by sassy American nightclub dancer Patsy Blair (Gaynor), he signs her to a contract right away. He has no idea Ted's smitten by the lovely and willowy French ballerina Gaby Duval (Jeanmaire) and hires her for the same part. All four end up sailing back to New York on the same cruise ship, along with Patsy's gambler father Steve (Phil Harris). They end up falling for the girl the other wanted for the show, Bill with Gaby and Ted with Patsy...but now they have to tell them they may not get the part after all...

The Song and Dance: If nothing else, we do get some songs that didn't make it into the 1936 version. O'Connor has a great time, and he pairs nicely with smart Gaynor. Paramount has fun with the colorful shipboard setting, including numbers that make use of the decks and gym rooms. The 50's couture is just stunning, especially some of Gaby's frocks on board. 

Favorite Number: Ted and Bill meet up to show everyone how you "Gotta Give the People Hoke," even if big rubber noses and burning firemen's hats are considered passe by critics. Gaynor's joined by the chorus for the bright, brassy title number in red and gold with lots of lace fans. "You're the Top" is just as much fun here as in the 1936 film and is beautifully filmed to fill out the wide screen. Each couple sings part of the number in adjoining gym rooms, separate but together. 

"It's De-Lovely" becomes a sweet dance routine for Gaynor and O'Connor as they glide all around the top deck and smokestack. The gorgeous ballad "All Through the Night" that was cut in '36 finally makes it in as Bing's big romantic solo. An instrumental version becomes a dream ballet for Gaby and the chorus as she imagines herself a star among sailors and easily-influenced teens in the big city. O'Connor soothes his broken heart by reminding a group of kids playing with balls that "You Can Bounce Right Back." The movie ends with a bizarre rendition of "Blow Gabriel Blow," as the leads and the chorus in top hats perform against a fiery backdrop.

What I Don't Like: This has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the stage Anything Goes besides a few Cole Porter songs. At least the '36 movie used most of the original plot, a few of the songs, and the general air of wackiness. This isn't "anything goes." It's standard Busby Berkeley backstage romantic comedy cliches. The plot is bland fluff with all the bite of stale cotton candy, the new songs are dull, Porter's lyrics are even more whitewashed than they were in '36, and Jeanmaire and Crosby have no chemistry. No wonder it would be Bing's last movie for Paramount, his home studio since the early 30's. 

The Big Finale: Crosby and O'Connor had far more fun together when O'Connor was a kid in Sing You Sinners. This is only for the most ardent fans of the cast or Porter. All others are recommended to look up the better numbers online and skip the rest. 

Home Media: The DVD is in print, but hard to find and expensive when it does appear, and it doesn't seem to be on streaming. Check used venues. 

DVD

Anything Goes (1936)

Paramount, 1936

Starring Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby, Ida Lupino, and Charlie Ruggles

Directed by Lewis Milestone

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter and others

This week, we're going on an ocean cruise with two very different versions of this beloved Cole Porter show. Anything Goes debuted on Broadway in 1934 and was an instant sensation, thanks to one of Porter's best scores and the performance of Ethel Merman as belting evangelist Reno Sweeney. Merman carried over to this lavish movie version, joined by Crosby and Oscar-winning director Milestone. How does this shipboard story of girls, gags, and gangsters fare nowadays? Let's begin at a nightclub with Sweeney (Merman) and Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Crosby) as she explains she's ready to take a cruise and find out...

The Story: Billy is supposed to get off the ship and return to work, but he's smitten by the beautiful heiress Hope Harcourt (Lupino) and stays onboard. Hope, however, is a runaway who is being returned to her father by her hopelessly naive English fiance Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Arthur Treacher). Even worse than that, Billy learns that his boss Mr. Whitney (Robert McWade) is also on the cruise. Reno helps him find increasingly outlandish disguises to avoid being discovered.

Meanwhile, Billy and Reno also befriend the Reverend Dr. Moon (Ruggles) and his assistant Bonnie LaTour (Grace Bradley). Dr. Moon is actually "Moonface," the 13th most wanted criminal in America, and Bonnie is the wife of Snake Eyes, the #1 most wanted. When they're discovered, everyone thinks Billy is a gangster, too. Reno tries everything she can think of to make Captain McPhail (Matt Moore) believe that Billy's no gangster, but it takes the big finale for everything to really come to light.

The Song and Dance: I do give them credit for more-or-less adopting the story as it was in the original show, with only a few minor details changed. That didn't always happen in early Broadway transfers. Milestone manages some nice touches, including the unique ending with Moonface looking through the Paramount camera with Evelyn and Reno on one side, Hope and Billy on the other. Merman's having the most fun by far repeating her Broadway role as the brassiest evangelist on the high seas; Crosby also has fun with the many changes and wacky disguises he ends up in. Treacher has a few good gags as the good-natured nobleman, too.

Favorite Number: Merman opens things with the title song, or at least the first line, over the credits, then reminding Crosby that "I Get a Kick Out of You" coming out of the ceiling on a swing at the nightclub. Four sailors play musical instruments together, reminding each other why "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair" in a charming routine by The Avalon Boys Quartet. Crosby joins them - or tries to hide among them - to help them paint portholes and remind in a reprise. He sings "Sailor Beware" from the crow's nest. He's definitely getting a "Moonburn" as he shows off for Hope on deck. The lyrics may be different, but Crosby and Merman still have a blast mugging their way through "You're the Top" anyway, even with Crosby's home-made beard. 

Trivia: Anything Goes debuted on Broadway in 1934 and was an instant sensation, running over a year. It did four months in London in 1935. The show's been back to New York three times, as an off-Broadway version in 1962 and two smash-hit revivals in 1987 and 2011. A London revival in 2021 did so well, it's returned after touring and is running at press time. It's also extremely popular with regional theaters on both sides of the Atlantic looking for something light-hearted and naughty. 

One of two times Ethel Merman repeated her Broadway role on film. (The other was Call Me Madam from 1953.)

WC Fields was replaced by Charlie Ruggles just before filming began. 

Most TV copies now run it under the title Tops Is the Limit, which is what Paramount called it when they released it to television while their 1956 Anything Goes was in theaters. 

What I Don't Like: The soft-spoken, effeminate Ruggles does seem like an odd choice for a gangster, even a harmless one. He's a bit miscast, as is Ida Lupino in an early role. With all of Hope's ballads eliminated, Lupino has nothing to do but look haughty and play the damsel in distress. Only four songs were retained from Porter's classic score, and two of them were heavily rewritten. The lovely ballad "All Through the Night" is only heard as underscoring. Crosby did have a minor hit with "Moonburn" at the time, but to tell the truth, none of the replacement songs are anywhere near as memorable. There's also the two young Chinese students whom are easily duped by gangsters and Moonface, and Reno's big Chinese-themed finale "Shanghai-de-Ho" in outrageously stereotyped Asian costumes. 

The Big Finale: Worth taking a cruise for if you love Merman, Crosby, or Porter and can find it. 

Home Media: At press time, this rarity can only be found on YouTube. 

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Tigger Movie

Disney, 2000

Voices of Jim Cummings, Nikita Hopkins, Ken Sansom, and John Fielder

Directed by Jun Falkenstein

Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman

We depart the sun-drenched isles of Hawaii for a brief detour to the Hundred Acre Woods. By the late 90's, the Pooh franchise was mainly the realm of TV shows and direct-to-video adaptations. And indeed, this was originally supposed to go direct to DVD, until then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner heard the music and thought it deserved a theatrical release. Was he right, or should this be stranded in a snowstorm? Let's begin with Tigger protesting that the movie's about him, not Pooh, and find out...

The Story: Tigger is disappointed when none of his friends want to bounce with him. Trying to find someone to bounce with only ends with him dropping a boulder on Eeyore's house. He does no better attempting to get the boulder off and sends everyone into the lake or a tree. Rabbit angrily scolds him for being careless and reminds him that they aren't Tiggers.

That makes Tigger wonder where all the Tiggers are. Why doesn't he have a family, like Owl or Kanga and Roo? Roo wants him as a big brother, but he's too busy trying to find his relatives after Owl talks about his "family tree." To bolster his spirits, the others write him a letter...but it makes Tigger believe his relatives are coming to visit. His friends dress as his "family" and try to pass as Tiggers, until Tigger catches wise. Now they have to find Tigger out in the snow, before they lose their favorite bouncing buddy. 

The Animation: For the most part, this one sticks with the original visuals as they appeared in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh...and that's as it should be. This is one franchise that doesn't need fancy visuals. There are a few instances of CGI, such as the snowflakes and that big avalanche towards the end, that stick out like sore thumbs. (The snowflakes are particular offenders.)

The Song and Dance: Disney seemed determined to take the Pooh franchise in a somewhat darker direction in the late 90's and early 2000's. Along with the direct-to-video Pooh's Grand Adventure, this is the best of their more "mature" Pooh films from that time. Who knew Tigger could be this heartbreaking, especially when his search for his family proves fruitless midway through the film and after he finds out his friends lied about his family existing. Many people complained about Cummings replacing long-time Tigger voice artist Paul Winchell, but Cummings does just fine. Hopkins is nearly as good playing sweet little Roo, who worships Tigger and just wants a big brother. 

Favorite Number: We open, of course, with Cummings reprising Tigger's signature "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers" as he requests a movie focusing on him. He admits that he longs to bounce with "Someone Like Me" after the others turn down his requests to bounce with him. Roo's the only taker, leading him to teach the little Joey the powerful "Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce" that sends them rocketing all over his living room. "Pooh's Lullabee" is a charming lullaby Pooh sings to put the bee to sleep, so he can gather honey. 

Tigger tells the others about great Tiggers through history "'Round My Family Tree" in a wild, surreal routine that has him oddly making several pop culture references. The others teach each other "How to Be a  Tigger" and behave like his real family when they're getting ready for the party. Kenny Loggins collaborated on (and performed) the heartfelt ballad "Your Heart Will Lead Me Home" over the end credits.

Trivia: Paul Winchell was supposed to play Tigger, but the studio thought his voice was too raspy. He was dropped and ended up retiring in 1999.

The Sherman Brothers' first Disney movie since Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971 and the first theatrical Pooh film since the short A Day for Eeyore in 1983. 

What I Don't Like: This actually feels a little too dark for the Pooh franchise at times. That avalanche near the end does give Tigger and Roo a reason to work together and be heroes, but it also seems out of place in the gentle world of the Hundred Acre Woods. Not to mention, there's some very emotional scenes for this franchise, with Roo upset that Tigger won't be his brother and Tigger spending half the movie utterly despairing over not having a family. You may want to offer a hand to your littlest ones to hold during these sequences. And frankly, the moral about your family being the ones you love, not just your actual family unit, is put across with all the subtlety of Tigger's Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce.

The Big Finale: One of the better Pooh films, particularly if you or your children are fans of Tigger and/or Roo.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming; is on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Song of the Islands

20th Century Fox, 1942

Starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Jack Oakie, and Thomas Mitchell

Directed by Walter Lang

Music and Lyrics by various

Our second Hawaiian trip this week takes us from Honolulu to the mythical island of Ahmi-Oni. Grable had just scored a major hit with another vacation musical, Moon Over Miami, in 1941. Fox was so delighted, they rushed her into this one. How does the story of a father-son duo who falls for both tropical living and the daughter of an Irish landowner look nowadays? Let's begin with the return of Eileen O'Brian (Grable) to the island after she's been away at school and find out...

The Story: Eileen is reunited with her father Dennis (Mitchell) and old family friend Paola (Hilo Hattie). She's not as happy when sailor Jeff Harper (Mature) waltzes into her home with his cowboy buddy Rusty (Oakie), trying to buy her father's land to raise cattle. Harper can't bring himself to tell his father Harper Sr. (George Barbier) that he's fallen hard for the charms of the island and of Eileen. Harper Sr. eventually comes to force the O'Brians off their land...but he becomes so smitten with the island's customs and people that he and O'Brian eventually try to get their children to fall in love instead.

The Song and Dance: Grable almost literally glows in this sweet Hawaiian confection. She's absolutely radiant in her grass skirts and pastel leis. Mature has nearly as much fun playing the girl-chasing sailor who falls almost as hard for the island's charms as hers, and Mitchell is hilarious in his first musical as her bumbling father. Love the lush Technicolor scenery, too, much of it actually filmed on location in Hawaii.

Favorite Number: We open with the natives vigorously performing "Down on Ami Ami Oni Oni Isle" for Grable as she returns, and later when she joins in for a native dance. The natives also get a rather nice reworked version of "Hawaiian War Chant" going. Grable hopefully performs "Sing Me a Song of the Islands" as her boat arrives home. Oakie sings "Home On the Range" on a guitar at the Harpers' home; Harry Owens and His Royal Hawaiians pick it up later. Oakie also sings "What's Buzzin', Cousin?" at Paola's house during dinner. 

Hilo Hattie has a great time tearing into her solo "The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakaiai" at the St. Patrick's Day party in the finale. The film ends with the unique Irish-Hawaiian mix number "O'Brian's Gone Hawaiian," as Grable and the chorus amusingly cross a tap routine with traditional hula dancing.

What I Don't Like: I definitely don't appreciate how the natives are treated here. Not only is Hilo Hattie the only actual Hawaiian in the entire cast, but they're all either looked at condescendingly or played for laughs. Rusty treats Paola like the dirt under his shoe, and not just because she's trying too hard. There's her uncle, too, an annoying and ugly pest played by Bill Gilbert who exists to disgust the audience and annoy Oakie. Not to mention, neither the songs nor the story are in any way distinguished or all that interesting.

The Big Finale: Fun bit of nonsense if you're a fan of Grable or looking for pleasant background noise for an hour or so.

Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. 

DVD

Honolulu

MGM, 1939

Starring Robert Young, Eleanor Powell, George Burns, and Gracie Allen

Directed by Edward Buzzell

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Gus Kahn

This week, we take a tropical vacation to romantic Hawaii for two classic musicals. This one came out right as war broke out in Europe and wealthy Americans turned from the South Rivera to other fabulous beaches to get some fun in the sun. At this point, Hawaii was a protectorate of the US, and not nearly the exotic haven of fruity cocktail drinks and Elvis songs it would be after the war. Bing Crosby visited Hawaii a few years before this, but how does MGM's more polished tropical tale fare? Let's start with the latest film from renown movie star Brooks Mason (Young) and find out...

The Story: Mason is tired of being mobbed and torn to shreds at every premiere and needs a rest. He trades places with George Smith (Young), the co-owner of a pineapple company who looks exactly like him. While Smith goes to New York with Mason's agent Joe Duffy (Burns), Mason takes a boat to Hawaii to meet Smith's fiancee Cecilia Grayson (Rita Johnson). On the boat, he encounters dancer Dorothy March (Powell) and her best friend, daffy Millie DeGrasse (Allen), and is immediately smitten by March. He tries to tell her what's going on, but she doesn't believe him. 

As it turns out, not only does Smith's fiancee want to marry him right away, but he may have embezzled up to $50,000. Meanwhile, Smith is discovering that being a movie star isn't all glamour and plush hotel rooms, either. He's expected to deliver, every day. The two men have to finally convince everyone they're whom they claim to be, before the wrong man gets dragged to the altar. 

The Song and  Dance: Not as authentic as Crosby's 1937 jaunt to Hawaii, but even funnier, thanks to Burns and Allen's antics and some decent musical numbers. Young is so delightfully debonair, he certainly makes you believe he could be a bored movie star on a lark. Allen walks off with the movie as Powell's crazy best friend who first chases Mason, then encourages him to chase Dorothy. She has most of the film's best sequences, including her nutty number with party goers dressed like the Marx Brothers. 

Favorite Number: It takes us nearly 20 minutes to get to the first song, but when we do, it's Allen plucking away at the title number on a ukulele while doing a really cute tap routine with Powell. Powell continues on with the lengthy number, including tapping while jump roping and twirling and jumping over a moving rope. Allen, dressed as Mae West, joins The King's Men in Marx Brothers costumes to show why "The Leader Doesn't Like Music." Powell dons blackface to imitate her idol Bill Robinson tapping to a medley of mostly folk numbers associated with Robinson and African-Americans. Powell even manages to tap while doing a graceful hula with the chorus to "Hola E Pae" and a medley of Hawaiian tunes. 

Trivia: George Burns and Gracie Allen's last movie together, and George's last movie until the 1975 comedy The Sunshine Boys. 

The big "Hola E Pae" hula number would later be edited into the Powell/Red Skelton vehicle I Dood It. 

What I Don't Like: The fluffy story is way too confusing for its own good. They don't really do enough to make the duo look a little different from one another...or make their stories different, either. Powell doesn't really have enough to do beyond her numbers, and not only is George barely seen, but he only has a few lines with Gracie towards the end and barely interacts with her. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as Mason's valet and Willie Fung as Smith's are annoying stereotypes. Fung's sing-song delivery and tendency to cheerfully backstab his employer doesn't help matters. There's also Powell's blackface routine. She admired Robinson, but while her dance remains good, the blackface may make more than one person uncomfortable. 

The Big Finale: Adorable "B" Musical if you're a fan of Powell, Young, or Burns and Allen or want to try a smaller-scale MGM extravaganza. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD from the Warner Archives and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals on TV - Alice In Wonderland (1999)

NBC/Hallmark, 1999

Starring Tina Majorino, Martin Short, Miranda Richardson, and Whoopi Goldberg

Directed by Nick Willing

Music by Richard Hartley; Lyrics by Peter Barnes and Lewis Carroll

This adaptation was a big deal when it debuted in February 1999. NBC heavily advertised it in the weeks leading up to its debut. I wasn't the only one who was excited about it, either. Half the residents of my dorm  had it on; I remember hearing at least one boy yell "It's Willy Wonka!" during the Mock Turtle sequence. Does this musical version of the beloved novels still work, or should it be put on trial with the Knave of Hearts (Jason Fleyming)? Let's begin with Alice (Majorino) and an enormous metronome in her mind and find out...

The Story: Alice is supposed to sing "Cherry Ripe" in front of an audience of her parents' friends, but she has terrible stage fright. Rather than confront them, she hurries out of the house to hide in the woods. Following a White Rabbit (Richard Coombs) down a rabbit hole leads her to Wonderland, a strange world filled with truly unique creatures who have no difficulty performing. They eventually teach her about the delights of being onstage, about courage, and how to have confidence when you're around strangers. Alice makes use of what she's learned when she's called to be a witness in an unfair trial run by the demanding Queen of Hearts (Richardson), and she's the only one who'll speak out for the Knave of Hearts (Jason Flemying). 

The Song and Dance: Great cast makes the most of Emmy-winning special effects and adorable songs, many taken directly from Carroll. Majorino is a sharp and funny little Alice, especially in the end when she's confronting the nasty Queen at the trial. Other stand-outs include Whoopi Goldberg as the ever-grinning Cheshire Cat, Martin Short as a very Mad Hatter, Flemyng as the extremely sarcastic Knave, and all-above Richardson as one of the most shrill, demanding, and delightfully nasty Queens of Hearts ever on TV. 

Favorite Number: The stuffy Mouse (Ken Dodd) rambles on among books as he asks Alice "What am I Going to Talk About?" The Duchess (Elizabeth Briggs) croons "Speak Softly to Your Boy," but her idea of a lullaby comes off more like a dirge as she rattles her "son" around. "Auntie's Wooden Leg" is the wacky music hall-esque number at the Mad Tea Party for the Hatter (Short) and March Hare (Francis Wright), which goes directly into "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" for the Mad Hatter. The ever-sobbing Mock Turtle (Gene Wilder) controls his emotions long enough to teach Alice about the Lobster Quadrille and encourage her to "Come and Join the Dance."

What I Don't Like: First of all, this isn't a 100 percent perfect adaptation. It does wind in several characters from Through the Looking Glass, including the White Knight (Christopher Lloyd) and Tweedledee (Robbie Coltrane) and Tweedle Dum (George Wendt), who seem a bit out of place. The special effects, especially the Jim Henson Workshop puppets, can look too uncanny or dated nowadays, and in a few cases (like Goldberg) may be more likely to give kids nightmares than fantasy dreams. It's also long for an Alice adaptation; once again, some of her encounters probably could have been cut or trimmed.

The Big Finale: Sill charming and fun, even after all this years, if you have kids who love Alice and can sit through it, or remember when it debuted on TV, this is recommended as a fun rainy-day watch for the whole family. 

Home Media: Currently listed on Amazon with three other Hallmark fantasy adaptations for a not-bad price. Can also be found streaming in several places, including for free on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi