Ray Bolger
Barnaby
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Comedy
Fantasy
Family
Music
All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary!
Top Billed Cast
| Release Date | 1961-12-14 |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 1h 46m |
| Directors | Jack Donohue, Austen Jewell |
| Producer | Walt Disney |
| Writers | Ward Kimball, Lowell S. Hawley, Joe Rinaldi, Glen MacDonough |
Well that surpassed all my expectations!
I thought: "A Christmas musical film? Uh oh." I've stated before that musicals are not my favourite, I usually struggle to get into them due to their discombobulated nature. However, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed 'Babes in Toyland'.
The ending does fall flat minutely, but everything up until that point is a true joy. The opening scenes are terrific. Are they utterly random? Yes. Does it really make any sense? Heck no. Was I smiling? I sure was! "We Won't Be Happy Till We Get It" is a great opener to Barnaby & Co.
Barnaby is portrayed very well by Ray Bolger, with his side-kicks acted by the fun duo of Henry Calvin (Gonzorgo) and Gene Sheldon (Roderigo) - two who I liked in 'The Sign of Zorro'. Tommy Sands (Tom), Annette Funicello (Mary) and Ed Wynn (Toymaker) are also good.
As noted, the conclusion is what knocks my rating down ever so slightly. It isn't even a bad way to wrap things up, it just isn't as entertaining as what occurs beforehand. The other stuff is grand though, the film knows it's somewhat bonkers and commits to it positively.
I'm not a big fan of musicals so I'm probably not the best person to ask about the genre, but all I can say is that I really enjoyed this.
— r96sk