Tom Sawyer

I personally could have done without the dream sequence at the beginning as I found it rather distracting and didn't see the point of it, plus I don't get why Tom had such spindly legs and neck in this sequence when he doesn't in the rest of the movie. Anyway, other than that the story is very engaging and while it's been a long time since I read the book in its entirety, from what I remember this is a surprisingly faithful adaptation that keeps the strong narrative and appealing characters. I'm normally not a big fan of love triangles but it's done well with Tom, Becky, and Amy and I'm very glad that she was included here. Although I don't particularly care for the dream sequence animation, the rest of the animation is quite nice, soft and bright but not overly bright, on both the characters and the backgrounds. It's also a nice surprise that MGM, which, Wizard of Oz aside, has mostly been involved with DTV sequels such as An All Dogs Christmas Carol, so it's nice to see them produce a (somewhat) original story. I also really enjoy the songs such as Friends For Life, Hook, Line, And Sinker, and Dream.

Tom Sawyer is an MGM animated film at heart. It has corny songs, requisite love interests, physical humor and that signature art style. But Tom Sawyer is different. MGM usually makes sequels to animated films, putting little thought into them and stripping their essence away. But here they retell a classic story in their own unique way, staying true to the source material's strong narrative. And maybe that's why Tom Sawyer succeeds where so many other MGM features have failed. No habits are broken here, but it's an enjoyable ride all the same. I can't stand the corny country music-flavored songs, but eh. The art is really nice too.

I was shocked and surprised by the negative reviews I had read on the web, since I love this film. This film is based on the classic novel by Mark Twain (the author of "The Prince and the Pauper"), and many versions of this story have been made for the big screen and TV, but I love this version best of all.

I love the "love triangle" between Tom, Amy, and Becky. I found the situation amusing, and it was unexpected that those girls held such high regard for Tom. I also like that the characters are anthropomorphic animals, as in Walt Disney's "Robin Hood" and the "made-for-TV" animated film "David Copperfield," based on the novel by Charles Dickens. So anyway, it's a great cartoon movie.

Mark Twain's beloved novel has once again been adapted for film, with some subtle changes (Injun Joe becomes Injurin' Joe) and some not-so-subtle ones (all of the characters are animals). However, this new animated version, brought to us by MGM and the same people who made the direct-to-video films "Babes in Toyland" and "An All Dogs Christmas Carol," remains a fairly faithful adaptation. It is very, very well animated with a memorable score by Mark Watters. The voice casting, comprising of mostly country music stars with a few veterans like Betty White and Don Knotts, is right on the money. Rhett Akins as Tom Sawyer is simply wonderful. Add to this a selection of great country music songs and you've got good, clean family entertainment.

This movie is the best version of Tom Sawyer ever put to film! My little sis used to watch it repeatedly, and I didn't even mind- THAT'S how good it is! It features Country music as the soundtrack, and I was okay with it- THAT'S how good this is! Plus, it's a good, old-fashioned hand-drawn animated film the likes of which we rarely if ever see made anymore! So, this is a nostalgia-trip and a pure treasure. Perfect to watch with any animation lover or kid in your life. I'm not even that big a fan of animation, but I still think fondly of this movie often- THAT'S how good it is!

It's cute, it's fun, and it tells a classic story in such a delightful way. Recommended.