The Daydreamer

Delightful musical feature with thought-provoking lessons for both children and adults alike. A magical opening with Ritchard's "Sandman" sets the tone for an equally magical adventure through the mind of Hans Christhian Anderson. A memorable all-star cast accompanied by a whimsical score (who could resist "Isn't It Cozy Here!!"??). Not as good as Rankin/Bass' classic Christmas specials, but a winner, nonetheless.

I've always admired the work of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Very few people's Holiday Seasons would be complete without "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," et. al. Similarly, their only other feature film, 1967's "Mad Monster Party," has acquired a considerable cult following over the years, with Tim Burton and William Castle among its many admirers.

Which is what makes "The Daydreamer" such an incredible disappointment by comparison. The animation is incredibly sloppy, by comparison to their TV work during the same period. Paul O'Keefe was a repugnant little brat on the "Patty Duke Show" and he makes an even less appealing Hans Christian Anderson. Among the only bright spots in the live action cast are Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton, almost thirty years after "Wizard of Oz," proving themselves as talents that can shine in a broom closet. An all-star cast tries hard during the animated segments, but even they can't bring uninspired material to life. When you consider that the best part of the film is the Al Hirschfeld-designed opening credits, that's a sad commentary.

In sum, "Daydreamer" is the only blot on Rankin and Bass' otherwise distinguished careers, and long-time fans, like myself, can forgive them this one transgression.

Fairy Tale lovers are in for a treat with this star-studded live action/animation feature film produced by the wonderful Rankin/Bass team - best known for their holiday masterpieces "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman" and "Mad Monster Party", just to name a few.

The wraparound story (which is live-action) deals with a young Hans Christian Anderson struggling to find The Garden of Paradise. These parts of the movie are admittedly corny, but on his journey, we are treated to four enchanting stories, each filmed in Rankin/Bass's trademark stop-motion "Animagic". The stories are unusual in that they all end on a low note rather than a typical "Disney happy ending" - keeping true to Anderson's original tales. Included here are "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Thumbelina" and "The Garden of Paradise". Once again Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass have created a fantasyland of wonder and imagination filled to the brim with beautiful tunes. This movie should get 10 stars alone for getting Tallulah Bankhead to voice the sea-witch in "Little Mermaid".

Magnificent Eye-Candy!

I loved watching this whenever it came on when I was a kid. I loved how they took a young Hans Christian Anderson and put him in the middle of the stories that would later bring him fame. The thing that I think was a great moral to this story was that it is better to stay and face your problems than it is to run away. Too bad it is not shown on broadcast television anymore for the few people who don't have cable or sattelite.

Those among us who treasure Rankin/Bass' annual holiday specials like RUDOLPH THE REINDEER and SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN undoubtably have wondered at some point or another why the production company never tried any full-length feature efforts. Well, they did, with mixed results. The most ambitious effort of several was THE DAYDREAMER, Rankin/Bass' live action/stop-motion animation effort that was apparently supposed to be their masterwork but didn't quite deliver. Sure, it's a children's musical fantasy, and it's cast with a plethora of then-famous movie and television stars, but the whole thing just doesn't work. The story concerns an adolescent Hans Christian Andersen, learning life's lessons as he dreams himself into adventures(the animated sequences)that turn out to be several of the beloved Danish storyteller's famous stories, like Thumbelina, the Little Murmaid, etc. What really puts one's teeth on edge are the live-action sequences with Paul O'Keefe and Jack Gilford as Chris and Papa Andersen. Despite their distracting Brooklyn accents, what really spoils the mood is the degree of disfunction in this family. Papa Andersen is indecisive and easily put-upon by his harpie customers. Chris is selfish and is easily swayed into abandoning many of his new-found friends. Several of the animated sequences are atmospherically dark with less than happy resolutions. The songs are not on par with most of the television offerings, and the film drags intolerably so that, by the time it does end, you really don't care if Chris does get back home. As an adult, I found it hard to sit through, and I can't see a child today(or in 1966)watching this with any degree of sustained interest, with the exception of Tim Burton. And surely, the decision to have Robert Goulet sing the film's theme song was the kiss of death . . .