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It was sixty years since Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough's magical musical for kids premiered on Broadway when this version came out and now it's nearly 50 years since the film was in theaters. It doesn't rank up with the one that Laurel&Hardy did in the Thirties. For one thing the Victor Herbert score was cut, but not added to. Secondly Stan and Ollie were the center of things even though they are supporting characters. That in itself made their March Of The Wooden Soldiers memorable.

Still this version that Disney did featured several of his stable of young stars like Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands as the young lovers of Toyland who want to wed. But evil Barnaby reprised in this version by Ray Bolger is going to put a stop to that. He's got designs on Annette's virtue and more important on the inheritance he knows she will get upon her wedding day. Bolger is having a great old time hamming it up as Barnaby.

Stan and Ollie are saluted by Disney with Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin, fresh from the Zorro series. They're funny, but are clearly relegated to supporting players as Bolger's inept stooges. As Stan Laurel was still alive when Babes In Toyland was in the theaters, I've often wondered what he thought of Sheldon and Calvin.

Tommy Kirk who was barely out of his teens got a real treat to work with one of the great funny men of all time. Babes In Toyland is a great example for those of us to see the zany humor in the character of Ed Wynn as the Toymaker with Kirk as his assistant. The two of them work very well together.

Even Tommy Sands gets into the humor of things when he dons an outrageous gypsy drag persona to foil one of Bolger's schemes. A scheme that goes awry when Calvin and Sheldon don't precisely obey orders. You just can't get good help, even in Toyland.

I even think Victor Herbert would have approved of the way his numbers were done though he probably would not like the Disney interpolations that were made. He was a stickler for such things in his life.

Viewing March Of The Wooden Soldiers back to back with Babes In Toyland doesn't make this version look inferior by any means.

It's a 1960s Disney Musical, I should not have to say more than this about the movie.

It's great for kids, unfortunately.

I remember seeing it, and liking it as a kid - and got it for my 3 yr old daughter.

My wife hates me for it. Not that the movie is that horrible - but my daughter is in love with Tommy Sands and wants to watch this movie every night.

My wife even took my daughter to the library and checked out kids movies - she was excited until she got home, and just said she wanted to watch Tom and Mary (The names of the main actors in the movie) If you have little kids - they'll love it. You might even enjoy it some yourself - until it's overplayed.

Mother Goose and her puppet goose Sylvester introduces a stage performance of the many children story characters. Tom (Tommy Sands) and Mary (Annette Funicello) are planning to get married. Tom is the son of the Piper and Mary is from "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary". Barnaby (Ray Bolger) intends to marry Mary and steal her money. He recruits petty criminals Gonzorgo and Roderigo to throw Tom into the sea and steal Mary's sheep. Gonzorgo has the idea to sell Tom to the gypsies to make money twice. Bo Beep (Ann Jillian) brings news that the sheep have gone. Mary is out of options and is forced to marry Barnaby until Tom suddenly returns with the gypsies. Meanwhile, Bo Beep leads the kids to the Forest of No Return to find her sheep. Tom and Mary go to save the children. The talking trees allow them to go to the Toymaker.

This Technicolor fantasy has all the bright colors in the rainbow. It insists on being cheery despite following so much the villains. Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello are not particularly compelling. Funicello is darn cute but has limitations in her acting. The songs are cheery. This has that cutesy Disney charm but it does not really stand the test of time. It has enough wackiness for kids of that era and this should have an appeal due to its nostalgia.

You know, this is one of those grossly underrated, wonderful treasures of a movie. It's rather simple, with the fanciest effects being the movement of the toy soldiers, which was ahead of its time, but it's a true case of simple is beautiful. It's a fantastic movie for those who just wish to sit back, and laugh with the family, and have an adventure in fantasy land. The play is still being put on around the world, and this, to me, is just the best captured version. There's really something for everyone - Ray Bolger ( who looked really spectacular, very handsome in his role as Barnaby), Annette (who is always charming for being the sweetheart we all know), Tommy Sands as the daring hero, and the team of Henrey Calvin and Gene Sheldon, along with the forever amusing Ed Wynn. This movie turns out more of a comedy, and the adventures that encompass Mary and Tom Piper, when crossed by Barnaby, double crossed by Gonzorgo and Rodrigo are hilarious. This is primarily a Christmas movie, but it's set so you can watch it anytime of the year - and so you should! I still cannot get over Ray bolger as a villian....he does a lovely job, and looks terrific, but if you only know him as the scarecrow, you'll especially need to see this! He makes the statement relavent that he is very, very, very versatile, and one of our greatest entertainment treasures.

Babes in Toyland may not be a "great" film, but it does have a lot of charms, well at least for me it did. The direction is at times lacking in pizazz and comes across as stodgy, making the film drag a bit in the less eventful parts. The story is rather thin, sometimes uneventful which bogs the pace down(but this is not in the entire film), and while Tommy Sands does have moments where he shines like in his gypsy drag scene at other points he's dull. Babes in Toyland looks colourful and the production values are simple and very pretty. Victor Herbert's score is a very pleasant one, it's not one of his greatest scores but it has songs that are both melodious and catchy. The choreography is light-on-its-feet and enough to tap the toes, so there is some liveliness to be had. The story is nothing really special, but there is a wonderful weirdness and wondrous fantasy atmosphere. That can especially be seen in the March of the Wooden Toy Soldiers sequence, which is the prime example of where you can find the film's clever special effects. There are some nice funny moments, and some slapstick(from personal perspective it wasn't that misplaced though it did have a Laurel and Hardy feel) and a lot of heart-warming charm. Don't expect fully developed characters, particularly with Tom and Mary, but they're hardly shallow either, the most colourful of them are Barnaby and the Toymaker. The performances are entertaining. Annette Funicello is a beauty and gives a charming performance, Ann Jillian doesn't have much to do but shows off her beautiful singing voice and child stars Kevin Cocoran and Tommy Kirk pop up too and are similarly appealing. The best of the lot go to Ed Wynn and particularly Ray Bolger. Wynn is both zany and warm-hearted, some of the film's most entertaining moments are with him. With Bolger, when you think of him you don't usually think of him playing a villain, but he does here and is delightfully wicked and seems to be having fun without over-compensating. In conclusion, as far as Disney live-action musicals Babes in Toyland is not as good as Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks and lacks both films' magic, but it is still a nice fun film that shouldn't demand too much. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Disney version of the Victor Herbert operetta about Mother Goose characters, previously filmed in 1934 with Laurel & Hardy. That version is the best of the ones I've seen but this one isn't without some positives. For starters, it's a beautiful-looking film with great sets, props, and costumes. That goose is creepy, though. It's a movie full of bright vivid colors that pop out at you. The cast is good, with Tommy Sands and a stunning Annette Funicello as likable (if dull) leads. Ray Bolger has fun as the villain Barnaby. Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin, playing Barnaby's henchmen, are obviously impersonating Laurel and Hardy, and having a good time doing so. Ed Wynn is a scene stealer as the Toymaker. Disney legend Tommy Kirk plays his assistant and seems to be having fun. Director Jack Donohue does a respectable job bringing Toyland and its Mother Goose characters to life on the screen. But somehow the whole thing just doesn't click the way it should. You get the feeling from the start that the movie is trying way too hard. There are songs on top of songs and none of them are particularly strong. Most are terribly corny. There are interesting things about the film (particularly the visuals) so it's not a complete dud. It helps to avoid comparisons to the superior 1934 version. If you're a fan of the story or a Disney buff, by all means give it a shot. Also if you're a parent of a young child perhaps they'll like it. Everyone else go in with lowered expectations.

This is one of my favorite Disney live-action movies. I can remember watching this movie every winter. I would always dance and sing along to it. I have never seen any of the other versions of Babes in Toyland, so I don't know if it is better or worse, but I think this version is just delightful. I was lucky enough to find a copy of it years ago so that I now have my own personal copy. I don't understand how people can't like this movie. Yes, it is geared towards small children and the effects are atrocious, but it's Disney in the 60's and they were much more cutting edge then than they are now. And while I personally think Annette Funicello is a dreadful actress, the rest of the cast delightfully makes up for it.

This film is one of my favorite Disney live-action musicals and a wonderful Christmas film too. It used to be on TV when I was a kid, but not anymore. I was fortunate to buy it on DVD, though. The film is also based on an operetta by Victor Herbert with new lyrics by Mel Leven, and of course I thought it had a great soundtrack.

In the film, Annette Funicello plays Mary Quite-Contrary, and Tommy Sands plays Mary's fiancé, Tom Piper, the Piper's son. As Mary and Tom's wedding approaches, evil schemer Barnaby (The Wizard of Oz's Ray Bolger) hatches a plot to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep to get her to marry him-for the money she will inherit. But unfortunately for Barnaby, the two henchmen he hired in order to kill Tom kidnap him instead and sell him to a band of gypsies-for more money, of course, since they're being paid by Barnaby to get rid of Tom.

However, the same gypsies eventually put on a show in Mother Goose Village, and Mary discovers Tom is still alive; the couple had a happy reunion. But when the two went back to Mary's cottage, the children in her care, Wee Willie Winkie, Little Boy Blue, and Little Bo Peep, had gone to look for the sheep in the Forest of No Return. The two found the children, but they spent the night in the forest. In the morning, the band was "captured" by the trees of the forest and escorted to Toyland to see the toymaker. That's all I could tell you, folks; you will have to see the film for yourself to see how it ends.

Overall, this is a fantastic Disney production; unfortunately, it performed poorly at the box office, which was too bad.

"Babes in Toyland" has been a popular story for the stage and film, since the original 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert. This fairy-tale story has many of the characters from the Mother Goose nursery rhymes. One can't help but note similarities in the story with "The Wizard of Oz." That had been based on a 1900 book by L. Frank Baum, and produced as a lavish and highly successful Broadway musical. This was way before the great MGM musical of 1939. The Oz producer, Fred Hamlin, and director Julian Mitchell, then took on Herbert's operatta, and urged him to help with the stage production.

There are some striking similarities in the stories. They each have a villain (a wicked witch in Oz and a ruthless, scheming cad in Babes). And, both have a savior figure (the Wizard in Oz and the Toymaker in Babes).

The staged musical of Babes was a huge success, and other periodic productions were made, as well as a string of films for cinema and TV. Most of these had various revisions in the story. The best known and most popular film is the 1934 version that stars the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They are fumbling oafs that provide much of the comedy. The 1934 MGM film was renamed "March of the Wooden Soldiers."

The original movie substantially changed the story. This 1960 Disney film is a very good family edition that more closely follows the original play. The young leads in this film were part of the pool of young people for Walt Disney's modern-day family films. Tommy Sands plays Tom Piper and Annette Funicello plays Mary Quite Contrary. But the top billing and lead part for this film is the villain, Barnaby Barnicle, played very well by Ray Bolger. If one looks closely, the lean, bony face of the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz" can be seen through Barrnaby's makeup.

This film combines fairy tale characters and magic with a story that the whole family should enjoy. While the movie contains some of Herbert's more popular songs, the best aspect of the musical nature of the film is in the dancing and choreography of several scenes.

Babes in Toyland is an odd movie. The storyline isn't very compelling, the songs aren't very memorable and the performances are all over the place - yet this movie still managed to capture the hearts of many in their childhood. Maybe that's the trick - you have to see this movie as a child to truly appreciate it...and then leave it in your childhood.

I can't remember a time when I didn't know this movie line by line. I completely grew up with it, singing all the songs and dancing all the dances (Seriously, I was pretty good at that Gypsy number!) Oh I've always seen the cheesy special effects -- even at five you can clearly see the trees are falling out of their costumes and Tommy Sands is in front of a projection screen -- but WHO CARES? I didn't let it bug me when I was little and it sure doesn't bug me now. It's a fairy tale, and it's so cute you just gotta forgive the little glitches.

The cast is wonderful. Of course there's Annette, and honestly people, who doesn't love Annette? She carries the whole movie on her shoulders, and does it well. Tommy Sands is alright, great voice but a bad sixties haircut. The real star of the show is Ray Bolger as Mr. Barnaby. I was so afraid of Mr. Barnaby as a kid, and Bolger is just perfect in the part. It took me a long time to realize that that was the same guy as the Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ! He's delightful and together with Ed Wynn, completely steals the show. This movie is a treat. To those who just want to point fingers at the fake sets, corny costumes and silly special effects, I say: GO AHEAD! You don't know what you're missing!

There are two reasons to watch this rather silly piece of fluff. One is to get some sense of why Annette Funicello, former Disney Mouseketeer, was so popular; the other is to see the venerable Ray Bolger (the scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz") still going strong as he dances to "Castle in Spain." ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

Even Disney buffs willing to go to the ends of the earth for Annette Funicello might admit this is one of the former Mouseketeer's weaker efforts for the Disney company. Mary Contrary hopes to get married, but her wedding plans are thwarted by an evil villain. Most of the production and the special effects in the finale are very good, and the adaptation of the operetta score is fine, but the balky direction has no pizazz, no snap. Worse, the scowling children make exclamations in unison, Tommy Sands is excruciatingly hammy in drag as an old gypsy woman, and the Laurel and Hardy-inspired slapstick routines feel out of place. Veterans Ray Bolger and Ed Wynn bring the film some polish; otherwise, there's not much happening in "Toyland", beyond the fact it has a distinct case of "Wizard Of Oz"-itis. ** from ****

I can remember watching this movie over and over when I was little-- of course, as the years went by I eventually taped over it. Well, when I finally grew out of my "I'm too cool for this movie" phase, I regretted my hasty decision. Luckily, last night it was on in the middle of the night on the Disney Channel and I practically programmed the VCR with lightening speed. I still love it, and I always associate certain scenes with certain memories, and now that I'm older I understand what is going on a little bit better (not to mention some of the jokes that flew right over my head when I was four!)! If you don't watch it for yourself, you're kids'll love it. Believe me, I know!

When Annette Funicello died a month ago, I suddenly had a jones to watch her movies especially this one which I first saw in bits & pieces on a Thanksgiving day in the '90s. So now I got the disc of this from Netflix and watched the whole thing. The verdict: While I prefer the Laurel & Hardy version, this one isn't so bad. Annette and Tommy Sands are cute as the leading couple but it's Ray Bolger as villain Barnaby and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker that are the real stars of this one. In fact, Wynn is such a joy to watch whether asserting his authority to his assistant Tommy Kirk or using delaying tactics in his officiating the possible wedding of Mary (Ms. Funicello) and Barnaby. Overall, this version of Babes in Toyland isn't great but it's still pretty good for what it is.

Too much musical, however pleasing to the eye, everything very colorful, playful scenarios, cheerful costumes, cute and captivating characters, convincing little stories, slapstick comedy mixed with Mexican drama, will certainly please the little ones, me, a little, but relatively pleasant...

You know, with 1961's "Babes In Toyland" being a live-action, Disney production I, for one, was certainly counting on being much more entertained with this Comedy/Musical/Fantasy than I inevitably was.

For one thing - I sure found it really difficult to warm up to any of the characters in the story. And, on top of that - This production also seemed to have a real "low-budget" feel to it (which is something that I would've never expected from the likes of Disney Studios).

Anyway - With that all said - I would never recommend "Babes In Toyland" as being worthwhile entertainment. No, I wouldn't. Not even as possible amusement for very young children.

i love this movie and it's a terrific classic, all the movie characters are mother goose characters living in a town with such houses as the giant shoe and the pumpkin house. Little bo peep lost her sheep in the forest of no return causing mary contrary and tom piper to follow the kids after them when they attempt to locate the lost animals...instead they stumble upon the lost toyland and get pulled into a world of mishaps including a shrinking invention gone wrong, making tom piper no more than a few inches tall....also there are wonderful songs and dance scenes including a gypsie dance and beautiful serenades by the classic annette funicello...a must see kid classic!

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.

This is a film that cries out to be seen on the big screen. As a child, I saw this in the theater, and the color just dripped off the screen. With the magnificent soundtrack and wonderful special effects, it was a special event. However, on the small screen it does lose something of its effect, but it's still a good movie. The scene where TomTom has been shrunk, and takes his revenge on Barnaby by losing the wooden soldiers on him still gives me goosebumps.

Probably better for younger children, I still wouldn't miss this film.

This version seems low on Disney magic... Too much of the movie revolves around Ray Bolger's burlesque villain and his henchmen. (One's skinny and one's fat - but they're a poor substitute for the real Laurel and Hardy, who'd done their own version of Babes in Toyland in 1934.)

The second half is better - when the characters arrive in Toyland, with Ed Wynn as a bumbling Toymaker and Tommy Kirk his helper. The super-lightweight plot is a weakness and a strength, with twists that are unpredictable and occasionally odd. The movie culminates with a bizarre battle where the villain is attacked by animated toys...

Some of the dialog rhymes, but no one seems enthusiastic about it. Annette isn't particularly winning in this one, and even the dancing is hard to see, because the dancers' legs are covered by long storybook dresses. (And bad lighting, casting a few extra shadows.) On the plus side: Tommy Sands has a great voice, and the Disney chorus sings lush harmonies. And young Ann Jillian, as Bo-Peep, sings her few lines wonderfully...