Il puledro

I do understand how movies can be loved if you see them at a right age as a child - but lets truly discuss this as a family movie - it is awful - long slow sequences where nothing happens - just long wide shots of bad actors walking through fields. Bad special effects, terrible script - the director was Czech and couldn't speak English and it shows. But once the kids are taken to this "magical" land of Small - it is such a joke - it looks like a bunch of Cirque De Soleil cast offs are performing in front of a closed down museum - that's it. And then people slide down a chute into a hole and a slow deformed blob rises up (Slime-O) and demands more people. There is no connection between the kids and any of the characters and I can see why some people comment that the movie scared them as kids - the "man-dog" is creepy, Fritz is kind of creepy, lots of filthy carny looking people, etc. And the kids do that bad kid acting thing where EVERY line is delivered with the same enthusiastic sing-song. Man - what a disaster - this makes The Peanut Butter Solution look like Spielberg.

I saw this movie as a kid, and for years now I honestly thought it might have been just a really messed up fever dream! In all honesty it starts off slow, and I think I enjoyed it way more than my kids, just due to the nostalgia. I will say, The Great Land of Small has a very Cirque Du Soleil feel too it. Probably because it is Canadian.

In the late 90's, on a Saturday night, I walked in to a videostore not knowing that I was going to rent a movie so magical. I walked around and picked up one movie, and of course I wanted another one. There was really no new releases I wanted to see so I ran right on over to the Family section where I looked quickly cause I needed to get out. After picking up several boxes I finally saw "The great land of small". The family members I was with were at the counter saying to hurry up. As I scamed over the box I knew I would enjoy it. Ya see, I'm a big "Drama" fan and "Musical" fan, but I'm a big "Fantasy" fan also. I rented it and went home to watch it. I abosolutly loved it. So I one of my relitives to get it for me for Christmas. On Christmas morning I opened it, I was really excited to see that I could share it with other people and their kids. See, when I see a movie, and I enjoyed it, I always try to recommend it to other people, and then if I get that certain special great movie, I don't have to recommend it, I can now share it. For example, Last year I had a little childrens group at my church, it was called "Fun Kids". We performed songs and learned musicals, and we would also throw a big party-(which almost always included a movie) once every two mounths. One night we were throwing a party to celebrate for 3 kids who that day gave their hearts to the lord. The movie we watched that night was "The great land of small". Kids ages 6-12 that night loved it, and I'm now glad we showed it that night because we had one of the biggest crowds we had ever had that night. I guess that kind of tells you how I spread the magic of "The Great Land of Small". You know it so hard to find a good Family movie these days that entertains the whole family, well if you ever watch "The Great land of small" you get full great family fun, from every member of the family. I mean who can resist Fritz, Mimmick, Jenny, David,Sarah, and even the rude Flannagan and all the other characters which make "The Great Land Of Small" Entertaining for all ages.

From the same "Tales for All" series which mentally scarred Canadian children for life with the infamous Peanut Butter Solution comes yet another trippindicular kids film bound to disturb anyone under the age of 12.

The Great Land of Small tells the story of Jenny and David, two fairly bratty kids who appear to work in the circus with their mom. The fatherless family takes a vacation to spend some time with Granny and Gramps in countryside, where the kiddos encounter Fritz, a diminutive denizen of the Land of Small, a realm existing in "innerspace" on the other side of the rainbow. Fritz goofed up in the woods by dropping his magic dust, allowing a sinister tavern owner to chance upon it. Fritz lets the bad guy take the dust with a warning, taking the opportunity test human responsibility. Of course things go wrong, so Fritz and the kids have to team up to set things straight. Their journey takes them over the rainbow to the titular Land of Small, where things get really whacked out.

For those of you who are purely reliant on plot and spectacle, The Great Land of Small will wear out its welcome pretty quickly, but if you have a taste for this sort of thing, I think you'll dig it. The camera-work is actually rather nice for a kids film, so it was no surprise to see that this was a French-Canadian/Czech production. The music is fun too -- lots of ultra-saccharine, twinkly synth-pop for kids.

It's not a high-budget film by any means, but it's full of quirks and peculiarities, which reach a climax when the kids go to the Land of Small, which is like a low-rent version of Little Nemo's Slumberland. The set is actually (I'm pretty sure) the stadium Canada built for the '76 Olympics, which is a very '70s futuristic all-white building with lots of sloping curves. Add lots of fog, populate it with brightly festooned Cirque du Soleil performers, and film it with some Dutch angles and you've got the Land of Small. This loopy land is ruled by Fritz's twin brother, played by Twin Peak's Michael J. Anderson in a dual role. His queen is played by the same actress that plays David and Jenny's mom, which is really weird. Hanging out in the Land of Small ain't so bad until the trip goes sour and David and Jenny attend a bizarre ritual. The Smallians start chanting "Slimo", summoning an ugly, moon-like creature out of a foggy crater. A dwarf and a giant are sacrificed (willingly?) to Slimo by sliding down a chute into a squishy pit. Slimo spits some gold dust into the pit and these folks are reincarnated into butterfly people. David and Jenny narrowly avoid the same fate. Long story short, this scene is really creepy and Slimo kinda looks like the scary moon from the game "Majora's Mask".

Anyways, if you are the kind of maniac like me that enjoys weirdo kid flicks with awkward dubbing, imaginative sets and more than a dose of creep factor, check it out!

When I first saw this movie approximately 15 years ago this movie scared the crap out of me to the point that I went through great means to never see it again. However it left a mark on me to the point that around 10 years ago the memory of it made me want to find out what it was, naturally I didn't know the name So I Must say Thanks to the first person to leave a review about it, it has been driving me crazy trying to find it. I would say that it is a good movie but perhaps a bad movie for younger kids to watch or more sensitive people like me. Im gonna go watch it on Youtube and hopefully it wont be as bad as I found it then. Thanks Again