The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb

The way that this movie was filmed using clay-mation and live people is amazing. The people are jerky and clumsy, and the clay-mation is smooth and fluid. Too top off that, the entire thing is bizzare and surreal. When I saw it in the theater they showed a short film about Kafka and his Metamorphosis afterwards which was just as fun and twisted. I don't know if it's on the video, but it should be.

Last night i had the chance to see this excellent piece of animation and I truly enjoyed it. For all those interested in clay/latex animation (Aardman style) the s/fx are awesome.

As for the storytelling: absolutely wicked ! One of the best adaptations of a nursery tale I've seen, with somber dystopia tones: think Aldous Huxley and Brothers Grimm meet Chicken Run.

Fantastic flick !

Done in stop-motion, though there are also live actors, and the live actors unusually appear to be done in stop motion as well!

An insect flies into an artificial insemination factory, and gets squished and some of its guts drip into one of the specimen jars. Sometime thereafter, a woman in a small hovel gives birth to a tiny boy that fits easily into his father's palm. He's named Tom Thumb, and his parents do not seem surprised or disappointed by his small size. Unfortunately, some men in black trenchcoats, hats, and gloves come and take him away to a laboratory.

The laboratory has all manner of strange creatures and parts of creatures being kept alive for weird procedures and experiments. Tom is helped by a small dragon-like creature that is partly skeletal, partly cybernetic, partly raw flesh, and partly "normal" looking. He meets other tiny people and tries to make his way back home.

The world they live in is rather dingy-looking, and there are always some insects present. There is very little dialog, and some of what is spoken is little more than mumbling.

Definitely calls to mind the Brothers Quay, Jan Svankmajer, and the team of Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, City of Lost Children). Quite entertaining, and I wonder how available the other works by this director might be.

I came across this movie due to recommendations from the Eraserhead discussion board. So i had my expectations: i oughta be weird dark, twisted. Well, it is.

It's not a great movie though. It's a very original movie, thaT must be said. But the stop motion simply doesn't work. It's all very lifeless, even the REAL actors seem lifeless.

It has a nice story, and the backgrounds and weird characters look great. great detail toO!But when things start to move, all tensions are lost. I bought the DVD, cause usual the discussion board are really helpfull to me ( thanks IMDb and members!), so at least i have the short movie "the saint inspector". now THAT's great stop motion movie! so i just pretend that the saint inspector is the main feature and tom thumb is just an OK extra :)

It's a very scary, and interesting movie. One of my best that I ever seen. All the horroristic machines and creatures are kewl! Great photography, and animation work.