Thumbelina (Pollicina)

Well, the animation isn't exactly stunning, I'll agree with that, and the production team certainly picked a rather silly name from the fairy prince - CORNELIOUS! What a silly name! And also it does get rather weak as far as sentiment goes, but above all, "Thumbelina" is just lovely! BEAUTIFUL. I just kind of think that those golden sparkles that trail behinds the fairies is actually quite unique. Not many cartoon films have those kinds of effects at all, not these days at least. Mind you, "Anastasia" had the same kind of effects (the 1997-cartoon, I mean) which may be considered in the 1990s and 2000s (our present time-period in fashion) a little old because "Pinocchio" had PLENTY of that but at least "Anastasia" received BIG respect and honour from many audiences worldwide. This movie very rarely receives respect and honour. Far too underrated! Just because it's all soft and sometimes soothing, with pleasant little songs, warmhearted character and a Disney princess that, for the first time in this era, is all kind and forgiving and not feisty. Come on! LOVE IT! See what I see in it! People (including my sister) find the grey and white bird with the big hat annoying. I'll admit that his jokes are rubbish but I wouldn't say he's annoying. He's got a good heart and he helps Thumbelina through hard times and he's a good bird - they're ALL good characters and Thumbelina's mother! Well she is the most warm, tender, caring, considerate mother I've ever seen in a cartoon film! She loves Thumbelina so much and she always makes sure she's away from harm! That horrible toad certainly proved her wrong, though, didn't he? There are three characters I hate and find irritating, apart from the toad; the Beetle, who is terribly shallow. First he flies Thumbelina up to a tree-top making her think he'd help her find her mother's cottage but instead he drags her off to a disco for INSECTS! He dresses her up to be the belle of the ball but when he dances with her, Thumbelina's clothes fall off and there she is stood in a red pair of trousers and a red blouse. He humiliates her, shouts, "SHE'S UGLY!" to all who attend that ball and then feels proud of himself! Lucky, the bird came to comfort her when he saw her sobbing her heart out. Then, there's Miss Fieldmouse; I know she took Thumbelina in when she nearly froze to death and served her some food and kept her warm, but her nature is unpleasant. She tells a very shocked, heartbroken Thumbelina her boyfriend, the fairy prince died in the snow and says "who cares? You're only young, my dear! There are many more men to come!" Hah! Nothing like being sympathetic, eh? Last of all, there's the fat old serial-proposer Mr Mole. He is just SO pompous! Thumbelina is sad as sad can be about her one true love being dead and not ever seeing her mother again and there he is! (The mole, I mean) munching away at his corn-cakes as if Thumbelina is his servant. Miss Fieldmouse even insists Thumbelina marries that pompous, over-sized twit and, what's worse, she won't take "no" for an answer! So our poor little heroine DOES "marry the mole!" It's such a sad story, although it's comforting with it! Only the odd one low point to this movie. Don't listen to those dreary-natured critics! They're WRONG! It's absolutely lovely!

Ever since I first saw this movie I have loved it. It grabbed hold of my imagination. It also follows very close to the original story which is more than I can say for several other books made to movies. It has also captivated the imagination of my children. They will sit through this movie and then talk about it all day. They even pretend to be the characters. This movie is one of the greatest children's movies ever made. It has comedy, beautiful music,a love story and it also teaches a valuable lesson....To always follow your heart and you will have your dreams realized. I recommend this movie to anyone who is in the mood for a feel good movie that leaves you with the feeling that you can do anything if you want it strong enough. I love the songs, I love the story, I love it all.

Thumbalina. This is a good family movie. The story is fun and sweet, the characters are memorable and lovable and the music is good ("Let me be your wings" and "Once there was the sun" are particularly memorable). Thumbalina is a good family movie, the kids will love it and the parent's will enjoy it as well. This is definitely a movie to see if you want to be reminded of 3 things: "true love conquers all", "follow your heart", and "nothing is impossible". Those are not the only life lessons it discreetly teaches, many others are buried deeply in it, like all great fairy tales. Don't see it if you want brilliant animation or movie perfection, see it if you want a "feel good" fairytale that. I would give this movie 7 stars out of 10.

So help me, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen! I just love this film. First time I saw it, I went with my 7 year old brother, and was determined to hate it - but, well, I just couldn't. It's soooo cute, and the songs are so good, and the story is so well told - it's just impossible not to like it.

The first thing that I really like about this film is that it (unlike, oh so many Disney films) is actually very loyal to the original fairy tale by H.C. Andersen. They've added a few things, and changed a few details, but all of the things they changed I had to agree with (hey, why not let Thumbelina and the Prince meet at the beginning? It makes more sense for them to already be in love. And what's wrong with making the Fieldmouse a girl? It's Carol Channing!) This is very true to the original story - so much more than Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID (which was supposedly based off another H.C. Andersen tale - but you'd never guess it).

The animation is good, it's not the best, but it's fine. The real star of this film is the music. A beautiful score by Barry Manilow helped out by fabulous voice work. The wonderful Jodi Benson heads the cast (she was also the voice of Ariel in THE LITTLE MERMAID) and she is delightful as Thumbelina. I've been lucky enough to meet Ms. Benson and I have to say, she is just the sweetest person you could ever hope to know. She's got a wonderful, child-like speaking voice, and a glorious singing voice - just the perfect choice for the lead. She's joined in the cast by Gilbert Gottfried, Barbara Cook, Carol Channing, and (another voice talent from THE LITTLE MERMAID) Kenneth Mars.

This film is just beautifully done. It's faithful to the original, it's lovely to see, and has a marvelous soundtrack. I don't care that I'm all grown up - this is a movie I can't help but love.

I grew up watching Pebble and the Penguin and Anastasia. I was introduced to this about a month ago, I watched it, and I was actually impressed. It is not as good as the above titles, but I can name a lot worse animated films, believe me, the Secret of NIMH sequel anyone?! The film is flawed, but on the whole it is a fun sweet film for kids. The animation is very good, but is a little flat in some places. But the animation sequence in "Let me be your wings" is breathtaking. Speaking of the songs, they aren't bad at all. They are very pleasant, and beautifully orchestrated with lovely tunes even if some of the lyrics were hard to understand. The incidental music was lovely too. The best aspect was the story. It stayed close to the original fairytale, while adding a little bit on. All of the characters are very much the same, and none of the essence is lost, save for some slow scenes in the middle half. The characterisations are fine. Jodi Benson is a very talented singing actress, and she had the best song of the movie, "Let me be your Wings", which was stunning audibly and artistically, and she does do a good job as Thumbelina. People find Thumbelina annoying and patronising, I find her cute and pretty and she means well. Cornelius was a little bland, but I warmed to him. The toads were funny, especially during that really fast Spanish song. My favourite character is Jaquimo, what a great accent, and Thumbelina's mother is a warm and loving character and provides the film's most touching moment in the reprise of "Soon"! Other voice actors are Gilbert Gottfried, John Hurt and Carol Channing. All in all, a pleasant animation, that is misunderstood. 7/10. Bethany Cox