Tom Thumb

This is Iwerks just biding time until closing down. A typically beautiful short, but it was nothing special or original. Tom Thumb was old hat by the time this was released, so something a bit different than the garden variety adaptation is needed to make this worthwhile. This was not what the studio did well, to put it kindly. So you have the average cartoon from Iwerks-competent, well animated and lovely, but not too special. Worth watching for all that. Recommended.

Tom Thumb (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Charming animated short from Ub Iwerks deals with Tom Thumb, the small child who gets himself into one bad thing after another. This animated short certainly isn't a masterpiece but if you're a fan of Iwerks then you'll probably want to check it out since it does feature some very good animation. The highlight of the film is a scene where Tom Thumb gets swallowed by a goat and must try and find his way out. This is followed up by another good sequence where he gets into a funny fight with a fishing worm before being eaten, once again, by some fish. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking here but it's a pleasant short.

Starting in 1930, Ub Iwerks quit working for Walt Disney and began making his own cartoons. His modest output varies widely in quality. While most are well animated, the stories were often pretty weak...and while "Tom Thumb" is a decent cartoon, it wasn't remarkable enough to prevent the inevitable and later in 1936 Iwerks ceased production.

The story is VERY broadly based on the English story "Tom Thumb". This one is a very modest version and mostly consists of Tom again and again nearly getting killed--some of which is because the tiny boy's parents seemed amazingly stupid! You'll see him nearly baked into a pie by his mother as well as Tom being eaten by a goat and later a fish! All in all, Tom's lot in life sucks.

The animation is by far the best thing in this cartoon. Other than that, it's only mildly interesting and offers one of the poorer versions of the age old story.

There was a cute gag, right off the bat, when Tom Thumb's dad first sees his newborn kid (delivered by the stork). The baby is in the palm of his wife's hand. Tom looks up - already in diapers - and says, "Hi ya, pop!" Pop faints.

The years go on and we see how little Tom manages to inadvertently get in trouble, like almost being baked in a pie. The inquisitive sort, he winds up in a lot of jams, only to be saved by either by luck or his scolding mom, who winds up giving him a loving-but-stern and strange spanking near the end.

Overall, to be honest this was not a very humorous cartoon but it had a lot of charm, so kudos for that. It was part of the UB Iwerks' collection of cartoons under the DVD title, "Cartoons That Time Forgot."

While not one of my favourites, Ub Iwerks was responsible for a lot of interesting work. Especially when working with Walt Disney, his oldest friend and one of his best, and co-creating one of animation's most famous characters in Mickey Mouse. His career since opening his own studio had interest value but the quality was variable, often being successful in the animation and music but wanting in the story and variable in gags, lead characters and tone.

1933 to 1936 saw twenty five cartoons, mostly based on famous fairytales and familiar stories, as part of Iwerks's "ComiColor" series. The "ComiColor" series is very much worth watching and interesting, as is the case with many series some cartoons are better than others but there are no real animation nadirs. 1936's 'Tom Thumb' is a pretty good pleasant watch, with a few issues but a lot of big strengths.

Admittedly, 'Tom Thumb' is slight and is at times a little too cutesy and the ending can be smelt from miles away.

However, 'Tom Thumb' has enough freshness to stop it from being stale. It avoids the over sentimental factor generally and is never dull.

There are amusing gags, that aren't too corny and never repetitive, it's very charming, endearingly wild at times and there is a genuine likeability. charm and cuteness. The characters drive 'Tom Thumb' well , with a very likeable titular character whose antics can be surprisingly inventive. The supporting characters are lively.

Furthermore, the animation is great. Meticulously detailed, fluid in drawing, vibrant in colour and often rich in imagination and visual wit. The music is cleverly and lushly orchestrated, is infectiously catchy and adds a lot to the cartoon.

In conclusion, pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox