No Mundo Encantado dos Sonhos

I've always admired the work of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Very few people's Holiday Seasons would be complete without "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," et. al. Similarly, their only other feature film, 1967's "Mad Monster Party," has acquired a considerable cult following over the years, with Tim Burton and William Castle among its many admirers.

Which is what makes "The Daydreamer" such an incredible disappointment by comparison. The animation is incredibly sloppy, by comparison to their TV work during the same period. Paul O'Keefe was a repugnant little brat on the "Patty Duke Show" and he makes an even less appealing Hans Christian Anderson. Among the only bright spots in the live action cast are Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton, almost thirty years after "Wizard of Oz," proving themselves as talents that can shine in a broom closet. An all-star cast tries hard during the animated segments, but even they can't bring uninspired material to life. When you consider that the best part of the film is the Al Hirschfeld-designed opening credits, that's a sad commentary.

In sum, "Daydreamer" is the only blot on Rankin and Bass' otherwise distinguished careers, and long-time fans, like myself, can forgive them this one transgression.

Award-winning animation producers Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, fresh from the success of the now-classic TV special RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, aimed extremely high for this ambitious live-action/animated musical fantasy. The story is a fictionalized account of the young life of Hans Christian Andersen, with Paul O'Keefe (Patty Lane's brother on the PATTY DUKE SHOW) as "Chris" and Jack Gilford (COCOON) as his Papa. Chris enters the animated stories of THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES and THUMBELINA. There are also references to other Andersen tales like "The Garden of Paradise," "Big Claus" and "The Ugly Duckling." Even though some of the production values betray the fact that Executive Producer Joe Levine expected Mary Poppins but only provided a Tom Terrific budget, there is a lot to like in THE DAYDREAMER: a star-studded, perfectly selected voice cast, impressive AniMagic stop-motion art direction, and a knockout score by Maury Laws (check out "The Cartoon Music Book" on amazon.com) and Jules Bass. Fans of the late AL HIRSCHFELD will want to see the caricatured opening sequence; fans of THE WIZARD OF OZ will enjoy Margaret Hamilton's feisty cameo, fans of THE LORD OF THE RINGS will have fun comparing this to the Rankin/Bass production of THE HOBBIT released 11 years later and how far they had come since. Even Oleg Cassini designed the Emperor's New Clothes! The live-action sequences were directed by Ezra Stone, who starred as Henry Aldrich on radio and by that time was directing THE MUNSTERS. If you visited the 1964 World's Fair, look for the Denmark pavilion doubling for the streets of Odense.

OF COURSE I`VE SEEN THIS FILM!!! And quite honestly, seeing it over and over again, brings back so many fond memories of my childhood!! When it first came out, I was only a year old at the time, but as with most good childrens films, I always waited for the yearly reruns...(this of course being long befor VCRs). Now I own this film on video, and do watch it from time to time, and notice how sad it is that we dont see many of these claymation films anymore. The wonderful character voices of Patty Duke, Tallulah Bankhead, etc tec... you just dont find quality childrens films like this anymore. A classic in my opinion!! Children of all ages ...young and old , should see it!

Two thumbs up from VEGAS!!

This Rankin/Bass production is quite a trip, and not the most lucid one, at that. Embarrassing cameos from a variety of stars, with "animation" well below par, considering their wonderful "Rudolph" specials. The story appears thrown together, connecting famous Anderson tales with an incoherent story line. How they managed to wrangle so many well-known voice-overs, I'll never understand. I grew up with Rankin/Bass, but did not see this film as a child. The DVD does make for a great conversation piece at parties, so I'd recommend the purchase. Perhaps, if they'd avoided the live-action segments, this film would have been a bit more enjoyable. The whole Ray-Bolger-running-around-with-pies is bizarre. Margaret Hamilton is wasted with about three lines. My 5 and 7 year-old nephews found it disturbing..."what about the 'cold tears from his hair'???"

Delightful musical feature with thought-provoking lessons for both children and adults alike. A magical opening with Ritchard's "Sandman" sets the tone for an equally magical adventure through the mind of Hans Christhian Anderson. A memorable all-star cast accompanied by a whimsical score (who could resist "Isn't It Cozy Here!!"??). Not as good as Rankin/Bass' classic Christmas specials, but a winner, nonetheless.