Tom Sawyer

Mark Twain's beloved novel has once again been adapted for film, with some subtle changes (Injun Joe becomes Injurin' Joe) and some not-so-subtle ones (all of the characters are animals). However, this new animated version, brought to us by MGM and the same people who made the direct-to-video films "Babes in Toyland" and "An All Dogs Christmas Carol," remains a fairly faithful adaptation. It is very, very well animated with a memorable score by Mark Watters. The voice casting, comprising of mostly country music stars with a few veterans like Betty White and Don Knotts, is right on the money. Rhett Akins as Tom Sawyer is simply wonderful. Add to this a selection of great country music songs and you've got good, clean family entertainment.

I personally could have done without the dream sequence at the beginning as I found it rather distracting and didn't see the point of it, plus I don't get why Tom had such spindly legs and neck in this sequence when he doesn't in the rest of the movie. Anyway, other than that the story is very engaging and while it's been a long time since I read the book in its entirety, from what I remember this is a surprisingly faithful adaptation that keeps the strong narrative and appealing characters. I'm normally not a big fan of love triangles but it's done well with Tom, Becky, and Amy and I'm very glad that she was included here. Although I don't particularly care for the dream sequence animation, the rest of the animation is quite nice, soft and bright but not overly bright, on both the characters and the backgrounds. It's also a nice surprise that MGM, which, Wizard of Oz aside, has mostly been involved with DTV sequels such as An All Dogs Christmas Carol, so it's nice to see them produce a (somewhat) original story. I also really enjoy the songs such as Friends For Life, Hook, Line, And Sinker, and Dream.

Now I love animation, but while there are a number of exceptions, when it comes to animated films adapting a book or story, it loses some or most of the essence. When I heard there was an animated version of Tom Sawyer I was curious. The book by Mark Twain has a very strong narrative and appealing characters, and I was a little worried they would lose the essence of this great story. Now I don't mind films that are unfaithful to their books, as long it maintains its spirit.

And I was surprised. This animated film was really good, I was really surprised! Not to mention apart from changing a few names and making the characters animals, it is fairly faithful as an adaptation and maintains the strong narrative and appealing characters of the book. The story is consistently engaging, with some humorous and touching parts, and the characters are still likable. Tom Sawyer is really likable, while being quite rebellious and mischievous, Huck is endearing, Aunt Polly is wonderful, Becky is cute and beautiful and Amy(I am so glad they included her here) is appealing. Injun Joe was quite frightening as well, but this sinister presence worked.

Another lovely surprise was the animation. I was expecting flat colours and tacky backgrounds, but instead the backgrounds are pretty and the colours are luscious. Plus all the characters are drawn very well. I also really liked the songs, I am admittedly not the biggest fan of country music, but this worked here. The songs are very catchy, memorable and upbeat and are well sung, and they don't interfere with the story too much. Mark Watter's score once again is a gem, beautiful and dramatic. The dialogue is humorous and touching, and that was a major plus in my book.

The voice acting is top notch, Betty White, Mark Wills, Rhett Atkins and Kevin Michael Richardson are all right on the money, being really talented at what they do I am not surprised. The film is perhaps a little too long by about two minutes, and some of the middle half drags, but overall it is a solid animated film and a surprisingly good adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Tom Sawyer is an MGM animated film at heart. It has corny songs, requisite love interests, physical humor and that signature art style. But Tom Sawyer is different. MGM usually makes sequels to animated films, putting little thought into them and stripping their essence away. But here they retell a classic story in their own unique way, staying true to the source material's strong narrative. And maybe that's why Tom Sawyer succeeds where so many other MGM features have failed. No habits are broken here, but it's an enjoyable ride all the same. I can't stand the corny country music-flavored songs, but eh. The art is really nice too.

This's a pretty good kids movie. For the most part it's faithful to the book in terms of story and characterization. I notice it cut a few scenes probably due to the content which can be a little annoying. The characters are fun to watch. It's all worth it to see Tom get into trouble, hang out with Huck, try to impress Becky Thatcher and/or go on an adventure. My only gripe are some of the voices such as Tom and Huck are voiced by country stars which can be really distracting as they don't sound like kids at all. It's also weird when they start to sing. Speaking of which the songs are ok. Some of them are good while others are forgettable. The animation is great for its time. It's fluid bright and colorful. It looks like a water painting that came to life. I don't have much to say other than check it out if you have kids or are a fan of the books. Hop in and go on an adventure.