Babes in Toyland (1961)

Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Donohue

Writers:

Glen MacDonough (operetta), Ward Kimball (screenplay),

Stars:

Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Bolger	...	Barnaby
Tommy Sands	...	Tom Piper
Annette Funicello	...	Mary Contrary (as Annette)
Ed Wynn	...	Toymaker
Tommy Kirk	...	Grumio
Kevin Corcoran	...	Boy Blue
Henry Calvin	...	Gonzorgo
Gene Sheldon	...	Roderigo
Mary McCarty	...	Mother Goose
Ann Jillian	...	Bo Peep
Brian Corcoran	...	Willie Winkie
Marilee Arnold	...	Twin
Melanie Arnold	...	Twin
Jerry Glenn	...	Simple Simon
John Perri	...	Jack-be-Nimble

Storyline

Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, thus depriving Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep are stolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby's henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.

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Plot Keywords:

little boy | lifting someone into the air | toy soldier | remake | sword fight | 

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Taglines:

The happiest, most delightful musical comedy of your lifetime!

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Genres:

Family | Musical | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aufruhr im Spielzeugland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The toy soldiers also made an appearance in Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" in the nursery sequence and are favorite features of holiday parades in Disney Parks to this day. Disney animator Bill Justice make sure the Park soldiers were identical to the movie counterparts.

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Goofs

At the end of "Go to Sleep" while Mary is singing, the shadow of the camera is over her right shoulder.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sylvester: Hello, everybody. My name is Sylvester, Sylvester J. Goose. My friends call me Syl, or sometimes silly.
[chuckles]
Sylvester: At this time, it is with unmitigated pleasure...
Mother Goose: [behind curtain] Sylvester, talk faster.
Sylvester: "Talk faster"? You're lucky to find a goose who can talk at all! As I was saying, it is my pleasure to present your hostess for this occasion, weighing one hundred and eighty nine pounds...
Mother Goose: Sylvester!
Sylvester: Hmph! I present the one and only Mother Goose.
[Mother Goose enters]
Mother Goose: Thank you, ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: Back Stage Party (1961)

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Soundtracks

"Floretta"
Music by Victor Herbert
Music adapted by George Bruns
New Lyrics by Mel Leven
Sung by Tommy Sands and chorus

User Reviews

It's a 1960s Disney Musical

It's a 1960s Disney Musical, I should not have to say more than this about the movie.

It's great for kids, unfortunately.

I remember seeing it, and liking it as a kid - and got it for my 3 yr old daughter.

My wife hates me for it. Not that the movie is that horrible - but my daughter is in love with Tommy Sands and wants to watch this movie every night.

My wife even took my daughter to the library and checked out kids movies - she was excited until she got home, and just said she wanted to watch Tom and Mary (The names of the main actors in the movie) If you have little kids - they'll love it. You might even enjoy it some yourself - until it's overplayed.