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:

Victor Herbert (operetta), Glen MacDonough (operetta)

Stars:

Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
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

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:

color remake of black and white film | sheep | gypsy | mother goose | goose | 

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Taglines:

The happiest, most delightful musical comedy of your lifetime!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carnaval en el bosque

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,218,316

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 (1964) in the nursery sequence and are favorite features of holiday parades in Disney Parks to this day. Disney animator Bill Justice made sure the Park soldiers were identical to the movie counterparts.

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Goofs

When Barnaby, in his opening scene, closes the window shutters on Gonzorgo's and Roderigo's hands, the window sill bends as if made of foam instead of wood, so that the actors' hands wouldn't be injured.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sylvester J. Goose: Hello, everybody. My name is Sylvester, Sylvester J. Goose. My friends call me Syl, or sometimes silly.
[chuckles]
Sylvester J. Goose: At this time, it is with unmitigated pleasure...
Mother Goose: [behind curtain] Sylvester, talk faster.
Sylvester J. Goose: "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 J. Goose: Hmph! I present the one and only Mother Goose.
[Mother Goose enters]
Mother Goose: Thank you, ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

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Soundtracks

Just A Whisper Away
Music by Victor Herbert
Music adapted by George Bruns
New Lyrics by Mel Leven
Sung by Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello

User Reviews

A true delight

You know, this is one of those grossly underrated, wonderful treasures of a movie. It's rather simple, with the fanciest effects being the movement of the toy soldiers, which was ahead of its time, but it's a true case of simple is beautiful. It's a fantastic movie for those who just wish to sit back, and laugh with the family, and have an adventure in fantasy land. The play is still being put on around the world, and this, to me, is just the best captured version. There's really something for everyone - Ray Bolger ( who looked really spectacular, very handsome in his role as Barnaby), Annette (who is always charming for being the sweetheart we all know), Tommy Sands as the daring hero, and the team of Henrey Calvin and Gene Sheldon, along with the forever amusing Ed Wynn. This movie turns out more of a comedy, and the adventures that encompass Mary and Tom Piper, when crossed by Barnaby, double crossed by Gonzorgo and Rodrigo are hilarious. This is primarily a Christmas movie, but it's set so you can watch it anytime of the year - and so you should! I still cannot get over Ray bolger as a villian....he does a lovely job, and looks terrific, but if you only know him as the scarecrow, you'll especially need to see this! He makes the statement relavent that he is very, very, very versatile, and one of our greatest entertainment treasures.