Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Babes in Toyland

  • 19611961
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
Clip: Gypsy Dance
Play trailer1:41
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Family
  • Fantasy

Mary Contrary is set to marry Tom Piper when he is kidnapped by Roderigo and Gonzorgo, two goons working for the evil Barnaby who wants to marry Mary for her inheritance.Mary Contrary is set to marry Tom Piper when he is kidnapped by Roderigo and Gonzorgo, two goons working for the evil Barnaby who wants to marry Mary for her inheritance.Mary Contrary is set to marry Tom Piper when he is kidnapped by Roderigo and Gonzorgo, two goons working for the evil Barnaby who wants to marry Mary for her inheritance.

IMDb RATING
6.1/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jack Donohue
  • Writers
    • Victor Herbert(operetta)
    • Glen MacDonough(operetta)
    • Ward Kimball(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ray Bolger
    • Tommy Sands
    • Annette Funicello
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jack Donohue
  • Writers
    • Victor Herbert(operetta)
    • Glen MacDonough(operetta)
    • Ward Kimball(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ray Bolger
    • Tommy Sands
    • Annette Funicello
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 45User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
    • 55Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Videos2

    Babes in Toyland
    Clip 1:00
    Babes in Toyland
    Babes in Toyland
    Trailer 1:41
    Babes in Toyland

    Photos124

    Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Annette Funicello "Babes In Toyland" (1961)
    Annette Funicello in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Annette Funicello in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Annette Funicello in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Tommy Kirk and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Ray Bolger and Tommy Sands in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Tommy Kirk and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Tommy Kirk and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Ray Bolger and Annette Funicello in Babes in Toyland (1961)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ray Bolger
    Ray Bolger
    • Barnaby Barnicleas Barnaby Barnicle
    Tommy Sands
    Tommy Sands
    • Tom Piperas Tom Piper
    Annette Funicello
    Annette Funicello
    • Mary Quite Contraryas Mary Quite Contrary
    Ed Wynn
    Ed Wynn
    • Toymakeras Toymaker
    Tommy Kirk
    Tommy Kirk
    • Grumioas Grumio
    Kevin Corcoran
    Kevin Corcoran
    • Boy Blueas Boy Blue
    Henry Calvin
    Henry Calvin
    • Gonzorgoas Gonzorgo
    Gene Sheldon
    Gene Sheldon
    • Roderigoas Roderigo
    Mary McCarty
    Mary McCarty
    • Mother Gooseas Mother Goose
    Ann Jillian
    Ann Jillian
    • Bo Peepas Bo Peep
    Brian Corcoran
    • Willie Winkieas Willie Winkie
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Villageras Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Don Anderson
    Don Anderson
    • Villageras Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Marilee Arnold
    • Twinas Twin
    • (uncredited)
    Melanie Arnold
    • Twinas Twin
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Banas
    Robert Banas
    • Russian Danceras Russian Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    Tex Brodus
    • Villageras Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Boyd Cabeen
    • Villageras Villager
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jack Donohue
    • Writers
      • Victor Herbert(operetta)
      • Glen MacDonough(operetta)
      • Ward Kimball(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Absent Minded Professor
    6.7
    The Absent Minded Professor
    Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus
    6.9
    Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus
    Swiss Family Robinson
    7.1
    Swiss Family Robinson
    The Shaggy Dog
    6.4
    The Shaggy Dog
    Son of Flubber
    6.0
    Son of Flubber
    The Parent Trap
    7.2
    The Parent Trap
    The Monkey's Uncle
    5.9
    The Monkey's Uncle
    The Moon-Spinners
    6.6
    The Moon-Spinners
    Almost Angels
    6.5
    Almost Angels
    Pollyanna
    7.4
    Pollyanna
    The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
    6.2
    The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
    That Darn Cat!
    6.7
    That Darn Cat!

    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Albert Sanchez Moreno <a.moreno@mindspring.com>
    • color remake of black and white film
    • psychotronic film
    • camp
    • disney acid sequence
    • castle thunder
    • 193 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The happiest, most delightful musical comedy of your lifetime!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Family
      • Fantasy
      • Musical
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was Annette Funicello's favorite of all her films.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Toymaker: Do you Mary take this man to be your husband?

      Mary Contrary: I do.

      Toymaker: That's funny. I'd take him to be your grandfather.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Magical World of Disney: Back Stage Party (1961)
    • Soundtracks
      Mother Goose Village and Lemonade
      Music by Victor Herbert

      Music adapted by George Bruns

      Lemonade adapted from the instrumental piece "Military Ball"

      Lyrics by Mel Leven

      Sung by Chorus

    User reviews45

    Review
    Top review
    Fine if you take your cognac with water...
    I used to think 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' was the very worst experience a parent could inflict on a child. I was wrong. There is also this Disney atrocity to contend with.

    When Victor Herbert produced his 'Babes in Toyland' on Broadway in 1903, it followed on the steps of the preceding stage extravaganza, 'The Wizard of Oz', which it outdid in magnificence, costliness (its shipwreck scene outdid 'The Wizard's cyclone, its Toyland outdid the other's Emerald City, etc.), imagination and original melodies. It was eventually followed by another Victor Herbert Christmas spectacle, 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' (1908), which surpassed them all in spectacular stage effects, number of participants and box office. This was a magic time when sentimental Irish Catholic New-Yorkers genuinely believed that when they went to heaven, they would hear Victor Herbert's tunes sung by angel choirs until the end of time.

    Unfortunately, all of Herbert's operettas would have been totally forgotten today if it hadn't been for the awful Hollywood Laurel and Hardy vehicle of the thirties ("Babes in Toyland", 1934, a.k.a. "Laurel and Hardy in Toyland", "March of the Wooden Soldiers", "Revenge Is Sweet" and "Wooden Soldiers"), which preserved its spirit of pantomime and most of its storyline but sacrificed its music by relegating the whole score (except for five songs) to a very scratchy and noisy background on the soundtrack.

    Then came Disney. This film (available on DVD) is nothing more than an elaborate episode of the Mickey Mouse Club. The story has been changed around for no reason: the only remaining common element through all the different versions is that there is a villain in Mother Goose Land named Barnaby Barnacle, who wears a tall black top hat and a long moustache, has two funny acolytes in crime and is out to prevent a happy ending for the other younger cast members. The original songs have been simplified, modernized, 'disneyfied', 'cutified', 'Lawrence-Welked' and bowdlerized almost out of existence, probably because they would have been considered too 'difficult' for the intended nose-picking kiddie audience. This is very ironic since it contributed to 'Babes' downfall at the box office and served as a lesson to Disney who did everything in his power, subsequently, with 'Mary Poppins' to provide a great score, first-class singers, great orchestration, and a nostalgic feel closer to traditional turn-of-the century entertainments.

    The only reason I am not harsher on Disney's story treatment is that it was followed in 1986 by an even worse live action treacly TV version and in 1997 by the definitely dismal animated one (MGM).

    'I Can't Do the Sum', whose main musical idea was that a group of schoolchildren, perplexed by a mathematical problem verging on the absurd, would punctuate their singing by scratching their chalk rhythmically on their chalkboards is now without chalkboard sounds - and logic. The forest lullaby is without its mystery and comfort. The title song, the very inspiring 'Toyland', is not even given a proper (choral) rendition but is instead screeched by a group of untalented children walking through the forest as if on their way to the washrooms of an amusement park to regurgitate their candy floss.

    Even 'The March of the Wooden Soldiers' (which has managed to survive on its own as a beloved orchestral Christmas favourite in America and a Boston Pops staple) is not even given the dignity of a proper Christian burial but truncated and drowned under a cacophony of sound effects and pie-in-the-face-type slapstick.

    There is nothing to salvage this mess, not even the wholehearted effort of its cast, with a special tip of the hat to Tommy Sands in a Gypsy scene (in drag) somewhat reminiscent of Stanley Donen's 'The Pirate' (1948).

    The only way to hear Victor Herbert's original score today - along with Glen MacDonough's original lyrics - is to hunt for a 2002 Universal CD reprising a 1944 mono studio recording of 11 of the original numbers (still heavily truncated) and the vinyl Readers' Digest 'Treasury of Operettas' 9-LP boxset, which contains 8 numbers, in very impressive 'Cyclophonic' stereo. Conductor Keith Brion also came out with a CD of extensive dreamy orchestral extracts from this operetta (including ballets and scene changes and an extended Overture). There doesn't seem to exist a recording of the entire score which comprises, apparently, dozens of different numbers.
    helpful•12
    10
    • benoit-3
    • Jan 11, 2004

    FAQ3

    • Does the film follow the stage version of "Babes in Toyland"?
    • Was there ever a silent film version of "Babes in Toyland"?
    • Chicago Opening Happened When?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 14, 1961 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Малята в Країні іграшок
    • Filming locations
      • Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Walt Disney Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,218,316
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.75 : 1

    Related news

    The Bold Type Season 4 Episode 4 Review: Babes in Toyland
    Feb 14TVfanatic
    Remembering Harry Dean Stanton, Jake Lamotta and More Reel-Important People We Lost in September
    Oct 4Movies.com

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ray Bolger, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, and Ed Wynn in Babes in Toyland (1961)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Babes in Toyland (1961) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.