Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie 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 WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards 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
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Water Babies

  • 19781978
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
The Water Babies (1978)
This children's fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a complex underwater world where young children are held prisoner by an evil shark and an eel.
Play trailer1:41
1 Video
25 Photos
AnimationAdventureFamily
This children's fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a complex underwater world where young children are held prisoner by an evil shark and an eel.This children's fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a complex underwater world where young children are held prisoner by an evil shark and an eel.This children's fantasy tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a complex underwater world where young children are held prisoner by an evil shark and an eel.
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Lionel Jeffries
    • Miroslaw Kijowicz
  • Writers
    • Michael Robson(screenplay by)
    • Charles Kingsley(based upon the book by)
    • Lionel Jeffries(additional material by)
  • Stars
    • James Mason
    • Bernard Cribbins
    • Billie Whitelaw
  • Directors
    • Lionel Jeffries
    • Miroslaw Kijowicz
  • Writers
    • Michael Robson(screenplay by)
    • Charles Kingsley(based upon the book by)
    • Lionel Jeffries(additional material by)
  • Stars
    • James Mason
    • Bernard Cribbins
    • Billie Whitelaw
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 39User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Trailer

    Photos25

    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)
    The Water Babies (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Mason
    James Mason
    • Mr. Grimes…
    Bernard Cribbins
    Bernard Cribbins
    • Mr. Masterman…
    Billie Whitelaw
    Billie Whitelaw
    • Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby…
    Joan Greenwood
    Joan Greenwood
    • Lady Harriet
    David Tomlinson
    David Tomlinson
    • Sir John…
    Tommy Pender
    • Tom
    Samantha Gates
    • Elly…
    Paul Luty
    Paul Luty
    • Sladd…
    Jon Pertwee
    Jon Pertwee
    • Salmon
    • (voice)
    • …
    Olive Gregg
      Lance Percival
      • Terence the Sea Horse
      • (voice)
      David Jason
      David Jason
      • Cyril the Walrus
      • (voice)
      Cass Allan
        Liz Proud
          Una Stubbs
          Una Stubbs
            Ignacy Machowski
            Ignacy Machowski
            • Grimes
            • (polish version)
            • (voice)
            Tadeusz Plucinski
            Tadeusz Plucinski
            • Foreman
            • (polish version)
            • (voice)
            Jerzy Tkaczyk
            • Sir John
            • (polish version)
            • (voice)
            • Directors
              • Lionel Jeffries
              • Miroslaw Kijowicz
            • Writers
              • Michael Robson(screenplay by)
              • Charles Kingsley(based upon the book by)
              • Lionel Jeffries(additional material by)
            • All cast & crew
            • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

            More like this

            Mr. Horatio Knibbles
            6.3
            Mr. Horatio Knibbles
            Water Babies
            6.3
            Water Babies
            Bedknobs and Broomsticks
            7.0
            Bedknobs and Broomsticks
            Wombling Free
            4.8
            Wombling Free
            FernGully: The Last Rainforest
            6.5
            FernGully: The Last Rainforest
            Dot and the Kangaroo
            7.0
            Dot and the Kangaroo
            The Amazing Mr. Blunden
            6.8
            The Amazing Mr. Blunden
            Waterbabies
            Waterbabies
            The Railway Children
            7.3
            The Railway Children
            The Elm-Chanted Forest
            8.0
            The Elm-Chanted Forest
            The Mouse and His Child
            6.8
            The Mouse and His Child
            Gay Purr-ee
            6.6
            Gay Purr-ee

            Storyline

            Edit

            Did you know

            Edit
            • Trivia
              The film was made and released about 115 years after its source novel of the same name by Charles Kingsley had been first published in its entirety in 1863.
            • Goofs
              When Tom and the lobster are singing "High Cockalorum" for the first time, Tom's mouth is opening and closing when he is not actually saying anything. Likewise, his mouth is shut when he is saying something.
            • Quotes

              Tom: [running back and forth on the roof] Me brush! Where's me brush! I'll get clouted if I can't find me brush!

            • Crazy credits
              The movie's opening credits summarizes in illustrations of "A Story of a Little Chimney Sweep in the Year 1850". While the chimney sweeper is climbing:
              • The live-action cast members is portrayed in oval picture frames.
              • For the "animated sequences" credits, it shows the design of Tom ( Tommy Pender ), in his underwater design, and the design of the Otter.
              The credits end at the top of the chimney, in which it cuts to the real chimney for the opening shot.
            • Connections
              Referenced in Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
            • Soundtracks
              The Water Babies
              Music by Phil Coulter

              Lyrics by Bill Martin

            User reviews39

            Review
            Review
            Featured review
            7/10
            Does anyone know where I can find a copy of this?
            I absolutely LOVED this movie as a child. I can't seem to find it anywhere! I was mentioning it to some friends just the other day, and not a single one of them remembers it! Can anyone help me out? My older sister vaguely remembers it. There was also another movie I remember that was half live action and half animation, but I can't remember the name of it. The characters were animated and the background was real...I seem to remember it being about a kangaroo, and I believe the setting of the film was in Australia. I'm going out of my mind trying to obtain copies of these films that were such a memorable part of my very enjoyable childhood. Edit: I searched IMDb for this other movie and found out it's called Dot and the Kangaroo! All I had to do was type in "kangaroo" in the search bar under characters, and the name of the movie in the list was like a bell going off! MAN, I love IMDb! Thanks!
            helpful•6
            4
            • jbangel78
            • Jul 19, 2005

            FAQ3

            • Is "The Water Babies" based on a book?
            • Is "The Water Babies" available for reading online?
            • What does "High Cockalorum" mean?

            Details

            Edit
            • Release date
              • June 15, 1979 (United States)
            • Countries of origin
              • Poland
              • United Kingdom
            • Language
              • English
            • Also known as
              • Der kleine Schornsteinfeger auf dem Meeresgrund
            • Filming locations
              • York, North Yorkshire, England, UK(Market scene)
            • Production companies
              • Ariadne
              • Studio Miniatur Filmowych
            • See more company credits at IMDbPro

            Technical specs

            Edit
            • Runtime
              1 hour 34 minutes
            • Color
              • Color
            • Sound mix
              • Mono
            • Aspect ratio
              • 1.66 : 1

            Related news

            Contribute to this page

            Suggest an edit or add missing content
            The Water Babies (1978)
            Top Gap
            By what name was The Water Babies (1978) officially released in Canada in English?
            Answer
            • See more gaps
            • Learn more about contributing
            Edit page

            More to explore

            Recently viewed

            Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
            Get the IMDb App
            Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
            • Get the IMDb App
            • Help
            • Site Index
            • IMDbPro
            • Box Office Mojo
            • IMDb Developer
            • Press Room
            • Advertising
            • Jobs
            • Conditions of Use
            • Privacy Policy
            • Your Ads Privacy Choices
            IMDb, an Amazon company

            © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.