Disney, Annette Funicello, and Babes in Toyland

Disney’s 1961 musical adaptation of the classic Babes in Toyland is a Technicolor wonderland filled with the classic cast of Mother Goose characters. However, Disney changed up the film a lot to make it its own. The plot and the songs for this version are pretty much unrecognizable from the classic operetta by Victor Hudson or the more popular 1934 Laurel and Hardy version. Directed by Jack Donohue, you can find the entire film here, though it is divide up into several 9 to 10 minute increments.

The difference in plot from the other versions become apparent early. The film begins with Mother Goose (Mary McCarty) inviting everyone to Mother Goose Village, where dwell characters like the Toymaker (Ed Wynn), Grumio (Tommy Kirk) and Simple Simon the Pie Man (Jerry Glenn). This time, it is Tom the Piper's son (Tommy Sands) and Mary Quite Contrary (Disney poster-girl Annette Funicello) who are to be married in a ceremony that has all of Toyland abuzz. However, the evil Barnaby (Ray Bolger) won't let this happen. He orders to have Tom kidnapped and killed and drives away Mary's sheep, which are tended to by Little Bo Peep (Ann Jillian). Without Tom and the sheep for income, Barnaby thinks he has Mary where he wants her. But his henchmen go behind his back, selling Tom to some gypsies who allow him to escape. Reunited, Mary and Tom must band together with the other characters of Toyland to defeat Barnaby once and for all.

The Disney version of Babes in Toyland is only the second film version, the other being the Laurel and Hardy version. This was the first Babes in Toyland in color, Technicolor to be precise, and was the most elaborately created. The costumes are unique and the stage play like setting with colorful set design is very cheery and Disney. It was the first live-action musical Disney produced and another wasn't made until the release of Mary Poppins in 1964. Disney was perhaps a little reluctant to produce a live-action musical after Babes in Toyland, which bombed at the box office despite heavy studio promotion. Despite this, Annette Funicello says that Babes in Toyland was her favorite film that she made.

A good article with extra links on this film can be found here, thanks to Nationmaster.com. Another basic analysis of the film can be found here, thanks to epinions.com. Also, the New York Times review of the film can be found here.

Laurel and Hardy in Toyland

Based on the classic operetta by famed composer Victor Herbet, the 1934 musical comedy Babes in Toyland, also known as The March of the Wooden Soldiers takes the original operetta, everyone's favorite nursery rhymes, and adds in Laurel and Hardy for extra hilarity. The original music is included in this film along with great production and the great comedy of Laurel and Hardy. To see this classic film in its entirity, you can watch it here from Classiccinemaonline.com.

The film opens with a scan of Toyland, a magical realm where the characters and stories of nursery rhymes, folk stories, and fairytales come to life with an intro by Mother Goose (Virginia Karns). Evil Silas Barnaby (Henry Brandon) wants to marry Bo Beep (Charlotte Henry), the beautiful eldest daughter of Mother Widow Peep (Florence Roberts), aka the Little Old Woman who lived in a shoe. When Bo Beep refuses to marry the creepy old guy Barnaby, he calls in Mother Peep's mortgage on her shoe. Mother Peep's two inept lodgers Stannie Dum (Stan Laurel) and Ollie Dum (Oliver Hardy) find out Mother Peep's mortgage is in trouble and help her pay for it with money they have gotten from their boss the Toymaker. Meanwhile, Bo Beep looks for her lost sheep and falls in love with the helpful Tom-Tom Piper (Felix Knight). When their plan to help Mother Peep fails, they switch Stannie Dum with Bo Beep at the marriage ceremony, infuriating Barnaby who then sets loose boogeymen to destroy toyland. It is then up to Stannie and Ollie to save Toyland.

This film features some amazing costuming, makeup effects, and set design, creating a realistic looking Toyland using the techonology available at the time. A lot of accidents happened during the making of this film. Stan Laurel fell of a platform and injured his right leg. Assistant Director Gordon Douglas fell from the Old Woman's shoe and injured his left leg. Kewpie Morgan, who played Old King Cole, ruptured muscles in his stomach because of his character's laughter. Hardy had to have his tonsils removed after filming wrapped and producer Hal Roach developed appendictis after filming. Early on, their is a monkey dressed up a lot like Mickey Mouse in the film. During the 1961 Disney remake of this film, two comedians impersonate Laurel and Hardy

More info on this film can be found here thanks to Clown-ministry.com. A filmsite for March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes in Toyland) can be found here, which gives some info on the film. Also, you can check out the Laurel and Hardy Fansite for more information on the comedic duo as well as their homepage.