Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina

UPC: 024543029298

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Child Classic, Excellent For Children]

Summary: The voices of Carol Channing, John Hurt, Jodi Benson and Gilbert Gottfried help bring this wonderful Hans Christian Andersen story to life. Barry Manilow contributed heavily to the film's music. Children still seem to enjoy this story about a young girl who was the size of a human thumb. She was kidnapped by a toad, just when she hoped to continue her life with Cornelius the Fairy Prince. This is a good "family film" with few, if any, parts that might be considered questionable for children. Kids are likely to enjoy how Gilbert Gottfried does the voice of a strange beetle and how Carol Channing breathes life into Ms. Fieldmouse. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Features: ccFeaturette
TV spots
Interactive menus
Scene selection
Presented in both Widescreen and Pan & Scan
Anamorphic widescreen (aspect ratio 1.78:1)
Audio: English Dolby surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 02/22/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen, 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 86 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Pan & Scan
1. Main Titles [1:35]
2. Follow Your Heart Intro [2:24]
3. Once Upon a Time [1:25]
4. Thumbelina [3:05]
5. A Fairy Prince [4:07]
6. Going for a Spin [4:08]
7. Kidnapped [:26]
8. On the Road [4:59]
9. Follow Your Heart [3:59]
10. With the Toads [2:02]
11. Mr. Beetle [6:02]
12. Yer Beautiful Baby [3:23]
13. Show Us Your Wings [:19]
14. Mr. Bettle's Idea [:36]
15. The Prince in Ice [2:08]
16. Soon [2:12]
17. Under Ground [3:50]
18. Marry the Mole [2:12]
19. The Vale of the Fairies [2:57]
20. End Titles [1:26]
Side #2 -- Widescreen
1. Main Titles [1:35]
2. Follow Your Heart Intro [2:24]
3. Once Upon a Time [1:25]
4. Thumbelina [3:05]
5. A Fairy Prince [4:07]
6. Going for a Spin [4:08]
7. Kidnapped [:26]
8. On the Road [4:59]
9. Follow Your Heart [3:59]
10. With the Toads [2:02]
11. Mr. Beetle [6:02]
12. Yer Beautiful Baby [3:23]
13. Show Us Your Wings [:19]
14. Mr. Bettle's Idea [:36]
15. The Prince in Ice [2:08]
16. Soon [2:12]
17. Under Ground [3:50]
18. Marry the Mole [2:12]
19. The Vale of the Fairies [2:57]
20. End Titles [1:26]

Craig Butler

Disney's revitalization of its animation department in the late 1980s -- and their subsequent huge box office returns -- created a boom period for animated features from other sources as well, although few found significant financial success. Thumbelina, produced in the middle of this period, is another frustrating offering from director/animator Don Bluth. Clearly a talented cartoonist, Bluth has produced few films that realize their promise, and Thumbelina is no exception. The film's biggest problem is its screenplay, which is so freely drawn from the Andersen fairy tale as to have almost nothing in common with it beyond the idea of a tiny girl. The movie also discards the fragile delicacy of the fairy tale in favor of broad humor and hackneyed plotting. In addition, the story Bluth and Willard Carroll have devised centers around one of the most passive characters ever created for a film. Aside from her size, there is nothing distinctive about Thumbelina, and the adult viewer eventually grows tired of her, despite a fine effort from Jodi Benson. Matters are not helped by the ho-hum Barry Manilow score, which contains only one decent number ("Let Me Be Your Wings.") As usual with Bluth, the animation is superior to the story, but while it contains a number of interesting sequences, too much of it is merely serviceable. In addition to Benson, good supporting work is turned in by Carol Channing, Gilbert Gottfried and Charo. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Joe Lynch  Actor 
Pat Musick  Actor 
Neil Ross  Actor 
Danny Mann  Actor 
Neil Ross  Actor 
Gary Imhoff  Actor 
Kenneth Mars  Actor 
Will Ryan  Actor 
Don Bluth  Director 
Don Bluth  Producer 
Don Bluth  Screenwriter 
Willard Carroll  Screenwriter 
Jack Feldman  Composer (Music Score) 
Gary Goldman  Director 
Gary Goldman  Producer 
Mark Isham  Composer (Music Score) 
Barry Manilow  Composer (Music Score) 
John Pomeroy  Producer 
William Ross  Composer (Music Score) 
Bruce Sussman  Composer (Music Score) 
Jodi Benson  Actor 
Carol Channing  Actor 
Charo  Actor 
Gino Conforti  Actor 
Barbara Cook  Actor 
Kendall Cunningham  Actor 
June Foray  Actor 
Tawny Sunshine Glover  Actor 
Gilbert Gottfried  Actor 
John Hurt  Actor 

Country: USA