edwagreen A nice children's picture where the story of Tom Thumb is brought to the screen and Russ Tamblyn, who was Oscar nominated the year before for the blockbuster "Peyton Place," and who also appeared in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," that same year was perfect for the part of small Tom.Granted as a wish by his childless parents, Tom immediately sings and dances his way into the hearts of the viewers.Peggy Lee must be given credit for writing the songs for this film and Terry Thomas and Peter Sellers steal the film with their villain roles.A little tedious at times, especially near the film's end, the picture brings joy to our youngsters.

JohnHowardReid Special photographic effects: Tom Howard. Camera operator: Denys Coop. Set continuity: Angela Martelli. Music director: Muir Mathieson. Choreographer: Alex Romero. Animators: Gene Warren, Wah Chang, Don Sahlin, Herb Johnson. Sound recording supervisor: A.W. Watkins. Mr. Pal's assistant: Gae Griffith. Executive producer: Matthew Raymond. Producer: George Pal. Associate producer: Dora Wright. Photographed in a hard matte 1.85:1 aspect ratio.Songs: "Tom Thumb's Tune" and "Are You a Dream?" by Peggy Lee; "The Talented Shoes" and "After All These Years" by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre; "The Yawning Song" by Fred Spielman and Kermit Goell. Available on an excellent Warner Home Video DVD. Copyright 1958 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture, filmed at M-G-M British Studios, Boreham Wood, Herts., England. A George Pal Production for Galaxy Pictures. U.S. release: 23 December 1958. New York opening at neighborhood theaters as the top half of a double bill with Andy Hardy Comes Home: 23 December 1958. U.K. release: 21 December 1958. Australian release: Not recorded. 8,300 feet. 92 minutes.NOTES: Negative cost: $900,000.COMMENT: This is one of those films that believe in the principle that if you're making a kiddies' film, you have to talk down to your tiny tot audience. The acting is all grossly exaggerated and hammy in the extreme, the worst offenders being Bernard Miles, — who has about as much charm and presence and suitability for the role as a church warden at a boxing match, — Terry Thomas and Peter Sellers. June Thorburn is not much better. Admittedly, all these players are hampered by the corny script. Jessie Matthews is probably just as bad but the pleasure of seeing her again after all these years makes up for a lot. Russ Tamblyn, however, acts and dances with plenty of bounce, though he is not well served by some very obvious and crudely matted special effects. Alan Young gives a pointer as to how the script should be played with a charming approach, not so much tongue-in-cheek as not taking himself or the story too seriously. When he loses Tom at the fair, he is not seriously alarmed and doesn't make out with a whole lot of synthetic, phony theatrics. He acts naturally. However, the real joys of "Tom Thumb" are the songs and the musical and dance numbers and all the business with the animated toys — business which manages to get by on its novelty appeal rather than the skill of the animators.Aside from the fuzziness in the special effect sequences, the film is attractively colored and photographed. The sets are nice and production values first class. Pal's first directorial effort shows a bit of skill and imagination though a great deal of the dialogue spots are directed in a straightforwardly routine style. Still the film certainly has its moments — for example, the camera panning to the opening under the door as Tom knocks — despite its crudely matted effects and even the use of an obvious doll for Tom in some scenes.

Bill Slocum Some children's musicals have an ageless quality, both in terms of the time they were made and their ability to appeal to audiences at various points in life. Think "The Wizard Of Oz," "Gay Purr-ee," "Mary Poppins," and a slew of recent Disney films.Then there's "tom thumb." A children's movie of and for its time, "tom thumb" was a big hit when it was released in 1958 and remained a holiday offering for regional TV channels a couple of decades later. Today, however, it stands out, at least to this pair of older eyes, more as a curio, a showcase for some impressive special effects, a directorial debut for kid-film king George Pal, and Peter Sellers' first appearance in an international screen role as Antony, one of a pair of villains (alongside Terry-Thomas, who as Ivan has the bigger part here).Terry-Thomas got his only British Academy Award nomination for his work here, though neither he nor Sellers stand out especially. Sellers in particular plays his part too heavy, both in manner and in costume. The comedy in Ladislas Fodor's script is too twee, and slow-paced in an apparent effort to keep even the youngest audience member from losing the plot. It's not much of a plot, either. To the extent "tom thumb" strives to be diverting, it succeeds, but at the expense of offering more lasting entertainment.More central to the film, and to its relative merits, are Russ Tamblyn as the title character, a cheerful if gullible youngster who arrives at Acorn Cottage, home of Honest John (Bernard Miles) and his wife Anne (Jessie Matthews). The childless couple is so desperate for a little boy that they fill an empty bedroom with a myriad of expensive-looking toys while contenting themselves to dine on cabbage."I'd love him with all my heart, even if he were no bigger than my thumb," Anne says. Tom, as it turns out, is bigger than that, but only by about an inch.If "tom thumb" had been made today, there would have been more made of the boy's arrival, in terms of his adopted parents adjusting to the reality of their little treasure. But in true fairy-tale style, they take to Tom quite matter-of-factly. The film spends its first 45 minutes celebrating Tom's new place in life, centered on a long dancing sequence between Tom and his new toys, who embodying a tradition cemented by the "Toy Story" films, only spring to life when the adults are away. It's a great sequence, even if it does nothing in the way of forwarding a plot. Children today I think will still enjoy this part, anyway.The second half of the movie centers on Tom's difficulty overcoming the machinations of Antony and Ivan. He's suckered by the pair when they use his small size to burgle the village vault. Then, when his parents are blamed for the theft, Tom must uncover the real crooks and bring them to justice.The film still looks gorgeous, shot it seems on a set similar to that used in "The Wizard Of Oz." The theme song is nice, though overplayed. The rest of the songs are flat on delivery, and that goes double for the other main storyline here, a romance between Woody, a goofy musician (Alan Young), and the magical woodland creature called the Forest Queen (June Thorburn) who brought Tom to John and Anne in the first place. Whenever Woody and Queenie come on screen, you know kids of all ages will be ready to forsake the lovebirds for Angry Birds.But Tamblyn's unaffected sincerity and enthusiasm keep "tom thumb" from being a total drag. Pal's direction definitely works at striking the right balance between menace and humor, even if there's not much on screen either to be scared of or laugh at.I liked this film more for seeing Sellers try out some early physical comedy, knowing he stood here on the verge of a five-year run that would be the envy of any comedian of the sound era. It's disappointing in its limitations, but affecting in the way it encapsulates the notion of children's entertainment in a more innocent age.

Neil Doyle The talented RUSS TAMBLYN does a superb job of singing, dancing and acting while playing the title role of the miniature boy presented as a gift to a woodsman and his wife by a woodland spirit. They treat him as their own son and the film revolves around his misadventures after his parents are wrongly accused of a crime and he must find the real culprits (TERRY-THOMAS and PETER SELLERS) in time for a happy ending.The trick photography is marvelous, the toys that come to life are inventive and fun, the interaction between Tom and all the other townspeople is well done--and this was all before the CGI effects we have today.There's a lot of charm to several musical numbers, especially one called "Yawning Man," and all of the song-and-dance numbers are done in rollicking style. Songstress Peggy Lee wrote several clever songs.Well worth watching, a family film that can be enjoyed by adults or children. Tamblyn's talents are given full reign in this one.