''Babes in Toyland'' is a 1997 American Christmas

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

based on the 1903 operetta. Directed by

Charles Grosvenor Charles Grosvenor (born June 2, 1952) is an American film director. Early work Originally from Hillsdale, New Jersey, he moved to Los Angeles in 1978 to work in the animation industry, at a time when most of the work was still being done in the ...

, Toby Bluth, and Paul Sabella, the film stars Joseph Ashton,

Lacey Chabert Lacey Nicole Chabert ( ; born September 30, 1982) is an American actress. One of her first roles was playing Erica Kane's daughter on ''All My Children''. She was the third actress to play Bianca Montgomery, playing the part from 1992 until 1993. ...

, Raphael Sbarge,

Cathy Cavadini Catherine Janet Cavadini is an American voice actress. She is most well known as the original voice of Blossom on Cartoon Network's animated television series ''The Powerpuff Girls'', and as and Tanya Mousekewitz in '' An American Tail: Fieve ...

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

Susan Silo Susan Silo (born July 27, 1942) is an American actress who is known for her work in voice-over roles. Early life Susan Silo was born in New York City. Both her parents were actors. Career Her acting career started in television on the episo ...

James Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security'' ...

Bronson Pinchot Bronson Alcott Pinchot (; born May 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the ABC sitcom '' Perfect Strangers'' (1986–93). He also performed in films, such as ''Risky Business'' (1983), ''Beverly Hills ...

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

and Lindsay Schnebly. It was released direct-to-video in the United States.

Plot

It's three days before Christmas, as the conductor aboard the Toyland Express,

Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. ...

(

), meets two children, Jill and Jack (

and Joseph Ashton), who are on their way to Toyland. After meeting Tom Piper ( Raphael Sbarge) and Mary (

), who runs her late father's toy factory, they go to live with their uncle, the evil Barnaby Crookedman (

), who despises toys and keeps Jack and Jill in the tower. He has plans to shut down the toy factory, and earlier shot down Tom's hot air balloon as he was flying over the Goblin Forest in an attempt to get him eaten by goblins (and is quite shocked to see him alive). Jack and Jill sneak out and go to the Toy Factory, which had received a big order from

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

requesting a thousand giant toy soldiers. Just as Jack and Jill offer to help, Barnaby takes them back to the tower of his house and threatens to send them to the Goblin Forest if they go near the toy factory again. Shortly afterward, he hires two crooks (the

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

) named Gonzargo and Rodrigo (

and

) to sabotage the toy factory. Jack and Jill sneak out and go to the toy factory again, where Gonzargo and Rodrigo, disguised as sheep, drop a

monkey wrench The monkey wrench is a type of adjustable wrench, a 19th century American refinement of 18th-century English coach wrenches. It was widely used in the 19th and early 20th century. It is of interest as an antique among tool collectors and is sti ...

into one of the machines, Jack manages to remove it before the machine can explode. Jack and Jill immediately suspect Gonzargo and Rodrigo, though believing them to be sheep, and chase after them, resulting in Rodrigo and Gonzargo being knocked into a well by a ram and Jack and Jill, respectively, get knocked down by an empty pail and fall down the hill ''again.'' Barnaby catches Jack and Jill and orders Gonzargo and Rodrigo, who expose the children's interference with the sabotage, to take them to the Goblin Forest. There, they meet the mysterious Goblin King (Lindsay Schnebly) who tries eat Gonzargo and Rodrigo. Mr. Dumpty informs Tom and Mary, who go to the forest to rescue them. As the goblins are weak against light, they use a flashlight to fight them off and escape. Barnaby knocks Mr. Dumpty over a bridge (while giving a mockery saying of the nursery rhyme which bears the egg's name) for the key to the factory and tries to enter it, but is stopped by Tom, Mary, Jack, Jill, Gonzargo, and Rodrigo, and is forced to retreat. As Tom and Mary finish the Toy Factory's order and fall in love, Barnaby leads the goblins to Toyland, where they invade, setting fire to the buildings and roasting Gonzargo and Rodrigo on a spit. Tom activates the toy soldiers, who soundly defeat the goblins and put out the fire, saving all of Toyland (including Gonzargo and Rodrigo). As Barnaby insults the Goblin King, who tries to kill him, but Jack, Jill, and all the toy soldiers shine lights on him, destroying the Goblin King. Barnaby calls him a "pathetic

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

", and the other goblins confront him and chase him off, out of Toyland (though whether they finally catch him and eat him is unclear). Finally Christmas arrives; Tom has repaired Mr. Dumpty. Santa magically shrinks the toy soldiers down to the size of action figures and loads them into his bag. He notices Barnaby's cat, Scat, who is now homeless since Barnaby's disappearance; he picks her up and pets her. Jill asks for Scat, and just as she gets her, Santa continues on his journey. In the end, Jack and Jill become the adopted children of Tom and Mary.

Cast

as Jill * Joseph Ashton as Jack * Raphael Sbarge as Tom Piper *

as Mary *

as Mr. Humpty Dumpty *

as Scat *

Jim Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom '' According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include '' Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security' ...

as Gonzargo *

as Rodrigo *

as Barnaby Crookedman * Lindsay Schnebly as Goblin King *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' ...

Beth Anderson (singer) Beth Andersen (born 1954) is an American singer and voice actress from Lexington, Kentucky. Andersen's first notable release was the song "Dance Dance Dance" which appeared in the 1983 film '' Scarface'' as well as on its soundtrack. "Dance Da ...

Amick Byram Amick Byram (born January 24, 1955) is an American tenor, a recording artist and two-time Grammy nominee. A native of McLennan County, Texas, Byram is a well-known sessions artist in Los Angeles, California, He was best known for providing the sin ...

/ Susan Boyd / Jon Joyce as additional voices (uncredited) * Randy Crenshaw / Kevin Dorsey / Gary Falcone as Singing candles (uncredited)

Musical numbers

# "Toyland" – Mr. Humpty Dumpty # "Mr. Humpty Dumpty's Toyland / The Aerial Ballet" – Mr. Humpty Dumpty # "Dream" – Jack, Jill, Tom Piper and Mary # "The Factory Song" – Tom Piper, Mary and Company # "A Crooked Man" – Barnaby Crookedman # "The Worst Is Yet to Come" – Gonzargo and Rodrigo # "It's You" – Tom Piper, and Mary # "Toyland" (reprise) – Mr. Humpty Dumpty

Release

MGM/UA Home Video MGM/UA may refer to: *Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, American film and television production and distribution company **United Artists, American film and television studio, now a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer * MGM/UA Home Video, the home video arm of Met ...

released ''Babes in Toyland'' direct-to-video on October 14, 1997 when this film was actually meant to be released to theaters.

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' rated it 3/5 stars and called it "fine entertainment for its intended audience". In criticizing its old source material as irrelevant to modern audiences, Bill Gibron of

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose revie ...

described it as "a waste of time and talent".

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babes In Toyland (1997 film) 1997 animated films 1997 direct-to-video films 1990s American animated films 1990s fantasy adventure films 1990s musical comedy films 1990s musical films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated fantasy films American direct-to-video films American children's animated musical films American Christmas comedy films American coming-of-age films American fantasy adventure films American musical comedy films American musical fantasy films Animated Christmas films Animated coming-of-age films Animated films about orphans 1990s English-language films Direct-to-video animated films Films about child abduction Films about children Animated films about siblings Films about toys Films directed by Charles Grosvenor Films scored by Mark Watters Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer direct-to-video films Films about sentient toys 1990s Christmas comedy films 1997 comedy films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation films Animated films about trains Films directed by Paul Sabella