Actors: Ray Bolger, Ed Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, Ann Jilliann
Directors: Jack Donohue
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Run Time: 106 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A
“Babes in Toyland (1961)” is timed perfectly for the Holiday season. This is the first time that this film has been released on Blu-ray. The 1080p transfer looks sharp on this release. Disney has delivered the good for for a film that over 50 years old, it doesn’t show it’s age. The production scale is so memorable and really doesn’t skimp on quality. A little trivia about the film is that this was Disney’s first live-action musical fantasy…and who doesn’t love a nice Disney musical, especially a holiday themed one! This was also produced by Walt Disney himself. This is a perfect film to get in the mood for the holidays!
Official Synopsis: Tom the Piper’s Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary’s sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, thus depriving Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep arestolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby’s henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.
Like I mentioned the video transfer is sharp for “Babes in Toyland”, which is also presented with an original aspect ratio of 1:33:1. The new digital restoration really delivers the goods and does not disappoint. The audio track is not as impressive though as the video transfer with its Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono surround track. I would have liked to see a little more effort in the audio department here. Also to add insult to injury there are no special features included as well, which really makes this release feel more like a port then an upgrade. This is still worth the low-price for this Blu-ray though, especially for hardcore Disney fans.
