The Daydreamer [Blu-ray]

Overview

Four stories from Hans Christian Andersen appear in The Daydreamer, a feature using the Animagic process that uses live action combined with stop-motion puppets. Included are "The Little Mermaid," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "Thumbelina," and "The Garden Of Paradise." Songs and dances compliment an international all-star cast of voices used for the characters. Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, Burl Ives, Hayley Mills, Boris Karloff, Cyril Ritchard, Patty Duke, Terry-Thomas and Victor Borge join Ed Wynn in his second-to-last screen role. This was the last film in which fans would hear the voices of Sessue Hayakawa and Tallulah Bankhead. Director Jules Bass provided the lyrics, with Murray Law providing the music for this entertaining children's fantasy.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/18/2021
UPC:	0738329253714
Original Release:	1966
Rating:	NR
Source:	Scorpion Releasing
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	7,495

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Patty Duke	Thumbelina
Hayley Mills	The Little Mermaid
Boris Karloff	The Rat
Burl Ives	Father Neptune
Ray Bolger	The Pieman
Tallulah Bankhead	The Sea Witch
Victor Borge	The Second Tailor
Cyril Ritchard	The Sandman
Paul O'Keefe	Hans Christian Andersen
Jack Gilford	Papa Andersen
Margaret Hamilton	Mrs. Klopplebobbler
Terry-Thomas	The First Tailor
Ed Wynn	The Emperor
Sessue Hayakawa	The Mole
Billie Richards	Voices
Robert Goulet	The Singer

Technical Credits

Arthur Rankin Jr.

Jules Bass	Director
Arthur Rankin Jr.	Producer,Screenwriter
Joseph Levine	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass carved a successful niche for themselves and their "animagic" stop-motion animation process in such television outings as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Their attempts at crossing over to the big screen, however, were less successful. The Daydreamer is not bad, but it's also not up to the level of Disney or most other studios attempting animation at the same time. By modern day standards, the animation is technically primitive, but even in comparison with other Rankin-Bass productions Daydreamer's "animagic" is a little sloppy (especially in those segments involving water). The live-action wraparound sequences are awkward and rather trying, and the film as a whole tends to drag. On the positive side, the "Emperor's New Clothes" section is quite good, helped enormously by Ed Wynn's marvelous Emperor and the thieves of Terry-Thomas and Victor Borge. The vocal talent throughout is of very high quality; rarely has an animated film boasted such a stellar line-up. The whimsical score is also a plus, with special mention going to the title song and the delightful "Isn't it Cozy Here," and the creators deserve credit for keeping intact the rather melancholy, downbeat air associated with Hans Christian Andersen. If they had also captured his magic, this might have been a special picture. Rankin and Bass would attempt one more feature production, the strange Mad Monster Party, a year later.