Could you fit more big stars (or their voices) into one film? i don't think so. too many to list right here, but if you aren't familiar, take a minute and check out the cast list. incredible This is a great mix of live action and animated stop motion action of critters and characters. and some fun special effects. stars a 15 year old Paul O'Keefe as "Chris", a danish boy who goes on daydreams and adventures. He's supposed to be studying, but has big dreams of money and success. O'Keefe had been appearing on the Patty Duke Show before this, and they would appear together in this one. When he's animated, the characters look just like the guys in all the christmas specials, (very round heads, lots of big beards) which were also a specialty of director Jules Bass. and of course, there's the connection to Irving Berlin. He had written the music for so many christmas shows. animated Christ spurns the love of the mermaid (Hayley Mills) and goes on to other adventures. it gets kind of tedious after a while, but we're seeing all the characters in the stories from Hans Andersen. definitely made for the kids. it's all right. kids will love it! Directed by Jules Bass; he was BIG in animation and music.. made so many of the christmas specials we all watched growing up.

I'd wanted to see this rather badly for years - maybe that was the reason, when I finally got my hands on the DVD, that it was a let-down. Too-high expectations. It's nice to see the Rankin/Bass team NOT cashing in on a holiday, of course. We're treated to an all-to-brief bit of Jack Gilford's "imitation of a pot of pea soup coming to a boil" that was one of his signature pieces, early in his career. The vocal talents are, for the most part, a delight: Tallulah Bankhead as the Sea Witch has a field day with the little she has to work with; Ed Wynn, as the unclothed Emperor, is very funny, though at times he sounds like he's reading from the script, while Terry-Thomas is perfect as the first tailor; Victor Borge, though, seems a bit subdued as his partner; Boris Karloff, perfect as the Rat, makes full use of his mellifluous voice and long experience in radio and voice-over work.

But those are the real hi-lights. The rest sort of fade out of memory. There are some extremely effective sequences - the Little Mermaid's journey to the lair of the Sea Witch, for example, would have had me under my seat, if I'd seen it in the theater as a child - but many of the other voice actors (well, all of them really) seem wasted in their roles. The performances are fine, but it's like being at a buffet where you only get a small taste of the delicacies - you want more.

I think that's part of the problem here. Another is the number of Anderson stories drawn upon - none of them has the time to build any depth, and none of them provides a real sense of resolution. Added to that is the parade of stars. Ray Bolger as the Pieman - the point of this was... what? He doesn't get to do much of what made him a great performer.

All of which is to say that THE DAYDREAMER isn't a bad little film - but it isn't a very good little film either.