I remember seeing this the first time when I was attending public school in Queens in the early 1960s. It was shown as a treat to the students at an extended G.O. assembly. I had not seen it when it came out in 1958 (I was only four) but I recall seeing Disney's PETER PAN about that time, so I cannot understand missing this film.

It was a fun film. The trick animation (which won an Oscar) was particularly good in the sequence when the toys came to life. It was probably influential with similar scenes in BABES IN TOYLAND in 1960. However, BABES IN TOYLAND had the benefit of the Disney studio, not to mention a wonderful Victor Herbert score. The score of tom thumb was not very memorable, except for the song that I quoted above, which had some of the silliest lyrics I can recall.

The film was actually more interesting than I would have known as a child. Besides George Pal's style in the film and the trick animation, it was one of the last musical films that had a major role for Jessie Matthews as tom's mother. In the U.S. Ms Matthews is not too well recalled, but she was the leading female musical comedy star in England in the 1930s. Her husband here is Sir Bernard Miles, who is better remembered as the villain in Hitchcock's remake of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. The star was Russ Tamblyn, finally in a starring role - a step beyond his performances in THE LAST HUNT and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and heading for his best performance in WEST SIDE STORY. The second lead, Alan Young, had already made ANDROCLES AND THE LION and AARON SLICK FROM PUNKIN CREEK, and (as he was here working with George Pal) would have his dramatically best role (or roles) in Pal's future masterwork THE TIME MACHINE. Young would also soon gain television immortality as "Wilbur Post" the friend of the talking horse MR. ED.

This film was one of the pairings of Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers in a comedy. As Tony and Ivan they are the greedy thieves who use tom to rob the town treasury, only to turn on each other in a fight that enables tom to trip them up. Terry-Thomas has a sharpened nose in his makeup, which is accentuated by his sharp crowned hat. Sellers in particular had interesting make-up in this film, fattened up to look particularly threatening in a greasy sort of way, and wearing a small derby hat. He has the best line in the film. When tom (still unaware of what crooks he is with) is inside the town treasury Tony/Terry-Thomas tells him to pass over a bag of gold. Which one, asks tom. "THE BIGGEST ONE!", shouts Ivan/Peter.

A timeless fantasy featuring the adventures of the world's smallest and best boy. There's some fun songs, decent acting and terrific special effects (for the time and era). This should delight most kids and is pleasant enough for most adults to enjoy as well. As the bumbling villains Ivan and Tony, Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers steal much of the show.

I watched this classic film many times a kid, I said to myself that I would love to see it again when I was grown up, so when the opportunity came I did not miss out, directed by George Pal (The Time Machine). Basically poor but honest woodcutter / lumberjack Jonathan aka "Honest John" (Bernard Miles) is chopping down a large old tree when he is stopped by a mystical Forest Queen (June Thorburn), she convinces him to spare the tree for a family of birds, she demonstrates her magic powers, and in gratitude grants him and his wife Anna (Jessie Matthews) three wishes. Unfortunately they squander the three wishes while squabbling over dinner, what they really wanted was a son they cannot have, they have a second bedroom full of toys and a crib for a child, Anna laments that they could have wished for a child, Jonathan consoles her that the Forest Queen may yet show kindness and grant them one more wish, Anna says she would love any child they have, "even if he was no bigger then her thumb." Later at night Jonathan and Anna are woken by a soft knocking at the door, there appears a young boy (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' Russ Tamblyn) who is literally the size of a thumb, he addresses them familiarly as "father" and "mother", Anna instinctively knows the boy's name is Tom, and they put him to bed happy that they finally have a child. In the morning Tom wakes in his crib and is greeted by the toys of the room, including Chinese doll Con-Fu-Shon (Dal McKennon), he explains that grown ups never see them coming to life, they celebrate Tom's arrival until they are interrupted by Jonathan and Anna. The next day Jonathan and Tom are travelling, family friend Woody (Alan Young, best known as Scrooge McDuck in DuckTales) takes Tom into town to the fair, there The Cobbler (Ian Wallace) provides him with "Talented Shoes" that keep dancing to music being played, then he is carried away on a balloon. At the top of the nearby treasury, thieves Ivan (BAFTA nominated Terry-Thomas) Antony (Peter Sellers) are trying to steal a bag of gold, they realise that due to his size Tom can help them, they convince him the money will be given to poor orphans. As a reward for his help Ivan gives Tom a single gold sovereign from the stolen loot, Tom is found by the Forest Queen, aka "Queenie" to Woody, they have an argument and she disappears in a mood, Tom is disheartened by causing trouble, and his parents are distraught over his disappearance, while sneaking through the window Tom accidentally drops the gold coin into a cake his mother has been baking. The next morning the robbery has been discovered, guards are searching for the culprits, they stop at the cottage to get out of the rain and have some breakfast, one of the guards bites into the cake and finds the gold coin, the guards recognise it as part of the stolen, and wrongly arrest Jonathan and Anna. Tom goes to find the real robbers, with the help of Woody they track down Ivan and Antony to an old castle, after knocking out Woody and fighting over the loot the thieves get away, but Tom has the ability to control the horse they are riding, they reach town, Ivan and Antony are arrested and the gold is returned. In the end Woody discovers the way to make Queenie human is to kiss her, after doing so it concludes with them getting married, and Tom wakes his own princess with the female cake decoration with whom he happily dances. Also starring Carry On's Peter Butterworth as Kapellmeister, Peter Bull as Town Crier and Stan Freberg as The Yawning Man. Acrobatic dancer Tamblyn is likable as the tiny hero who brings joy and happiness to his elderly parents, Young is a little out of place as the slow-witted friend, and Thomas and Sellers are great as the hissable pantomime villains. Based on the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, this film is full of bright colour, the stop-motion animation for the toys coming to life and all components to shrink the hero are well done, the songs are all enjoyable, especially "Tom Thumb's Tune" and The Yawning Man (which does work to make you yawn as you sing along), this is splendid entertainment for all ages, an enjoyable fantasy musical. It won the Oscar for Best Special Effects, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical. Very good!