Babes in Toyland is a 1961 American Christmas musical film directed by Jack Donohue and distributed to theaters by Buena Vista Distribution. It stars Ray Bolger as Barnaby, Tommy Sands as Tom Piper, Annette Funicello as Mary Contrary, and Ed Wynn as the Toymaker.
The film is based upon Victor Herbert’s popular 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland. There had been a 1934 film also titled Babes in Toyland starring Laurel and Hardy, and three television adaptations prior to the Disney film, but Disney’s was only the second film version of the operetta released to movie theatres and the first in Technicolor. The plot, and in some cases the music, bear little resemblance to the original, as Disney had most of the lyrics rewritten and some of the song tempos drastically changed, including the memorable song “Toyland”, a slow ballad, which was sped up with only the chorus sung in a march-like rhythm.
via Wikipedia
This little piece of nostalgia is what I grew up watching in the 80s. It’s a musical with very cartoonish action sequences, such as large, inappropriate hammers, sinking into a puddle, and nearly being pulled into a piggy bank.
It is a fun little romp through Toyland, the world of Mother Goose and her nursery rhymes. Where the characters come to life and live happy little lives. So happy in fact they’re about to have a wedding between Mary Contrary and Tom Piper, but someone in Toyland is not at all happy about the wedding and makes plans to derail it entirely.
And this is all done to music, because of course, this a musical with lots of dancing, singing, and frolicking. Yes they do frolic. It’s family friendly fun.
My Rating: ★★★★
Fellowship of Filming(s) 
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