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Thumbelina
Fox // G // February 19, 2002
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Many are familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale of a tiny girl who sets out to find others like her. Born out of a flower, Thumbelina (voiced by Jodi Benson), finally meets a Prince just like her, but before things start to happen, she's stolen away by Mrs. Toad, who wants her to be a bride for one of her sons, leading to several adventures with sub-Disney characters. Whether or not Thumbelina will ever find her way home is the story's main point, but I'm not sure if anyone but those under 10 will be that involved.
Former Disney animator Don Bluth is responsible for directing this animated effort. I've liked many of Bluth's pictures, from the classic "Secret of Nimh" to "Anastasia". Even the recent pricey failure "Titan AE" was a fun and entertaining "Star Wars"-ish animated adventure. "Thumbelina", on the other hand, doesn't even seem very much like a Bluth feature at all.
The animation is flat and, while colorful, generally dull. The screenplay, by Bluth, is filled with irritating supporting characters and bland dialogue. Most of the story seems focused on what forest creature will jump out next and try to propose to Thumbelina. Worse off, composer Barry Manilow is responsible for a host of songs that sound as if they were rejected from a Disney feature. Jodi Benson provides respectable voice-work as Thumbelina, but I didn't find any of the other actors to be particularly enjoyable in their roles.
Kids may find this animated adaptation enjoyable, but personally, I thought it was very dissapointing, coming from Bluth, whose "Secret Of Nimh" I still find brilliant.
Note: This disc was originally released by Warner Brothers. That edition has apparently gone out of print. This new release is from 20th Century Fox.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Thumbelina" is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with an additional full-frame presentation on the flip-side of the dual-sided disc. The anamorphic widescreen edition is generally good, but there are a few blemishes in Fox's presentation that I saw. A thin layer of grain seemed to be visible during a fair amount of the picture, taking away from the detail of the image. A few minor print flaws in the form of specks were also seen during a few scenes. Sharpness and general definition was otherwise pleasant, if unexceptional, as this certainly didn't seem to be the most detailed or beautiful of Bluth's often-striking animated features.
On a positive note, colors looked terrific. They appeared bright, bold and vivid, with very little in the way of smearing or any other problems. Overall, this is a nice transfer, although it's not entirely without a few very slight problems.
SOUND: The Dolby 2.0 presentation is adequate and covers the material in a satisfactory fashion. The Barry Manilow songs sound crisp and clear, while dialogue is well-recorded.
MENUS: Basic menus with images from the film as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The back of the box lists a featurette that's nowhere to be found on the disc. However, the two TV spots are included, as well as trailers for 5 other Fox titles: "Baby's Day Out", "Ferngully", "Man From Snowy River", "Pagemaster" and "Sandlot".
Final Thoughts: Bluth's adaptation of the Andersen tale is one of the animator's least interesting features, providing uninvolving (and in a few cases, irritating) characters and dialogue. The animation isn't even up to the usual Bluth standards. Fox's DVD edition provides fine audio/video quality and minimal extras. Those who enjoyed the film will probably be fairly pleased with the basic edition, which also carries a low retail price. Others who haven't seen it should rent first.
Many are familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale of a tiny girl who sets out to find others like her. Born out of a flower, Thumbelina (voiced by Jodi Benson), finally meets a Prince just like her, but before things start to happen, she's stolen away by Mrs. Toad, who wants her to be a bride for one of her sons, leading to several adventures with sub-Disney characters. Whether or not Thumbelina will ever find her way home is the story's main point, but I'm not sure if anyone but those under 10 will be that involved.
Former Disney animator Don Bluth is responsible for directing this animated effort. I've liked many of Bluth's pictures, from the classic "Secret of Nimh" to "Anastasia". Even the recent pricey failure "Titan AE" was a fun and entertaining "Star Wars"-ish animated adventure. "Thumbelina", on the other hand, doesn't even seem very much like a Bluth feature at all.
The animation is flat and, while colorful, generally dull. The screenplay, by Bluth, is filled with irritating supporting characters and bland dialogue. Most of the story seems focused on what forest creature will jump out next and try to propose to Thumbelina. Worse off, composer Barry Manilow is responsible for a host of songs that sound as if they were rejected from a Disney feature. Jodi Benson provides respectable voice-work as Thumbelina, but I didn't find any of the other actors to be particularly enjoyable in their roles.
Kids may find this animated adaptation enjoyable, but personally, I thought it was very dissapointing, coming from Bluth, whose "Secret Of Nimh" I still find brilliant.
Note: This disc was originally released by Warner Brothers. That edition has apparently gone out of print. This new release is from 20th Century Fox.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Thumbelina" is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with an additional full-frame presentation on the flip-side of the dual-sided disc. The anamorphic widescreen edition is generally good, but there are a few blemishes in Fox's presentation that I saw. A thin layer of grain seemed to be visible during a fair amount of the picture, taking away from the detail of the image. A few minor print flaws in the form of specks were also seen during a few scenes. Sharpness and general definition was otherwise pleasant, if unexceptional, as this certainly didn't seem to be the most detailed or beautiful of Bluth's often-striking animated features.
On a positive note, colors looked terrific. They appeared bright, bold and vivid, with very little in the way of smearing or any other problems. Overall, this is a nice transfer, although it's not entirely without a few very slight problems.
SOUND: The Dolby 2.0 presentation is adequate and covers the material in a satisfactory fashion. The Barry Manilow songs sound crisp and clear, while dialogue is well-recorded.
MENUS: Basic menus with images from the film as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The back of the box lists a featurette that's nowhere to be found on the disc. However, the two TV spots are included, as well as trailers for 5 other Fox titles: "Baby's Day Out", "Ferngully", "Man From Snowy River", "Pagemaster" and "Sandlot".
Final Thoughts: Bluth's adaptation of the Andersen tale is one of the animator's least interesting features, providing uninvolving (and in a few cases, irritating) characters and dialogue. The animation isn't even up to the usual Bluth standards. Fox's DVD edition provides fine audio/video quality and minimal extras. Those who enjoyed the film will probably be fairly pleased with the basic edition, which also carries a low retail price. Others who haven't seen it should rent first.
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