The Phantom Tollbooth

(aka The Adventures of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth)
(1970, U.S.) color 90 minutes
Animation Visual Arts / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Story: Norton Juster (from his book)
Screenplay: Charles M. Jones, Sam Rosen
Original Music: Dean Elliott
Songs: Lee Pockriss
Cinematography: Lester Shorr
Production Design: Maurice Noble
Produced by Les Goldman, Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow
Directed by Chuck Jones, Abe Levitow, Dave Monahan

with: Butch Patrick (Milo)

voices: Mel Blanc (Officer Short Shrift/The Word Speller/The Dodecahedron/The Demon of Insincerity), Daws Butler (Whether Man), Candy Candido (Awful DYNN ), Hans Conried (King Azaz/The MathemaGician ), June Foray (Ralph//Reason ), Patti Gilbert (Princess of Pure Reason/Princess of Sweet Rhyme ), Shepard Menken (Tick Tock the Watch Dog ), Cliff Norton (Spelling Bee/Senses Taker ), Larry Thor (Kakofonous A. Dischord ), Les Tremayne (Humbug )

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SYNOPSIS: Shy, bored Milo is a sensitive and inquisitive adolescent. He lives an isolated life in a big apartment in an unnamed city. He calls his friend on the phone one day, and complains about his boring and unstimulating life. Suddenly, Milo is startled by the arrival of a giant package containing a "Phantom Tollbooth." This "Phantom Tollbooth" announces that it is the answer to Milo's boredom. Milo drives his kiddy car into the Tollbooth, and is changed into a cartoon character. Milo enters a wonderful and strange animated universe where he meets Tock the Watchdog. Together, they see the "Whether" man, fall into the "Doldrums," stumble into Dictionopolis and the Kingdom of Numbers, and try to save "Rhyme and Reason," the "royalty" of the two kingdoms of Words and Numbers. Milo and his pals eventually save "rhyme and reason." Another car shows up. Milo hops in and returns to the land of the living. Watching the "Phantom Tollbooth" gather itself up and fly out of the window, Milo realizes that he has the greatest gift of all - the thirst for knowledge. Milo then goes outside to play in the warm, warm sun.

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THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH is a curious hyrbid of the 1960's, one of several films combining live action sequences with animation (ALICE IN WONDERLAND, 1950, and THE DAYDREAMER, 1966 come to mind). While not completely successful, TOLLBOOTH wins points for sheer audacity, and there are many moments which make the film an enjoyable treat.

Both the movie and the original book emphasize the importance of language and logic, and this heavy-handed educational perspective is one of the movie's downfalls. While the animated kingdoms are wonderful to look at, much of the information passed on was probably common knowledge to most of the childhood audience, and so stopped the narrative dead in its tracks. Indeed, the overall moralizing tone, more pronounced in the film than in the original Norton Juster book, gets to be a bit heavy-handed.

However, the Chuck Jones animation is terrific, as one might expect, although one wonders how the films might have fared better if the original Jules Feiffer character designs were kept. Tock features the smarmy mouth of many a Chuck Jones character, including the Grinch, while the Humbug and the Spelling Bee are more reminiscent of Dr. Seuss characters. Officer Short Shrift is surreal, to be sure. The best characters are no doubt the amoebic Doldrums and the horrible Dynn. The brilliant, psychedelic backgrounds are from longtime Jones collaborator Maurice Noble.

Milo is an interesting character. While it would be easy for any child to identify with his boredom, his attitude borders on arrogance, and it is difficult to like him, especially in the live-action sequences featuring Butch Patrick. In some scenes, Milo is a whiny jerk, and it is difficult to work up sympathy for him. Also, Patrick seems a bit too old for the role he is portraying.

Ubiquitous voice artists including Mel Blanc, June Foray and Shep Menken contribute their usual outstanding services. The music is fairly weird, as are the woeful songs by veterans Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss.

Overall, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH is an interesting children's film, with a slightly off-base sense of humor, and a radically uneven script and visual design, better in concept than execution, but still a damn good trip for Kiddie Matinee kiddies!

According to a person on the Internet Movie Database, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH is heading for a big-budget, New York=lensed remake!

Video/DVD availability: VHS (MGM, oop)