Thumbelina
(aka Hans Christian Andersen's 'THUMBELINA')
With: Shay Garner (Thumbelina), Pat Morell (Mrs. Mole), Bob O'Connell (Mr. Digger), Ruth McMahon (Mother), Heather Grinter (Witch), Mike Yuenger (Flower Prince), Sue Cable (Flower Girl)
Plot Outline: A tiny girl is borne of a flower. She is taken underground by Mrs. Mole, who wants her to marry her neighbor, Mr. Digger. The Bluebird of Happiness rescues Thumbelina just in time, and flies her away to the Land of the Flower Children.
***
THUMBELINA is an engaging, low-rent Kiddie Matinee wonderment, made by exploitation king (and Errol Flynn's buddy) Barry Mahon.
The gleeful Hippie atmosphere of this fairy tale is just stunning. First we see a mini-skirted hippie chick (Shay Garner) stroll through a tacky Florida amusement park (Pirate's World in Dania, Florida), bouncy and bra-less.
Shay enters a "Thumbelina" exhibit, and trances out into her own amateur version of the story, on garish sets, very hammy, very talky, very demented in its mindless simplicity.
THUMBELINA plays to a large extent like children's theatre, talky and dramatic, with two music tracks battling for supremacy through much of it.
A zany witch plants a demon seed and out of a big fabric tulip curtseys cute little Thumbelina (in another short dress, looking for all the world like an out-of-work porn star). Primitive yet effective sets create the illusion of miniaturization. Thumbelina sings a horrible tune that suggests bad vocal training. She also looks pretty stoned
out, sort of dumb and cat-like.
Enter a perverted frog, a sinister thing in a mangy green suit, who wants Thumbelina for his wife. Thumbelina escapes and ends up in a groovy mushroom forest where she sings another bad tune.
Thumbelina next escapes three grotesque insects who want to mash her to a pulp. Winter comes. Thumb seeks shelter with the hideous Mole People. (Curiously, all animals in this film seem to hate all other species of
animal.)
Spring comes. Momma Mole tries to sell Thumbelina in slavery to repulsive mole-pig Mr. Digger.
Thumbrlina feels obligated to marry the vile jerk, but just
can't do it, as she is a flower child. Thumb meets a frozen bluebird, brings it back to life and they fly away to the Kingdom of the Flower Children, kind of Godspell/Fantasia as bad dinner theatre. Very groovy.
The King of the Flower Children is a lispy Bob Denver clone who makes Thumbelina his queen. Nice shots of ecstatic hippie kids standing in big flowers.
Meanwhile, back at Pirates' World, Shay wanders around until she meets her lover. Guess what: it's the King of the Flower Children!
THUMBELINA is a psychedelic Kiddie Matinee classic, released separately and also buried inside the abominable SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUNNY.
Barry Mahon also helmed the excellent THE WONDERFUL LAND OF OZ and JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, as well as the ungodly SANTA'S CHRISTMAS ELF (NAMED CALVIN).
Video/DVD availability: VHS (United American Video, oop)
Links of related interest:
(1970, U.S.) color 72/61 minutes
Cinetron Corporation / Pirate's World / R & S Film Enterprises Inc.
Story: Hans Christian Andersen
Produced by Armand Cerami, Barry Mahon
Music by Ralph Falco, George Linsenmann
Cinematography: William Tobin
Directed by Barry Mahon
a review