The Daydreamer

Those among us who treasure Rankin/Bass' annual holiday specials like RUDOLPH THE REINDEER and SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN undoubtably have wondered at some point or another why the production company never tried any full-length feature efforts. Well, they did, with mixed results. The most ambitious effort of several was THE DAYDREAMER, Rankin/Bass' live action/stop-motion animation effort that was apparently supposed to be their masterwork but didn't quite deliver. Sure, it's a children's musical fantasy, and it's cast with a plethora of then-famous movie and television stars, but the whole thing just doesn't work. The story concerns an adolescent Hans Christian Andersen, learning life's lessons as he dreams himself into adventures(the animated sequences)that turn out to be several of the beloved Danish storyteller's famous stories, like Thumbelina, the Little Murmaid, etc. What really puts one's teeth on edge are the live-action sequences with Paul O'Keefe and Jack Gilford as Chris and Papa Andersen. Despite their distracting Brooklyn accents, what really spoils the mood is the degree of disfunction in this family. Papa Andersen is indecisive and easily put-upon by his harpie customers. Chris is selfish and is easily swayed into abandoning many of his new-found friends. Several of the animated sequences are atmospherically dark with less than happy resolutions. The songs are not on par with most of the television offerings, and the film drags intolerably so that, by the time it does end, you really don't care if Chris does get back home. As an adult, I found it hard to sit through, and I can't see a child today(or in 1966)watching this with any degree of sustained interest, with the exception of Tim Burton. And surely, the decision to have Robert Goulet sing the film's theme song was the kiss of death . . .

I've always admired the work of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass. Very few people's Holiday Seasons would be complete without "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," et. al. Similarly, their only other feature film, 1967's "Mad Monster Party," has acquired a considerable cult following over the years, with Tim Burton and William Castle among its many admirers.

Which is what makes "The Daydreamer" such an incredible disappointment by comparison. The animation is incredibly sloppy, by comparison to their TV work during the same period. Paul O'Keefe was a repugnant little brat on the "Patty Duke Show" and he makes an even less appealing Hans Christian Anderson. Among the only bright spots in the live action cast are Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton, almost thirty years after "Wizard of Oz," proving themselves as talents that can shine in a broom closet. An all-star cast tries hard during the animated segments, but even they can't bring uninspired material to life. When you consider that the best part of the film is the Al Hirschfeld-designed opening credits, that's a sad commentary.

In sum, "Daydreamer" is the only blot on Rankin and Bass' otherwise distinguished careers, and long-time fans, like myself, can forgive them this one transgression.

This Rankin/Bass production is quite a trip, and not the most lucid one, at that. Embarrassing cameos from a variety of stars, with "animation" well below par, considering their wonderful "Rudolph" specials. The story appears thrown together, connecting famous Anderson tales with an incoherent story line. How they managed to wrangle so many well-known voice-overs, I'll never understand. I grew up with Rankin/Bass, but did not see this film as a child. The DVD does make for a great conversation piece at parties, so I'd recommend the purchase. Perhaps, if they'd avoided the live-action segments, this film would have been a bit more enjoyable. The whole Ray-Bolger-running-around-with-pies is bizarre. Margaret Hamilton is wasted with about three lines. My 5 and 7 year-old nephews found it disturbing..."what about the 'cold tears from his hair'???"

Viewed this film many years ago and it always was a great film for children and adults. The cast of actors were all veterans of the screen, namely: Jack Gilford, Ray Bolger(The Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz) and Margaret Hamilton(The Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz) and the king of Horror, Boris Karloff (Frankenstein Monster). It also featured the voices of: Burl Ives, Tallulah Bankhead, Terry-Thomas, Victor Borge, Ed Wynn, Patty Duke and Robert Goulet. Karloff was the menacing voice of "THE RAT" in this internationally produced, live-action puppet fantasy. It is a MUST SEE to find out the complete story and ending.

Award-winning animation producers Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, fresh from the success of the now-classic TV special RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, aimed extremely high for this ambitious live-action/animated musical fantasy. The story is a fictionalized account of the young life of Hans Christian Andersen, with Paul O'Keefe (Patty Lane's brother on the PATTY DUKE SHOW) as "Chris" and Jack Gilford (COCOON) as his Papa. Chris enters the animated stories of THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES and THUMBELINA. There are also references to other Andersen tales like "The Garden of Paradise," "Big Claus" and "The Ugly Duckling." Even though some of the production values betray the fact that Executive Producer Joe Levine expected Mary Poppins but only provided a Tom Terrific budget, there is a lot to like in THE DAYDREAMER: a star-studded, perfectly selected voice cast, impressive AniMagic stop-motion art direction, and a knockout score by Maury Laws (check out "The Cartoon Music Book" on amazon.com) and Jules Bass. Fans of the late AL HIRSCHFELD will want to see the caricatured opening sequence; fans of THE WIZARD OF OZ will enjoy Margaret Hamilton's feisty cameo, fans of THE LORD OF THE RINGS will have fun comparing this to the Rankin/Bass production of THE HOBBIT released 11 years later and how far they had come since. Even Oleg Cassini designed the Emperor's New Clothes! The live-action sequences were directed by Ezra Stone, who starred as Henry Aldrich on radio and by that time was directing THE MUNSTERS. If you visited the 1964 World's Fair, look for the Denmark pavilion doubling for the streets of Odense.