Word: thumbelina
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...queasy, but, sadly, seems to have eaten up most of the film's budget--the rest of the movie is nowhere near as technically advanced. The backgrounds are largely static, with the animated characters looking out of place moving over them, as is especially evident in the musical number "Thumbelina" which introduces us to the title character. The coordination of dialogue and the characters' movements is also somewhat choppy and distracting, though it seems to improve as the movie progresses...
Despite its technical problems, "Thumbelina" provides us with some thoroughly enjoyable animated moments. The detail used to animate Thumbelina's flowing skirt makes it a joy to watch as she twirls and dances her way through her journeys, accentuating her movements and making them more realistic. The movie's highlight, however, is the flight of fancy she takes with the Fairy Prince Cornelius, to the accompaniment of "Let Me Be Your Wings." During a number that cannot help but be compared to "Aladdin'"s "A Whole New World," the characters, in true romantic style, fall in love while flying/dancing/singing their...
Jodi Benson's voice, as the sweet, naive Thumbelina, is clear, pleasant, and familiar--as well it should be, having first buoyed the equally sweet and naive Ariel of "The Little Mermaid." Her voice brings life to Thumbelina's giggling, almost Barbie-like appearance, though her partner Prince Cornelius, a sixteen year old adventurer with a haircut somewhere between a crew cut and a bowl cut, has a voice that seems a little forced in comparison...
Ultimately, it is the muddled storyline that detracts most from the movie. To their credit, the adapters have tried to follow Andersen's tale quite closely, paying attention to such details as Thumbelina's walnut-shell bed. However, because of their effort to incorporate everything as well as adding their own touches, the audience never "gets to know" the myriad of characters who traipse across the screen. Thumbelina herself seems unable to stay focused for more than a couple of seconds, and can't seem to decide whether she wants to go home, find Cornelius, or run away and join...
...Thumbelina," then, would have benefited from alittle judicious editing, and its cheesy ending isalmost necessary to tie up the muddled tale.Bluth, who is better known for his originalefforts such as "An American Tail" and "The LandBefore Time," may have been gunning for widerpublicity in following the tried-and-true Disneyformula but is unable to handle the classic tale.While "Tumbelina'" better moments will proveentertaining to viewers of all ages, in theoverall amusement department this fairy tale comesup short