Thumbelina
Short description
Thumbelina is a 1994 animated musical fantasy film based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. It follows a tiny girl, born from a flower and no bigger than a thumb, who dreams of finding someone her own size to love. She meets Prince Cornelius of the fairies, but their romance is cut short when she is snatched away by a toad who wants her as a bride for her son. Separated from the prince, Thumbelina must escape and make her way through a world of creatures far larger than herself, including a beetle and a mole who wishes to marry her. A swallow named Jacquimo and other animal friends help her along the way, while her mother waits at home.
The film was directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman and written by Bluth, with Goldman and John Pomeroy among the producers. It sits in the middle of the directing run Bluth and Goldman shared, arriving before A Troll in Central Park and Anastasia. The voice cast includes Jodi Benson as Thumbelina, Gino Conforti as Jacquimo, Barbara Cook as Mother, Will Ryan, June Foray and Kenneth Mars, with 22 credited cast members in all.
Released in March 1994, the film had a budget of 28 million dollars and took about 11 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from around 20,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 554 votes. A critics' rating of 5.2 out of 10 from 14 reviews places it below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- One of two films based on the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) with Jodi Benson in the title role. The other was Ron Clements' "The Little Mermaid" (1989).
- The first and only animated film to receive a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. It was performed by Carol Channing.
- When Gary Imhoff recorded the voice of the 16-year-old prince in the studio, he was around 40 years old.
- Jaqimo is named after Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798), a famous adventurer known for his love affairs.
- The positive reaction from audiences to the film at previews was due to the presence of the Walt Disney Pictures logo in the opening credits, as viewers automatically assumed they were watching another Disney film. In reality, Disney acquired the rights to this film along with the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, which in turn replaced Warner Bros. as the distributor due to 20th Century Fox's acquisition of Don Bluth Ireland Limited animation studio.
- Initially, Betty White was cast to voice the field mouse, but Don Bluth disliked the result and invited Carol Channing to voice the character, without even informing White. Bluth was unaware that White and Channing had been longtime friends, but he soon had to deal with White's furious agent.
- Don Bluth later recounted that one of the weaknesses of the future project was the script. He rejected the initial script and was forced to urgently find a new screenwriter, as time was running out.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
