filkertom: (Default)
filkertom ([personal profile] filkertom) wrote2009-07-30 03:52 pm
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Oddball Kids' Movies

Only a few miles away from me, on Huron Street in Ypsi, is a reasonably new Kroger. I wanted to see if it was as nice as the one on Maple Road, where I have been shopping for a number of years. (The one on Carpenter, technically closest to my new address, and the one up on North Campus are big and clean and have maybe 60% of the stuff at the Maple Road one. The ones at Georgetown and on South Industrial... the less said, the better.)

Not bad. The produce section is huge, and very well organized. The butcher shop and deli seem decent. No Chippery or Boston Market. Very good pharmacy and magazine sections, much larger than any other Kroger in town. One cheapie DVD rack.

And on that rack was a movie I've been meaning to get for years: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

Live-action musical adventure, starring Tommy ("Timmy and Lassie") Rettig as Bart, a kid who dreams of a tyrannical piano teacher, Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried in fine form), determined to prove his "Happy Fingers" method is the ultimate way to learn piano. Bizarre, goofy flick -- one of those that you have to show people to prove it exists.

Did I mention that the story, screenplay, and lyrics are by Dr. Seuss?

What are some of your favorite non-standard kids' films? Things like The Phantom Tollbooth would count here -- most of us in fandom know about it, but it's not a "recognized classic" like Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or The Wizard of Oz. Oh, and, just to make it more interesting, try to keep away from fully-animated films. As an example, Mary Poppins is only partially animated.

ETA: Oh, let fly on the animateds. Heck, my freakin' example, The Phantom Tollbooth, is about 90% animated.

ETA2: As long as I'm thinking of it, the animated Snow Queen -- the one shown in the U.S. with the live-action intro by Art Linkletter.

[identity profile] cathain.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 11:24 am (UTC)(link)
I haven't seen this mentioned. I was long past being an adult when it came out but it's one of the most beautiful kid's movies I have ever seen and holds a high place in my own collection.
The Secret of Roan Innish (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111112/)
I mean, really, how can you go wrong with SELKIES?

[identity profile] cathain.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 11:28 am (UTC)(link)
Oh and this is a new movie (2007) but no one has mentioned The Water Horse (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0760329/).

[identity profile] violinsontv.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
A little film called "Three Nuts for Cinderella" that I saw on the CBS Children's Film Festival. Had a bad crush on the Prince. I later found out that it's been a Christmas TV tradition for years in Eastern Europe.

The first season of Afterschool Specials had some interesting stuff (you know--before it became Disease of the Week for Kids!) like The Last of the Curlews, a haunting little animated *without* a happy ending tacked on.

[identity profile] mihai-lado.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I love the 5000 Fingers of Dr. T ("VERY atomic!") but it is hardly new to DVD. I've had my copy for at least 5 years.

[identity profile] sholamith.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 03:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Most of the ones mentioned were wonderful! I've owned a copy of Dr. T for a while. I'd also add a number of old movies; Thomasina, The Scarcrow of Romney Marsh, The Fighting Prince of Donegal, The Slipper And the Rose and animateds like The Black Caldron, Wind In the Willows and Fantasia.

I almost forgot the original Witch Mountain movies.

[identity profile] filkertom.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I know it's not new -- heck, like I said, I got this at a discount rack at Kroger. I just never think to order it. And now I don't have to. :)
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[identity profile] nimitzbrood.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
If we're talking Halloween specials then you can't forget The Halloween Tree:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0191173/

Not nearly as good as the Ray Bradbury book and they get some facts wrong but it's well worth watching regardless. I went out of my way to find it on VHS because it doesn't exist on DVD yet.

And I can't resist Leonard Nimoy as Mister Moundshroud. ;-)
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The Thief and the Cobbler

[identity profile] nimitzbrood.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 05:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I loved that one too! It's yet another that I added to my collection. :-)

Vincent Price has always done wonderful voice work IMO.

I'm curious about that now because IMDB says Sean Connery was Tack? ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112389/ ) I'll have to go back and play it with my eyes closed to check that.
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[identity profile] nimitzbrood.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Since nobody's mentioned it yet I kind of liked Flight of the Navigator ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091059/ ) among other things mentioned.

[identity profile] jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
And the Dungeon Song! And Going Do-Mi-Do-ing! And other fun stuff!

[identity profile] skemono.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I just keep thinking that movie title is The 5,000 Fingers of Mr. T, which, uh... which could be interesting. He could do a lot of fool-pitying with 500 pairs of hands.

As for other kids movies... Milo & Otis? I don't think I've ever seen the whole thing, but my brothers seem to like it.

[identity profile] erisianagnostic.livejournal.com 2009-07-31 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry, I've never considered Watership Down a childrens movie -at ALL. It's an animated movie for adults, and I wish to hell there were more of them. It's way to grisly for anyone under 13 IMO. That being said, it is one of my absolute favorite movies. Americans just have this thing as pushing Animation into "kids movie" even when it doesn't make sense.

[identity profile] wordsrtoys.livejournal.com 2009-08-01 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
I like the old black and white version of the Legend of the Canterville Ghost, with a young Robert Young playing a GI in England during WWII. Recently I also enjoyed the Disney movie called The Kid, time travel with Bruce Willis, and my grown children loved the animated Flight of Dragons, where fantasy wars with science.

[identity profile] dandelion-diva.livejournal.com 2009-08-01 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
The one about Dracula was The Halloween that Almost Wasn't. It is my hands down *Favorite* h'ween special of all time. It's never been released on dvd, and probably never will be, but you *can* find it on YouTube, in several parts.

[identity profile] dandelion-diva.livejournal.com 2009-08-01 07:40 am (UTC)(link)
Oh yes. The scene where he's getting the king schnockered is pure gold.

I have a deep love for the live action Disney movies of that era. Most of the time, the stories were just so *good*.

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