I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Blistering performances.

Nice to re-watch a film I'd not seen since I was a child, the Brothers Grimm tale of Tom Thumb brought to cinematic life by George Pal. Not be confused with that other later film involving a character called Woody, a diminutive boy for whom the toys in his bedroom come to life and a musical soundtrack, "Tom Thumb" stars Russ Tamblyn as the tousle-haired tiny boy magically born fully formed to the elderly, good-hearted woodcutter and his doting but just occasionally nagging wife after he does a good deed in the eyes of the young Fairy Queen of the woods. In a sub-plot said Queen is playing slightly hard-to-get with her human admirer, second cornet in the village band, Woody. It's not long before Tiny Tom encounters and then befriends him, both of them happily heading on into town where a fun fair is in progress, although a bewitched pair of dancing shoes trip Tom into the path of scheming villain Terry Thomas and his portly, dumb sidekick both these parts played with gusto by Terry Thomas and Peter Sellers, soon to be reunited in an altogether different movie the next year, the sharp-edged political satire "I'm Alright Jack".Various scrapes and misunderstandings follow which all end up with Tom and Woody in a race to save Tom's wrongly accused parents face 20 lashes in public. You can guess how it ends up from there.I really enjoyed the fantasy sequences, especially Tom's s interaction with the toys, firstly when he comes awake and secondly when trying to sleep. Likewise the dancing shoes sequence at the carnival with Peter Butterworth carrying on well enough as a stall holder. The acting is nice with other British actors besides, like Bernard Miles and Jennifer Matthews in prominent parts as the new-old parents. Russ Tamblyn, the young American actor soon to feature in "West Side Story" is very likeable as the acrobatic Tom.Okay so some of the process shots rather jarringly misfire, some scenes run on too long and the songs are okay at best but there's a nice title "storybook" sequence, a fine "Mutt and Jeff" turn by Thomas and Sellers and lots of fine stop-animation work to enjoy.Colourful, energetic and fun this is still a nice family entertainment perhaps best watched around Christmas time, as I did.

I understand why some of the reviewers have fond memories of seeing "tom thumb" when they were kids. Back in 1958, the special effects were amazingly good. However, when seen today, the film comes off as very badly dated and a bit stupid. There...I said it. So, despite some wonderful George Pal effects, today it just seems like a silly and insignificant film.The story begins with a magical queen giving an old couple a 'son'--a 4 inch high one! Tom turns out to be a lot like Pinocchio--very naive and ripe to be taken advantage of by baddies. And, the baddies (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) convince the little guy to steal for them--and poor Tom doesn't know what he's going. Additionally, Tom has lots of singing and dancing adventures with magic shoes, toys that come alive and the like.I guess that part of the reason the film hasn't aged well is that stop-motion has been supplanted by CGI. The computer animations simply look better and don't have a 'halo' around characters when they are superimposed onto backgrounds. Another problem is the singing and dancing--there is just too much and it probably would bore many kids. Overall, a nice film back in the day but a terribly dated one today.

The talented RUSS TAMBLYN does a superb job of singing, dancing and acting while playing the title role of the miniature boy presented as a gift to a woodsman and his wife by a woodland spirit. They treat him as their own son and the film revolves around his misadventures after his parents are wrongly accused of a crime and he must find the real culprits (TERRY-THOMAS and PETER SELLERS) in time for a happy ending.The trick photography is marvelous, the toys that come to life are inventive and fun, the interaction between Tom and all the other townspeople is well done--and this was all before the CGI effects we have today.There's a lot of charm to several musical numbers, especially one called "Yawning Man," and all of the song-and-dance numbers are done in rollicking style. Songstress Peggy Lee wrote several clever songs.Well worth watching, a family film that can be enjoyed by adults or children. Tamblyn's talents are given full reign in this one.

Average musical almost redeemed by Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers as the villains as well as by special effects that surpassed most of those of the 50s.The Peggy Lee songs do not come near matching those of The Lady and the Tramp. The dance numbers are not well choreographed. Alan Young, an acquired taste at best, stumbles through his role as Woody.Still, it's not a complete failure as a movie. Russ Tamblyn is energetic, the Forest Queen is pretty, and the story is sweet.The IMDb tells me that I need 10 lines in a review. I'm sure the powers that be are much too young to have read the short zingers in _Time_ and _The New Yorker_ of 50 to 60 years ago.