Back in 1966, movies were often in color, but television seldom was. Thus, when The Daydreamer first came out, the movie was in color and the t.v. commercials were not. I had to explain black and white t.v. to a four year old yesterday when we watched the "extras" on the DVD for the movie. He had enjoyed the movie so much the first time we watched it that he wanted to watch it again right away. Lacking time for that, we settled for commercials.

The Daydreamer was uses a technique called animagic. This is the same technique used for such familiar pieces as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Mad Monster Party and The Little Drummer Boy. The Animagicians responsible for it were Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin. They were also the team who did Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Mad Monster Party. They were masters of children's storytelling and were never more on top of their craft than in The Daydreamer.

The Daydreamer combines live action and animagic to tell the story of young Chris (Paul O'Keefe) whose father, Mr. Anderson (Jack Gilford) is a shoemaker in Odense. Chris decides to run away to seek "The Garden of Paradise." He is guided by the sandman (Cyril Ritchart).

Along the way, Chris dreams several stories in which he plays central roles. The first is including one of a little mermaid (Hayley Mills) who falls in love with Chris who has drowned and died. She goes to the sea witch (Tallulah Bankhead) to find a way to rescue him. If Chris loves her, she can join him on land and have legs. If he does not, she will not be able to go on land or to return to the sea. This segment includes some of the most entertaining of the animagic artistry including a scene with the mermaid and Chris riding on seahorses.

The second story recounts the story of an emperor (Ed Wynn) who hates all his clothes. One day, two tailors (Victor Borge and Terry Thomas) appear along with a recently hired apprentice - Chris. They've convinced him to work for them by telling him they know how to find the garden of paradise. The tailors tell the emperor that fools or people unfit for their jobs will not be able to see his new clothes. The children I was watching with were particularly entertained when they got to see the emperor's backside. I particularly like the song here during the emperor's fitting before the tailors arrive.

The next story is that of Thumbelina (Patty Duke), a girl who is no bigger than Chris's thumb. She says she knows the way to the garden of paradise - a sparrow told her. To follow her, Chris allows himself to be shrunk down to her size. They then face dangers such as giant frogs before finding themself in the home of a sinister rat (Boris Karloff) and facing the creepy Mole (Sessue Hayakawa) who wants to make Thumbelina his bride.

Finally, there is the story of the Garden of Paradise where the only thing Chris must do is to NOT eat a flower of the Tree of Knowledge. If he does, the garden will once again disappear from the earth and he will be lost in storms of nothingness.

The movie includes smooth transitions from all animagic scenes, to all live action scenes to scenes that combine the two techniques. The title song is sung by Robert Goulet, but just about everyone here gets a chance to sing. The most memorable song for me is "Has Anybody Got Some Luck to Sell" which Chris sings as he's being dragged down the street by a game warden who arrested him for duck poaching (he had an ugly duckling with him). My other favorite is the creepily charming "Isn't It Cozy Here?" which is sung by the bats who live in Mole's dark abode.

The Daydreamer works well on a visual level. The music is fun. It is not jangly or harsh. At times, it might get a bit sappy, but little ones and parents can both enjoy it. I watched this with a neighbor who grew up across the street from me and her two children - a boy of four and a girl of six. I had been concerned that this movie wouldn't be as much fun as it had been when I was little. The adults enjoyed it every bit as much as we ever did. The kids loved it, too.

I can recommend this for children from about age 4 to 8. There are some scenes such as that with the frog and when things go wrong in the garden of paradise that might be too intense for some little ones. It did not bother our movie watchers yesterday, but you will have to make that judgement call on your own.

I highly recommend adding The Daydreamer to your home collection if you have kids or if you're just a kid at heart.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4