Thumbelina | 
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| Directors: Chinami Namba, Masakazu Higuchi
Studio: Pinnacle Vision
Category: DVD
List Price: £4.99
Buy New: £1.99
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 87326
Format: Pal
Rating: Universal, particularly children
Region: 0
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 48 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5060148900285
ASIN: B0015HQG9G
Release Date: June 2, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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| Customer Reviews:
 A sweet, good-natured version with an addition and change to the story. August 22, 2008
fantasy escapist (Essex, UK)
The only other Golden Films film I've seen as a child was The Night Before Christmas and I loved how heartwarming it was. Seeing another one of their films, my thoughts towards their tone in the films hasn't really changed.
Unlike Bluth's version that has an incredibly pessimistic and passive Thumbelina, here we have the character alot closer to Andersen's heroine - she's brave and kind.
Not only is the title character appealing, but some other additions to the story that aren't in the fairy tale, like giving her the backstory of a father somehow work. I was a bit disappointed that the prince wasn't what he was in the fairy tale, but hey, it's still more convincing romantically and more deserving in ways than the '94 one.
Pacing: As said before, yes, they've changed some aspects to the original story by giving her a backstory and the ending is different in ways but it still tends to be effective. It bothered me a bit, but again I was won over by how loveable the title character is.
Animation: Ok, it does look like Saturday morning-type look and slighly dated with the relatively 'still' animation, but it still has a certain appeal there. The character design may be quite generic and look maybe dated but for straight-to-DVD, it's alright.
Music: Little kids will probably love the title song. I was a bit puzzled hearing the Nutcracker score in the background at times, but hey, they did do this on a small budget.
Overall: Little girls in particular will probably love this, and I recommend it over Bluth's but I still think the Russian one nails the darker tone the fairy tale had in one particular part with the Fieldmouse, so it's still my personal favourite. This, is still good though and even if it changes stuff from the original story, the music may not always fit with the fairy tale itself, the animation is quite basic and a bit still, and it's more aimed at the youngsters really, it made me laugh in the scene with the fox and it's charming as well. It's better kids grow up with this rather than Bluth's version I think.
 Beautiful children's film! Better than Bluth's! August 3, 2007
Taran Wanderer (Chicago, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Many film viewers will reject a children's film if it is made by Goodtimes, a rather unpopular film producing company with its own line of animated films, a number of them being rather crummy and poor in quality, however that is stereotype since Goodtimes has released many wonderful re-tellings of classic tales like The Little Mermaid (1992), Aladdin (1992) and the more modern, Leo the Lion - King of the Jungle (1994). Among these, there is a very special Goodtimes film, that of which is called Thumbelina, the studio's finest animated adventure ever!
In the depths of the valleys, Father worries about what will become of the kingdom of the little people when spring comes and the snow in the mountains melts, he fears the pond's water will rise, overflowing and washing away all of the little people. Father feels that there is still time to warn everyone and send some men back to fix the dam before it cracks, but he is too old to do such a task, for that, he sends his daughter in a journey to the Meadow of the Tulips where she will get the needed help. Reaching the Meadow of the Tulips would have been an easy task for a normal-sized girl, but for someone smaller than a thumb it proves to be a great challenge. Thumbelina meets many different characters in her adventure, first she is picked up by a gypsy woman while sleeping and carried to a woman's house who seeing the size of the girl, names her Thumbelina. The little girl also meets a beautiful swallow, a kind bird who befriends Thumbelina and offers to help her in the end and other darker characters with evil intentions like Mona who trades the girl to Mr. Mole in exchange for goods.
"Thumbelina" features beautiful music, from classical melodies from the greatest composers in history to a lively opening song (Beautiful indeed!) to a classic campfire tune, "Edelweiss." Now, "Thumbelina" even being the best Goodtimes has to offer still doesn't compare in animation quality to Disney, however the animation and picture quality is crystal clear with beautiful, lively colors, nothing at all like you may see in other unpopular children's films. This film is a perfect example of what a children's film should be like, absolutely no violence is present here so if you are looking for a great children's film, "Thumbelina" is a great recommendation!
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