While most widely known for their beloved seasonal holiday specials, the creative pairing of Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. expanded beyond the likes of Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. As a matter of fact, the pair only had the iconic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer under their belt before they took on writing and directing the 1966 feature-length journey The Daydreamer. As they would come to do with their follow-up Mad Monster Party? and various other features, the pair used preexisting material as the basis for an anthology film that would mix live action and animation elements akin to the artistry of Mary Poppins. In this case, the material was the rich stories of beloved Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. With all new songs created by Bass and Maury Laws, along with a cast of well-known and burgeoning live-action and vocal performers, The Daydreamer never really caught fire like similar films of the time. Nevertheless, the film serves as a fascinating entry from one of the most enduring creative pairings of the animated world.
The framework of this journey follows the titular “daydreamer” himself Hans Christian Andersen (Paul O’Keefe, The Patty Duke Show) – known here simply as Chris. The teenage boy dreams of a more exciting life filled with adventure and knowledge instead of his reality as the son of a poor shoemaker (Jack Gilford, Cocoon). After hearing about a magical place known as the “Garden of Paradise,” the impulsive young Chris sets out on a quest to reach this destination. Along the way this young scamp finds himself falling asleep an awful lot and dreaming of magical tales that will eventually be turned into his iconic stories. O’Keefe does a passable job as our young protagonist, but it is the people who surround him that make the biggest impression. From the lovably daffy Gilford to Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz) in toned-down Wicked Witch mode to Robert Harter as the unreasonable game warden, nearly all of the adults make an impression whether or not they have a large role or not.
The real draw here is the classic stop motion animation which transports us to these magical worlds. The first and arguably best daydream explores the original tale of The Little Mermaid, the one before Disney put their stamp on it. Lovers of that adaptation will find more divergences than similarities, but the segment is quite wondrous. Hayley Mills (The Parent Trap) provides the voice of The Little Mermaid with Burl Ives trading Sam the Snowman for the voice of Father Neptune. The animation is gorgeous as cellophane brings to life this underwater world with lovingly crafted creatures and even a loathsome Sea Witch voiced by Tallulah Bankhead (Lifeboat) in her final film role. You will come to find this film has something of a melancholy streak as Chris leaves behind a trail of abandoned friends along his selfish journey to the Garden of Paradise. This was a time when family films were not afraid to leave you feeling a little glum in the pursuit of a larger impactful message.
Every chapter in this anthology leads to somewhere interesting that Rankin and Bass bring to life quite beautifully. Chris learns a lesson in not following the crowd in The Emperor’s New Clothes, finds a new friend in Thumbelina (voiced by Patty Duke) and so much more. Those who love their classic style of animation should be greatly impressed by the work turned in here even away from the holiday trappings. The narrative moves along at a nice pace with plenty of family-friendly humor throughout that never gets overly saccharine. The new songs created for the film are quite lovely and add to the overall effectiveness of these classic stories. As a collection of different source material, this feature works well in its construction to bring all these pieces together in a satisfying manner. This is not held up as a family classic like Mary Poppins or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but The Daydreamer is able to conjure up just as much charm as those films at various points throughout the story. If this is not already a part of your life, it should make for a fun discovery for stop motion fans.
Video Quality
The Daydreamer comes to Blu-Ray from Scorpion Releasing with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1 that appears to be derived from an older master provided by StudioCanal that is in pretty good shape. The presentation is mostly pleasing throughout the runtime with image stability and delineation being top notch. Instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches are fairly common, but overall clarity and detail is excellent. These instances are seen equally in the live action and animated sequences. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation with only minor instances of it seeming a bit clumpy. The picture can run a bit soft in the transitions between live action and animation, but these moments are brief. Colors in the live action bits seem the slightest bit desaturated, but the animated sequences appear to be vibrant and lovely. Skin tones look a bit washed out in the bright sunny day, but there is some detail apparent within the facial features. Black levels hold up well with very little in the way of crush. This presentation is mostly very pleasing, and worth the wait for fans who have been clamoring for a high-def release.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that captures the intention of the film quite well. The dialogue holds up wonderfully, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the sounds of the ocean water to animal and insect noises. The track avoids most instances of age related wear and tear and distortion outside of a momentary fluctuation. There is also a faint underlying hiss that the most sensitive viewers may note. This is a film that utilizes music throughout, and it is presented with pleasing warmth that only sometimes veers a bit harsh. The songs maintain a pleasing fidelity as they come through the room. This is a track that represents the film in a solid manner. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Rankin/Bass Historian and Author Rick Goldschmidt with Film Historian Lee Gambin provide a really entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the period when this film was developed, where it fits into the Rankin/Bass output, the careers of the performers in the film, the secrets behind alternate vocal takes, the mixing of live action and “animagic” and more. This is a worthwhile track that reveals quite a bit of history.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Time Travelers, Slow Dancing In The Big City, The Railway Children, Arabian Adventure and more.
Final Thoughts
The Daydreamer is an entertaining odyssey through the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. The duo of Rankin and Bass work perfectly together to create full-realized worlds through stunning stop motion animation. Not only that, but they assembled a truly wonderful ensemble that brings a deep well of emotions to the characters. Scorpion Releasing and Kino Lorber have delivered a Blu-Ray that features a pleasing A/V presentation and an entertaining commentary track. If you are a fan of the Rankin/Bass machine and have not strayed outside the holiday specials, you owe it to yourself to check out this lovely tale. Recommended
The Daydreamer is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics and Scorpion Releasing have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
