Review Archives

1 | 2 | 3

Today's Date is:

The Daydreamer

Utilizing a combination of live-action filmmaking with the pleasures of "animagic," producer Arthur Rankin, Jr. and director Jules Bass bring the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen to life in "Daydreamer," which works on some levels and falls increasingly short on others. The general outline of the story centers on young Chris (Paul O'Keefe), the son of a destitute shoemaker (Jack Gilford) whose imagination is hardly contained within their tiny abode. One night, he awakens to find himself in the presence of the Sandman (voiced by Cyril Richard), who grants him the opportunity to explore new worlds outside of his stuffy realm. ***

At this point, the animagic process takes flight, and steals the show away completely. Stories like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emporer's New Clothes" come to vivid, breathtaking life through this uniquely enticing method of filmmaking, that which was so compelling in the television classics "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman." With the voice talents of greats like Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Goulet, Burl Ives, and Hayley Mills, the songs and characters come to life exquisitely. The only downside to this is that it makes the live-action segments of the fill that much less appealing: they quickly become a draggy bore. If you can set this near-fatal flaw aside, then "The Daydreamer" will undoubtedly provide a nostalgic look-see into one of cinema's more endearing animation methods.

The 1.33:1 fullframe image for "The Daydreamer" is watchable at best. With the at-times freaky nature of some of the animated sequences, it's hard to discern whether or not certain elements of what we're watching are supposed to look as they do. Such is the case with "The Little Mermaid," which is constantly blurry in many different segments: aside from these scenes, edges lean slightly to the soft side, and colors appear subdued and muddled. There is a great deal of noise as well, and contrast is fair. Not a complete and total failure, and fans should at least be grateful for a DVD release, period. ***

As expected, the Dolby 2.0 Mono track is less than stellar. Much of the track feels harsh and constrained, especially the music, which tears when it reaches higher points. Dialogue sounds tinny in places, but is still discernable and has some quality to it. Sound effects are wanting in clarity as well.