Babes In Toyland (1934)

100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(4,421 ratings)

March of the Wooden Soldiers is the 1952 reissue title for Hal Roach's 1934 film version of Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star as Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee, bumbling apprentices to the master toymaker of Toyland. This joyous fairy-tale community is populated by all… More March of the Wooden Soldiers is the 1952 reissue title for Hal Roach's 1934 film version of Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star as Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee, bumbling apprentices to the master toymaker of Toyland. This joyous fairy-tale community is populated by all the colorful Mother Goose characters we know and love; the one sour apple in the barrel is mean old Silas Barnaby (portrayed by Henry Kleinbach, aka Henry Brandon). Barnaby holds the mortgage on the outsized shoe where Widow Peep (Florence Roberts) and her daughter Little Bo Peep (Charlotte Henry) reside, and where Stannie and Ollie pay room and board. Bo Peep will be forced to marry the odious Barnaby if the rent isn't paid, so Stannie and Ollie try to raise the money by asking the toymaker for a raise. But the boys are fired when Stannie messes up an order from Santa Claus: instead of making six hundred toy soldiers one foot high, the dumb Mr. Dum makes one hundred toy soldiers six feet high. The wedding between Barnaby and Bo Peep goes on as planned--except that it's Stannie, disguised as the bride, who ends up walking down the altar. Publicly humiliated, Barnaby vows revenge. He steals one of the Three Little Pigs and places the blame on Bo Peep's boy friend, Tom-Tom the Piper's Son (Felix Knight). The penalty for pignapping is banishment to Bogeyland, a fearsome subterranean world populated by hideous bogeymen (look closely and you'll see the zippers on their costumes!) Stannie and Ollie expose Barnaby's perfidy and rescue Tom-Tom from Bogeyland, whereupon Barnaby rallies the bogeymen and leads an all-out attack on Toyland. Taking refuge in the toy warehouse, Stannie and Ollie activate the 100 6-foot wooden soldiers (a neat bit of stop-motion photography, courtesy of Hal Roach's "fx" wizard Roy Seawright), who vanquish the Bogeymen and save the day. One of the best of all the Laurel and Hardy features, March of the Wooden Soldiers has been a television holiday perennial ever since the cathode tube was invented. Only a handful of Victor Herbert's songs are utilized, but these lilting compositions more than compensate for the omissions (one song, "I Can't Do That Sum", is used as the leitmotif for the clueless Stannie and Ollie). For years available only in the 70-minute reissue version, March of the Wooden Soldiers has recently been fully restored to its full glorious 78 minutes. The parent property Babes in Toyland was remade by Disney in 1961 (with Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin as Laurel and Hardy wannabes) and for television in 1986, with new songs by Leslie Bricusse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 17 min.
Directed By: Charley Rogers, Gus Meins
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 14, 1934 Wide
On DVD: Nov 10, 1999
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Andre Sennwald, New York Times
The film is an authentic children's entertainment and quite the merriest of its kind that Hollywood has turned loose on the nation's screens in a long time.
, Chicago Reader
This is a kid's movie rife with all the Freudian squalor that Disney repressed.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Appealing to both children and adults.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made this definitive, charming version of 'Babes in Toyland' in 1934.
, Film4
The innocent colour, humour, vibrancy and decent songs here should be capable of distracting anyone away from the Nintendo for an hour or so.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
A delightful treasure, especially in its uncut, original Babes in Toyland release.
Gary Brown, Houston Community Newspapers
A Christmas favorite.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Fair is fair, so it really isn't a Christmas movie, but it'd take an outright Scrooge to complain about that.

Read all 8 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

Have Seen this movie so many times I stopped counting, I couldn't wait to see it on TV when I was a Kid. It was on every Christmas Day wither on WPIX or WOR TV, back when rabbit ears or the Antenna Dad put on the roof would get us maybe 5 channels total. Anyway I will watch it… More
Have Seen this movie so many times I stopped counting, I couldn't wait to see it on TV when I was a Kid. It was on every Christmas Day wither on WPIX or WOR TV, back when rabbit ears or the Antenna Dad put on the roof would get us maybe 5 channels total. Anyway I will watch it again come Christmas Day. Its the Best Christmas Movie out there.
AJ V

First of all I think the story of Babes in Toyland is pretty stupid itself, but this movie has Laurel and Hardy, who could have made the movie funny, but they're just distracting. Although I'd welcome a distraction from having to watch this movie, they're not as funny… More
First of all I think the story of Babes in Toyland is pretty stupid itself, but this movie has Laurel and Hardy, who could have made the movie funny, but they're just distracting. Although I'd welcome a distraction from having to watch this movie, they're not as funny as they think.
Bently L

This movie never gets old! I watch this every Thanksgiving at my grandparents's house and I enjoy it everytime. The characters are so sweet and lovable and this is so hilarious! A must-see for adults and kids alike. "Christmas? Christmas in the middle of July?!"
Film C

ive seen babes in toyland of course the first time i wtched it i thought it was great and the lad who was in it was pretty cute bt now its still gd but gd for its time and he is no longer cute!
Christopher O

Probably the best adaptation of Victor Herbert's holiday themed Operatta known as Babes in Toyland. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy lend their big named talent as Stannie Dumm and Ollie Dee and the film is magical and the effects for the early 30's are quite effective. Little… More
Probably the best adaptation of Victor Herbert's holiday themed Operatta known as Babes in Toyland. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy lend their big named talent as Stannie Dumm and Ollie Dee and the film is magical and the effects for the early 30's are quite effective. Little Boo Peep wants to marry Tom the Piper's son but the evil Barnaby has other plans. The songs are quite dated but again a very enjoyable film.
Anthony V

A Christmas time classic.
Marion R

Really interesting with the characters in the fictional land. A couple of really nice songs. A few chuckles in there. Fun for the family.
Sunil J

Used to watch this a lot around Thanksgiving and it was a silly fun time.

Read all 8 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Stan Laurel as Stanley Dum

            Oliver Hardy as Oliver Dee

            Charlotte Henry as Bo-Peep

            Felix Knight as Tom-Tom

            Henry Kleinbach as Bamaby

            Marie Wilson as Mary Quite Contrary

            Florence Roberts as Mother Peep

            Ferdinand Munier as Santa Claus

            William Burress as Toymaker

            Virginia Karns as Mother Goose

            Frank Austin as Justice of the peace

            Billy Bletcher as Chief of police

            Alice Dahl as Little Miss Muffett

            Jean Darling as Curly Locks

            Johnny Downs as Little Boy Blue

            John George as Barnaby's Minion

            Sumner Getchell as Tom Thumb

            Gus Leonard as Candle snuffer

            Alice Moore as Queen of Hearts

            Kewpie Morgan as Old King Cole

            Charles 'Buddy' Rogers as Simple Simon

            Eddie Baker
            
            Alice Cook as Mother Hubbard

            Pete Gordon as Cat and the Fiddle

            Henry Brandon
            
See full cast

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