The Phantom Tollbooth (1969)

100% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
32% want to see it
(2,661 ratings)

Master animator Chuck Jones has created this full length fantasy, his first since being name director of MGM's animation department. A young boy (Butch Patrick) is bored with his life in San Francisco and finds himself in a fantasy land where letters and numbers are at war with each other. He drives… More Master animator Chuck Jones has created this full length fantasy, his first since being name director of MGM's animation department. A young boy (Butch Patrick) is bored with his life in San Francisco and finds himself in a fantasy land where letters and numbers are at war with each other. He drives through the Phantom Tollbooth and into an animated fantasy land. The voices of Mel Blanc, June Foray and Daws Butler are featured in this story taken from the book by Norton Juster. The boy tries to rescue twin Princesses Rhyme and Reason, who have been banished to a castle suspended in mid air above the kingdom. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: David Monahan, Chuck Jones
Written By: Chuck Jones, Sam Rosen
Genres: Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Critic Reviews

Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
The animation is clean, with enough pop to do Dictionopolis-and-company justice.
Paul Trandahl, Common Sense Media
Clever artistry fails to convey the book's depth.
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Uneven but is interesting as an alternative to the dominant Disney features of the time

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lafe F

Great Chuck Jones animation. His style is unmistakable; with each character's wide-eyes. The colors are rich and the backgrounds are beautiful. The princesses could've been detailed a bit better however. The story is a bit abstract and fanciful. The live action scenes with… More
Great Chuck Jones animation. His style is unmistakable; with each character's wide-eyes. The colors are rich and the backgrounds are beautiful. The princesses could've been detailed a bit better however. The story is a bit abstract and fanciful. The live action scenes with Butch Patrick in 1970's San Francisco are neato. The songs are catchy. An underrated fantasy cartoon which needs a proper DVD release.
Michael G

A fun and seriously underrrated kids classic you've never heard of. Chuck Jones' animation is great and the story is in that category of late 60s out there. Unfortunately it would probably be lost on today's generation of kids but as much as I can't stand remakes,… More
A fun and seriously underrrated kids classic you've never heard of. Chuck Jones' animation is great and the story is in that category of late 60s out there. Unfortunately it would probably be lost on today's generation of kids but as much as I can't stand remakes, I'd love to see this story get a modern treatment. I also loved the dog and the Sergio Mendez-like soundtrack. The Phantom Tollbooth is dated as hell but if nothing else the adults might get a kick out of it.
Jennifer X

This was an enjoyable movie largely because the source material was so good. Instead of focusing on trash like Hancock 2 and Star Trek and Watchmen, why not remake this underrated jewel? Granted, this is not a bad movie, but save a few cute scenes nothing new is really brought to the… More
This was an enjoyable movie largely because the source material was so good. Instead of focusing on trash like Hancock 2 and Star Trek and Watchmen, why not remake this underrated jewel? Granted, this is not a bad movie, but save a few cute scenes nothing new is really brought to the table. Nothing was really visually SPLENDID. I could REALLY see some sparks flying under Spike Jonze or Tim Burton.
William G

A childhood fave, with brisk pacing and decent animation.
Remi L

I think I saw this movie as a kid and I didn't understand the jokes or depth within this film. I actually wanna see it again to see what I missed.
Marion R

I love this movie, it's a great animation.