The Phantom Tollbooth (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Phantom Tollbooth |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by |
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| Produced by | Chuck Jones |
| Screenplay by |
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| Starring |
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| Music by | Dean Elliott |
| Cinematography | Lester Shorr |
| Editing by | William Faris |
| Studio | MGM Animation/Visual Arts |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 1970 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Phantom Tollbooth (also known as The Adventures of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth) is a 1970 American live-action and animated fantasy film. It is based on the famous children's book of the same name by Norton Juster, published in 1961.
The movie was made by Chuck Jones at MGM Animation/Visual Arts. It stars Butch Patrick as Milo, who is a real person in the film. Many famous voice actors like Mel Blanc and June Foray lend their voices to the cartoon characters. Chuck Jones also directed the film with Abe Levitow. Dave Monahan directed the parts with live actors.
The film was finished in 1968 but was not released until 1970. This delay happened because of problems within the MGM studio. The animation studio closed soon after the movie came out. Norton Juster, the author of the book, did not help make the movie. He even said in an interview that he "never liked" the film.
Contents
Story of the Phantom Tollbooth
The movie begins with Milo, a boy who is often bored. He lives in an apartment building in San Francisco. One day, a big, wrapped package appears in his room. Inside, he finds a magical tollbooth. This tollbooth is a special gate to a parallel universe.
When Milo drives his toy car through the tollbooth, he changes from a real-life boy into a cartoon character! He then travels to the enchanted Kingdom of Wisdom. This kingdom has different lands, like Dictionopolis (the Kingdom of Words) and Digitopolis (the Kingdom of Mathematics).
Milo meets a "watchdog" named Tock, who has a large pocketwatch built into his body. Together, they go on many adventures. They visit places like the Doldrums, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, the Mountains of Ignorance, and the Castle in the Air. Their main goal is to save the Princesses of Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason. These princesses are held captive in the Castle in the Air. Milo and Tock must rescue them to bring order back to the Kingdom of Wisdom.
Along their journey, they meet many unique characters. These include the Whether Man, the Humbug, and the Spelling Bee. They also encounter the noisy Dr. Kakofonous A. Dischord, King Azaz the Unabridged, and the Mathemagician. Other characters are Officer Short Shrift and various demons. These demons include the Senses Taker, the Terrible Trivium, the Demon of Insincerity, and the Gelatinous Giant.
Main Characters
This section lists the actors who played the characters in the movie.
Live-Action Cast
- Butch Patrick as Milo: The main character, a bored boy who goes on a magical adventure.
- Mike Davis as Friend (uncredited): A small role.
- Chuck Jones as Cable Car Passenger (uncredited cameo): The film's director makes a quick appearance.
Voice Actors
- Mel Blanc as Officer Short Shrift, The Dodecahedron, The Demon of Insincerity, The Letter Vendor, Ministers: Mel Blanc was famous for voicing many cartoon characters.
- Daws Butler as The Whether Man, The Senses Taker, The Terrible Trivium, The Gelatinous Giant: Another well-known voice actor.
- Candy Candido as The Awful DYNNE: A creature that makes terrible noise.
- Hans Conried as King Azaz the Unabridged, The Mathemagician: Two important rulers in the Kingdom of Wisdom.
- June Foray as Ralph, The Princess of Pure Reason, Faintly Macabre the Not-So-Wicked Which: June Foray voiced many beloved characters.
- Patti Gilbert as The Princess of Sweet Rhyme: One of the princesses Milo needs to rescue.
- Shepard Menken as The Spelling Bee, Chroma the Great: Characters who love words and colors.
- Cliff Norton as Dr. Kakofonous A. Dischord, The Tollbooth Speaker: A doctor who loves noise.
- Larry Thor as Tock: The loyal "watchdog" who helps Milo.
- Les Tremayne as The Humbug, The Poetic Words Vendor: A character who often says the wrong thing.
- Thurl Ravenscroft as Lethargians: Creatures who make people lazy.
Movie Music
The music for The Phantom Tollbooth was created by Dean Elliott. The songs in the movie help tell the story and make the adventure more exciting.
- "Milo's Song"
- "Don't Say There's Nothing to Do in the Doldrums"
- "Time Is a Gift"
- "Noise, Noise, Beautiful Noise"
- "Word Market"
- "Numbers Are the Only Thing That Count"
- "Rhyme and Reason Reign"
Release and Reviews
When The Phantom Tollbooth was released, it did not make a lot of money at the box office. However, many critics had good things to say about it.
Charles Champlin from the Los Angeles Times thought the film was "lively and warming." He said it would appeal to kids aged 7 and up, and even adults. Stefan Kanfer from Time magazine liked the animation. However, he felt the story had too many characters, which could be confusing for children. He suggested that viewers should focus on the film's message: that discovery and joy are found along the journey, not just at the end.
TV Guide gave the movie three out of four stars. They called it a "charming film" with smart ideas and likable characters. Tom Hutchinson of the Radio Times gave it 4 out of 5 stars. He praised its "wonderful ideas" but noted they might be a bit advanced for very young children.
On Rotten Tomatoes, a website that collects movie reviews, 100% of critics gave the film a positive review. This means almost everyone who reviewed it liked it!
Future Remakes
There have been plans to make new versions of The Phantom Tollbooth. In 2010, director Gary Ross started working on a new live-action movie for Warner Bros.. Later, the project moved to TriStar Pictures.
In 2017, it was announced that Matt Shakman would direct a new "live-action/hybrid" film. This means it would mix real actors with animation, just like the original. However, Carlos Saldanha later replaced Shakman as director due to scheduling issues. Theodore Melfi also joined the team to help write the script.
