The Water Babies (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Water Babies |
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| Directed by | Lionel Jeffries |
| Produced by | Peter Shaw executive Ben Arbeid |
| Screenplay by | Michael Robson Lionel Jeffries (additional material) |
| Starring | James Mason Bernard Cribbins Billie Whitelaw Joan Greenwood David Tomlinson Tommy Pender Samantha Gates |
| Music by | Phil Coulter |
| Cinematography | Ted Scaife |
| Editing by | Peter Weatherley |
| Studio | Ariadne Films (UK) Studio Minitaur Filmowych (Poland) |
| Distributed by | Pethurst International Ltd. (UK) The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA) |
| Release date(s) | June 23, 1978 (UK)June 15, 1979 (US) |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Poland United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £1 million |
The Water Babies is a 1978 live-action and animated family movie. It was directed by Lionel Jeffries. The film stars James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Tommy Pender, and Samantha Gates. This movie is loosely based on the book The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley.
The film mixes real-life actors with cartoon parts. The cartoon sections are aimed at younger children. The live-action parts are more for teenagers.
Story of the Film
The movie starts in the mid-1800s in York, England. We meet Tom, a 12-year-old orphan boy. He works for a chimney sweep named Grimes. Tom is small, which makes him perfect for climbing inside chimneys.
One day, Tom, Grimes, and Grimes' helper Masterman go to a big country house. Grimes rides a donkey, while Tom and Masterman walk. Inside the house, Tom gets lost in the many chimneys. He ends up in a young girl's bedroom. Her name is Elly.
Meanwhile, Grimes is stealing silverware from the house. He passes it out the windows to Masterman. When the housekeeper finds out, Grimes blames Tom. Tom runs away with his dog, Toby. They are chased across the estate. They reach a deep, fast-flowing river called Dead Man's Pool. Even though Elly says Tom is innocent, he jumps into the water with his dog.
After this, the film changes to a fantasy cartoon world. Tom meets talking sea creatures. He must help his new friends, the Water Babies. They are being held captive by sharks. This part of the movie has many songs. A Scottish lobster sings in many of these scenes. The story then moves to a cave in Antarctica, where singing polar bears and penguins live.
Main Actors
- James Mason as Mr. Grimes
- Bernard Cribbins as Masterman
- Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby/Old Crone/Mrs. Tripp/Woman in Black/Water Babies 'Gate Keeper'
- Joan Greenwood as Lady Harriet
- David Tomlinson as Sir John
- Tommy Pender as Tom
- Samantha Gates as Elly
- Paul Luty as Sladd
Voice Actors
- James Mason as Killer Shark
- Bernard Cribbins as Electric Eel
- David Tomlinson as Polar Bear
- Samantha Gates as Ariadne the Water Baby
- Paul Luty as Claude the Swordfish
- Jon Pertwee as Salmon/Jock the Lobster/Kraken
- Lance Percival as Terence the Seahorse
- David Jason as Cyril the Walrus
- Olive Gregg
- Cass Allan
- Liz Proud
- Una Stubbs
