Thumbelina (1994 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thumbelina |
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Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
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| Directed by |
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| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Don Bluth |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Editing by | Fiona Trayler |
| Studio | Don Bluth Ireland Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 30, 1994 (United States) |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28 million |
| Money made | $11.3 million |
Thumbelina is a magical animated musical movie from 1994. It was directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The film is based on the classic fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
The story follows a tiny girl named Thumbelina, who is no bigger than a thumb! She goes on an amazing adventure to find love and her place in the world. Famous actors like Jodi Benson, Gary Imhoff, and John Hurt lent their voices to the characters.
This movie was made by Don Bluth Ireland Ltd. and released in theaters by Warner Bros. on March 30, 1994.
Contents
Plot Summary
Thumbelina's Journey Begins
The story starts with a kind, lonely widow who wishes for a child. A friendly witch gives her a special barley seed. When planted, a beautiful flower grows, and a tiny girl, Thumbelina, appears from inside! The old woman loves her and raises her as her own daughter.
Even though Thumbelina loves her mother, she feels lonely. She wishes for a friend who is her own size. One night, Prince Cornelius, a fairy prince, hears her beautiful singing. He finds Thumbelina, and they instantly fall in love. They take a magical ride on his bumblebee.
During their ride, a grumpy toad named Mrs. Toad and her son, Grundel, hear Thumbelina's singing. They are so impressed that Mrs. Toad decides to kidnap Thumbelina. She wants Thumbelina to join their singing group and marry Grundel!
Facing Challenges
Thumbelina is rescued by a friendly swallow named Jacquimo. Meanwhile, Prince Cornelius learns Thumbelina is missing. He goes back to his home, the Vale of the Fairies, to ask his parents to keep winter away for as long as possible.
Grundel, the toad, finds out Thumbelina escaped. He sets out to find her again. Thumbelina tries to find her way home, but she meets Berkeley Beetle. He promises to help her if she sings at his "Beetle Ball." She agrees, but during the concert, her disguise falls off. The other bugs call her ugly, and Beetle leaves her without helping.
Jacquimo finds Thumbelina again and promises to help her find Cornelius. But then, Grundel finds Berkeley Beetle. He forces Beetle to help him by taking his wings! Beetle suggests they trap Cornelius to lure Thumbelina.
Winter arrives, and Cornelius falls into a pond because of Beetle's trap. He gets frozen! Jacquimo also gets hurt and passes out from the cold. Thumbelina finds shelter in an old shoe. There, Miss Fieldmouse discovers her and offers her a warm place to stay underground.
A Happy Ending
Miss Fieldmouse tells Thumbelina that Cornelius is gone. Feeling hopeless, Thumbelina agrees to marry Mr. Mole, Miss Fieldmouse's rich neighbor who likes her singing. Jacquimo wakes up and flies off to find Cornelius before the wedding.
Beetle and Grundel find Cornelius's frozen body and learn about Thumbelina's wedding. After they leave, three friendly insects find Cornelius and help him thaw out.
At the wedding, Thumbelina realizes she cannot marry Mr. Mole. She remembers Cornelius's promise to always love her. Grundel and Beetle arrive, and a chase begins. Cornelius also arrives and fights Grundel. Jacquimo finds the Vale of the Fairies and takes Thumbelina there.
Thumbelina and Cornelius finally reunite. When she accepts his marriage proposal, she magically grows her own pair of beautiful wings! With her mother and the fairy court watching, Thumbelina and Cornelius get married. They fly off together on Cornelius's bumblebee.
The end credits show what happened next: Berkeley Beetle's wings grew back, and he became a pop star again. Grundel survived his fight with a broken leg and married a female toad, which made his mom very happy. And Mr. Mole ended up marrying Miss Fieldmouse!
Meet the Voices
Many talented actors gave their voices to the characters in Thumbelina:
- Jodi Benson is the voice of Thumbelina, the tiny young woman who falls in love with Prince Cornelius.
- Gary Imhoff voices Prince Cornelius, the Prince of the Fairies and Thumbelina's true love.
- Joe Lynch is Grundel Toad, a toad who wants to marry Thumbelina.
- Gino Conforti voices Jacquimo, the wise swallow with a French accent who helps Thumbelina. He also helps tell the story.
- Gilbert Gottfried is Berkeley Beetle, a beetle singer who tries to trick Thumbelina.
- Carol Channing voices Ms. Fieldmouse, a kind but sometimes greedy mouse who helps Thumbelina.
- John Hurt is Mr. Mole, a rich mole who wants to marry Thumbelina.
- Barbara Cook voices Thumbelina's Mother, the kind widow who raises Thumbelina.
- Charo is Mrs. Toad, a famous singer and the mother of Grundel and his brothers.
- Kenneth Mars voices King Colbert, Prince Cornelius's father.
- June Foray is Queen Tabitha, Prince Cornelius's mother.
- Will Ryan voices Hero and Reverend Rat, plus many other background characters like beetles and animals.
- Danny Mann is Mozo, one of Grundel's younger brothers.
- Loren Lester voices Gringo, another of Grundel's younger brothers.
- Pat Musick is Mrs. Rabbit.
- Neil Ross voices Mr. Bear and Mr. Fox.
- Tawny Sunshine Glover is Gnatty, one of the jitterbugs.
- Michael Nunes is Li'l Bee, another jitterbug.
- Kendall Cunningham is Baby Bug, also a jitterbug.
Music in the Film
The famous musician Barry Manilow wrote the songs for Thumbelina. This was the first of three movies he agreed to work on for Don Bluth. The film's soundtrack was released for a short time. One song, "Marry the Mole," even won a Razzie for Worst Original Song.
See also
In Spanish: Pulgarcita (película de 1994) para niños
