Parents' Guide to

Babes in Toyland

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Christmas musical retold as cartoon; some scary bits.

Movie G 2004 74 minutes
Babes in Toyland Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

skeebee
skeebee Adult
May 7, 2012
age 5+

Thumbs up from a five-year-old.

My five-year-old granddaughter liked it. She watched it twice in one day and pretended to be scared when the goblins made their appearance. The animation is not up to the standards of a Disney film, but the musical score and acting is top notch. I enjoyed it almost as much as she did.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Jack (voiced by Joseph Ashton) and Jill (Lacey Chabert) are sent to Toyland, where they are to live with their curmudgeonly Uncle Barnaby (Christopher Plummer). Along the way, they meet Tom Piper and Mary Lamb, who work in a toy factory that has just received a very large shipment of toy soldiers. But Uncle Barnaby wants to shut down the factory and ruin Christmas, and so Jack and Jill must work with Tom and Mary to stop Uncle Barnaby's wicked plan.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This version of BABES IN TOYLAND seems to have everything a child could possibly want in a Christmas movie. There are trains, Santa, toys, Humpty Dumpty, strong female characters, adventurous male characters, cartoonish falling, goblins, and musical numbers.

While the songs from Victor Herbert's operetta will no doubt be enjoyed by kids who are discovering music, many of the more violent scenes -- as cartoonish as they may be -- demand a parent's discretion in determining if their child is mature enough to handle scenes with evil goblins and monsters. Still, all-in-all, Christopher Plummer brings a delightful menace as the voice of Uncle Barnaby, and the acting (and singing) as a whole is above the average children's fare.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the differences in behavior between the "good" characters in this movie and the "bad" characters. How do good characters treat those around them? What about the bad?

  • How do Jill, Mary, and Tom show examples of positive attitudes throughout the movie? Do you think their reactions are realistic? Does that matter?

  • How is this similar and different from other holiday movies you've seen?

Movie Details

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