Strong and Moving!

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Lisa (Drew Barrymore) lives in Cincinnati with her mother, older sister and younger brother. As Lisa's mother is a single parent, Lisa is often in charge of getting dinner started and taking care of her little sibling. One night, during a snowstorm, the lights go out at Lisa's house...and mother is not home yet. Not only that, Lisa gets a bump on the head and passes out. When she wakes up, she finds she is in Toyland, where all toys are made. It is a generally cheerful place but a mean resident, Barnaby (Richard Mulligan) has cast a dark shadow on the town. He insists that a beautiful young girl named Mary become his wife and the wedding is planned. However, Mary is in love with Jack Be Nimble (Keanu Reeves) and is desolate that Barnaby holds great power over the village. Lisa, seeing the situation, wants to help. Perhaps a trip to the town's toymaster (Pat Morita) will provide a solution. Is there a happy ending for all of the town's inhabitants but, especially, Jack and Mary? This is a lovely-to-look-at adaption of a classic musical. The art direction is superb, as Toyland is brimming with color and excitement. In early roles, Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore add greatly to the film's enjoyment. Richard Mulligan has a dark role to play and does it adequately, although he never really gets to show his abundant talent for comedy. Pat Morita is very nice as the town's toy master. One possible drawback for young children is the presence of Barnaby's monster friends, as they really are quite scary in appearance. Nevertheless, with a sweet story and a fine musical score, this movie will remain a holiday classic for the years ahead.

I think the person who wrote the comment before me analyzed the movie to much. Babes In Toyland is a fun movie for everyone. And its a movie, about fantasy and stuff, so to question why they believed Barnaby, the answer would be that its a movie. If they didn't believe Jack then where would the story line have gone? The movie would've practically been over and there'd be nothing left really. I thought the movie was very silly and fun. I'm now almost 17 and have been watching this movie since I was little, and I still enjoy it today.If anybody likes going back to their childhood and seeing movies that remind them of their childhood,and like fantasy as well, I would recommend this movie to them. Its a joy to watch.

First off, this is a TV Christmas movie. Most of us realize that at Christmas, tons of silly TV movies for the season come out. So, if you watch it with higher expectations, you probably would be disappointed. Having said that, if you like to watch fun, silly Christmas movies, then there's a better chance that this is a movie for you! There's some romance, some conflict, singing, and a lot of toys! This makes it a good choice to watch with the family...this is one of our favorite ridiculous Christmas movies to watch. So, to anyone else out there whose family enjoys watching the silly Christmas movies, consider checking this one out!

my friend erin and i watched this movie as children, but it wasn't until adulthood that we truly understood what clive donner was really trying to say. drew barrymore gives a tour-de-force performance, eclipsed only by her work in poison ivy. this movie is whimsical and magical and reminds us the precious gifts of Christmas, family, and most importantly, cincinnati. C-I-N-C-I-N-N-A-T-I cincinnati. the special effects of the film (i.e., lisa falling into the cake from the sky,) are on par, if not superior to those in keanu reeves second most famous film, the matrix. the costumes are horrible, as demonstrated by the fact that zippers can be seen in many shots. viewers may perceive this to be a flaw of the film. i think not. in society do we not all wear a costume, to shield us from the horrors of a life devoid of toys and songs heralding our home towns? also, have you ever seen a toy? this film dares to go to that place, and asks those difficult questions. how would YOU feel if you hit a tree and found yourself in boring, joyless land with nothing but balloons and people wearing bear costumes? lisa is a pillar of courage. this character and this film is an inspiration to all.