Overrated

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fresh and Exciting

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

"Tom Thumb in Trouble" is an absolutely sweet, cute, innocent cartoon made at Warner Brothers. It was directed by Chuck Jones, and he most likely got in trouble for it. The Warner Bros. cartoon studio was known for its lively, fast-paced, hilarious cavalcade of animation treasures, and Leon Schlesinger, the "big guy" himself, declared that he didn't want any cutesy Disney-type cartoons. Chuck Jones fortunately followed Schlesinger's order, but for now, let us turn our discussion to the beautifully-made "Tom Thumb in Trouble". With its careful attention to detail, this film boasts interesting camera angles; a superlative usage of light & shadow; a fine music score by Carl Stalling; and a wonderful rapport between the adorable Tom Thumb, his kindly lumberjack father, and a sweet little bird.My favorite moments from this cartoon? Tom is hilarious as he struggles to pin down an alarm clock ringer. While performing all his daily chores, Tom sings a cheerful tune. The ink/paint department did a fantastic job on the facial shadows of Tom's father as he opens his window and calls out to Tom during a violent snowstorm. When the father enters his home and glares menacingly downward at the bird, the effect is absolutely terrifying! As you began reading my commentary for "Tom Thumb in Trouble", you might have predicted that the tone of my writing was going to be negative, but no, this is a cartoon that I highly admire, even if it does not have the wacky, looney spirit of the Warner Bros. animation department. As children, I'm certain we can all relate to Tom trying to explain something to his dad, who refuses to listen. Everything works out fine in the end, though.

Well, if you are looking for a comedy with a lot of laughs, skip this one. However, if you want a heartwarming story and one that is beautifully drawn, check this "oldie" out: it's magnificent. The restored version of it on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 really does this wonderful animated short justice - it looks fabulous. This was drawn over 75 years ago but you'll be impressed at the visuals.The story is extremely simple and is touching one of a father's love for his son: in this case, a big burly lumberjack-type and little Tom, who is no bigger than the man's thumb.This is a wonderful, sentimental cartoon that - cliché aside - you don't see many anymore and probably haven't in 50 years. It's a treasure.

The TCM network shows film "shorts" as a time filler between movies and this one was shown right before the 'Tom Thumb' feature length movie with Russ Tamblyn. This animated short shows a typical winter day for Tom and his dad. Tom is so small, he takes a bath in the water held in dad's hands. When dad goes outside to labor, Tom uses a tiny mop and suds to clean a plate, as a normal size person might clean a kitchen floor. But Tom has a mishap and falls into a pot of soapy water and cannot get out, the sides are so slippery.A bird about Tom's size is watching from outside, and flies so hard into the window to break it and rescue Tom. Dad, who looks much like 'Bluto' of the Popeye, comes back to find the broken window, Tom wet and barely conscious, and tries to swat the bird before it flies back out the window. Tom writes a very large (for him) note at night telling dad he is going out to find the bird that saved him. Dad is worried but Tom finds the bird, and flies home on the back of the bird which is about his size. The story ends with the three of them sleeping soundly, the bird making its nesting place in dad's beard. Cute animated film short.

Directed by Chuck Jones, this is a beautiful cartoon of a tiny little boy. Who stays home alone washing the dishes as his father works. Fate has it that he falls down to the water and begins to drown. However, a his little bird friend saves him but the father thinks the bird attacked him. And that's where the conflict begins.This cartoon is kind of Disney-ish but it works and it's a great short!4(****)out of 4(****)stars