Diagonaldi Very well executed

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Phil Hubbs A shiny penny to the man (or lady) who can remember this or has even seen it!. Directed by Disney maestro Robert Stevenson who directed...like ALL of the Disney films through the 50's and 60's!. The film also has various actors from other famous Disney movies such as the 'Mary Poppins' kids, Tom Lowell from 'That Darn Cat' and Disney stalwart Ed Wynn.The film is based on a story by Upton Sinclair although how accurately I don't know. The story tells of two children and their grandfather who discover gnomes living in the Redwood forests in California. The trio help the two gnomes by escorting them to another wooded area looking for more of their kind. They run into trouble along the way as a freak show owner steal the gnomes and the fact that the kids grandfather is the owner of a logging company that is destroying the gnomes natural habitat.Much like other classic Stevenson films such as 'Blackbeard's Ghost' this has been forgotten when up against other mega Disney animations. The 60's saw many live action flicks from old Walt which are admittedly terribly dated watching now but the charm factor is through the roof!. The visuals here are your typical vibrant colourful affair, the cheery ever happy acting, quirky sickening songs and those amusing sped up special effects.I was impressed with the puppetry on display though, at the start of the film the gnomes are chatting with some animal friends of the forest and these creatures look great. Considering this film was made when it was you gotta give kudos to the craftsmanship on show. The effects overall are to a very high degree in general, the bluescreen work is of course obvious but does the job, while enlarged sets to force scale really work nicely, especially inside the Rolls Royce. The entire film has that bold cartoon look about it much like all the other uncle Walt live action films of the era but it does also suffer from feeling somewhat similar to those other films.There is a nice car chase sequence which is pretty much the same stuff you see in 'The Love Bug', its cool and planted the seed for 'Herbie' but its too much of deja vu for me. Later scenes in the film do tend to feel like other fantasy films also, a bit 'Willy Wonka-ish' a bit 'Wizard of Oz-ish', not totally but you sense it. Unfortunately the film is no where near as great as those films, probably why its long forgotten. You do get the feeling they stuck the 'Mary Poppins' kids in there simply to try and make the film more attractive to audiences still high on that British vibe. Its only Ed Wynn who seems to fit in this fantasy world, even Brennan kinda feels a tad wooden and out of place (his 'Jaunty car' song is pretty awful). Without sounding too cynical I can see why these films didn't take off as well as the animated films, the use of the same cast doesn't help with originality, I mean you could of stuck Dean Jones in here quite easily and nothing would feel any different. I confess to finding the finale also somewhat disturbing actually, the main young hero gnome is looking for a female partner, so he gets to choose a girl gnome at the end (spoiler aler...oh come on the films 46 years old people!). So all the girly gnomes line up and he gets to choose his sexy gnome wife! lucky boy, so basically we are seeing gnome prostitution are we not?.Sounds over the top but the dialog coming from the elder gnomes do in fact consolidate my theory. After that the girls must chase and capture our plucky young gnome hero, the one who catches him gets to be his bride...so the whole choosing bit was a complete waste of time. This again seems really dumb, why would anyone run??! these sexy girls are running this guy down and virtually tearing off his gnome pants, oh if only!. Its all done in a very family fun orientated way of course but there does feel like a darker undercurrent here...or maybe that's just me and my sordid mind who knows.The film is most definitely a Disney classic for sure, chock full of delightful characters, magical sequences of wonder, bright colourful scenery and charming silliness all based around old world fantasy creatures. I'm not so sure kids these days will get a kick out of it as CGI animation seems to be the thing. For me the film is a bit too wishy washy and sappy, not a lot does happen that is memorable and as I've said its way too similar to many other Disney films of the time. Even though the magic on display is created well it does clearly tend to struggle to keep things gripping and inventive, it can't really match the likes of 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'.5.5/10

urthmothr We are both Walter Brennan fans and fantasy lovers. We remember this fondly from years ago...how we would like to own it! We thought it was Disney because it involved two Disney child actors (from Mary Poppins). Does anyone know whether it has ever been released to video?

buggery If I had to define heaven in one phrase, i only have three words: The Gnome Mobile. This movie is sheer elegance of this movie arose all my emotion in one single moment. From the time D.J. Mulrooney sees his grandkids the first time to the time Grandpappy gnome flies through the air in delight upon discovering there are more gnoes, pleasure runs through my veins. Im not a hedonist by any means, but this movie sure makes me want to become one. William Brennan showed absolute mastery of his craft, worthy of an Oscar nomination for his roles as the fierce yet kind and successful DJ Mulrooney and the tiny little man of Grandpappy Gnome. But the surprise performance had to be the Oscar worthy supporting role of Ed Wynne as the pimp gnome. He gives new meaning to the term "Pimps up and Ho's down" The defining moment was in the form of the little gnome people. There joy and magic gave the movie new meaning and life to the constant negative depiction of midgets in our daily life. They are not midgets or the vertically challenged, they are simply gnomes. Tears came to my eyes in the final sequence of all the gnomes and humans singin together in unison "The Gnome Mobile Anthem". This stratification of human unity from all walks of life is definitely something to be proud of. After all, it is a good sign when the audience stands up and cheers, right?

Marta Walter Brennan plays a dual role in this film; he's the millionaire who tries to help the gnomes, and he's also Knobby, the 945 year old gnome who is losing his interest in living because he doesn't believe there are any more gnomes in the world but him and his grandson, Jasper. Anything with Walter in it is bound to be good, and this film has a lot of excitement and chases in it. As well as a catchy title song that you'll be singing in your head for weeks. Great for kids and grown-ups.