...personally I didn't find it all that great. It had some cute and funny moments, and in general a decent vocal cast, but... the story and animation, in my opinion that is could've been better. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale and I love the story of tom thumb, plus I have loved animation for as long I can remember so upon hearing The Adventures of tom thumb and Thumbelina didn't seem too bad. Also I am one of those people who actually likes the Don Bluth film Thumbelina, it is not an absolute favourite and had some problems but I for one found it enjoyable.
The Adventures of tom thumb and Thumbelina isn't all bad though. The biggest strength is the character of Thumbelina. If there is one thing I prefer here above the Don Bluth film, it is how Thumbelina is portrayed here. As much as I love Jodi Benson who voiced Thumbelina in Don Bluth's film, I much prefer her as Ariel. Thumbelina was cute in the Don Bluth film but nothing more. This Thumbelina has spent years of people telling her what to do, she speaks with authority, she is independent and knows what she wants plus she gets to make her own choices at the end. This Thumbelina had spunk and determination. Another key pro was the voice over of Jennifer Love Hewitt, she sings beautifully and it suits the character well. She starred in Garfield and Hunchback of Notre Dame 2, neither of which were particularly good, but Jennifer was one of the redeeming qualities of both films, she has a very endearing personality and I think it comes through when she voices Thumbelina. Thirdly, the song I am so all Alone, a beautiful, poignant lament beautifully sung, easily one of the more memorable songs of the film if no Let Me Be Your Wings. Peter Gallagher seems to be having fun as the Mole King, a character that can be sinister but also funny, even if he quotes a considerable amount of Richard III throughout the course of the film and Robert Guillaume while his role is brief is touching. Jon Stewart is not bad at all as Godfrey, I am not that fond of the character, but Stewart's vocal was above decent.
Alas, there are some assets that don't work. One is that I personally don't think the animation is that great. The backgrounds and colours are shoddy at times, and some of the characters's sizes keep changing, especially the Mole King who seemed to be getting bigger and bigger every time he appeared. While I am so all Alone is beautiful, the other songs aren't as memorable. Welcome to my hole was entertaining, but it didn't stick in my head for long, and Cha Cha Cha while cute was forgettable. Though it was nice to hear Brad Kane again, apart from starting off key he sounded charming. Then there is the story, I loved the premise and it started off fine, but the pacing was uneven and there were times where too long was spent on not-so-important scenes. The dialogue isn't anything noteworthy, it has some humorous and sweet moments but there are also parts that are cringe worthy. Then there is the case of Elijah Wood. I think tom was a cute character, and I felt sorry for him because he was ridiculed for his size. However, Wood was less than convincing voicing him, so tom's personality felt somewhat bland. Maybe I am being biased as I don't care for Wood that much, he has given some decent performances but not anything that I would rave about.
Overall, it was cute and Jennifer Love Hewitt was great, but the film on the whole is not. 5/10 Bethany Cox
