The Daydreamer

Synopsis
Using Rankin/Bass’ stop-motion “Animagic” (the process used for TV’s Christmas perennial Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), The Daydreamer brought to life five Hans Christian Andersen stories. The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Thumbelina and The Garden of Paradise were woven together through the daydreams and real-life adventures of a young boy named Chris.

The son of a simple shoemaker, Chris can’t even afford a treat from the Pieman. His Papa tells him of the Garden of Paradise, a land where the flowers are the candy of knowledge. That night, the Sandman takes Chris on a series of adventures through the world of dreams.

The boy visits the undersea world of the Little Mermaid, wakes to find a live-action Ugly Duckling, daydreams into the world of The Emperor’s New Clothes, into Thumbelina’s tiny kingdom and finally into the Garden of Paradise, which may not be such a wonderful place to live after all.

The Daydreamer stayed true to the spirit of Andersen’s tales, where endings weren’t necessarily happy, but lessons were always learned. The print ads for the film boasted “a galaxy of stars,” most of whom gave voice to the “Animagic” versions of Andersen’s creations. Jules Bass (the Bass half of Rankin/Bass) also wrote the lyrics to the show’s several songs, including “Wishes and Teardrops,” “Simply Wonderful” and the Robert Goulet-sung title tune.

Release History 1966 - The Daydreamer

Sub Categories animated
live-action
sci-fi/fantasy
musical

Studio Embassy Pics. Corp.

Cast

The Sea Witch		Tallulah Bankhead
The Second Tailor		Victor Borge
Thumbelina		Patty Duke
Papa Andersen		Jack Gilford
The Mole		Sessue Hayakawa
Mrs. Klopplebobbler		Margaret Hamilton
Father Neptune		Burl Ives
The Rat		Boris Karloff
The Little Mermaid		Hayley Mills
Chris		Paul O'Keefe
The Sandman		Cyril Ritchard
The First Tailor		Terry-Thomas
The Emperor		Ed Wynn
The Pieman		Ray Bolger
Big Claus		Robert Harter