Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Daydreamer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 31, 2021

Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass have created a great number of classics throughout their partnership, using interest in stop-motion animation to make the holidays a little brighter with television specials such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” They’ve also dabbled in theatrical endeavors, with “Mad Monster Party” a cult favorite. For 1966’s “The Daydreamer,” Rankin/Bass aim for a more storybook tone, exploring the world of author Hans Christian Andersen through a mix of live-action and stop-motion animation, working to bring some magic to this musical, which visits several of Andersen’s famous works.

“The Daydreamer” is an anthology film, with Chris (Paul O’Keefe) a young man with a big imagination trying to find his way to the Garden of Paradise, hoping to help his poor shoemaker father, Papa (Jack Gilford). Along the way, The Sandman (voiced by Cyril Ritchard) tries to keep Chris attentive to his journey, which involves several visits to fantasy locations, with the boy involved in tales such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “Thumbelina.”

“The Daydreamer” strives to resemble family entertainment of the day, with big colors and musical numbers hoping to add some visual excitement to what’s a very odd story concerning one special kid’s absolute determination to visit the afterlife. Rankin/Bass don’t offer a deep dive into Andersen’s work, cherry picking the best parts to inspire the stop-motion animated sequences, which deliver textured Rankin/Bass goodness, visiting oceanic depths, vast kingdoms, rough waters, and miniature realms. The storybook chapters provide the highlights of “The Daydreamer,” with this style of animation always offering fascinating craftsmanship, also allowing the movie to explore strange worlds on a small budget. There’s a terrific voice cast as well, with Burl Ives, Patty Duke, Victor Borge, Tallulah Bankhead, Boris Karloff, Hayley Mills, Terry-Thomas, and Ed Wynn bringing animated characters to life. Ray Bolger and Margaret Hamilton add some energy to the live-action sequences. The presence of pros is most welcome here.

The Daydreamer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a decent catalog viewing experience for "The Daydreamer." Detail is satisfactory throughout, with the live-action material surveying mildly textured faces and fibrous outfits. Town tours and nature experiences are passably dimensional. Animated sequences maintain handmade artistry, with the smoothness of character creations and crinkliness of cellophane seas. Colors are agreeable if a tad aged, with brighter primaries on clothing to secure the movie's family friendliness. Skintones are natural. Animated sequences offer a more varied palette, with oceanic blues and paradise pinks. Delineation is acceptable. Source is in decent condition, with some scratches and speckling, and a few damaged frames. Animation footage is expectedly roughed up at times.

While user submissions on IMDB aren't always trustworthy, a few have commented that "The Daydreamer" was composed for a 1:85:1 aspect ratio. The 1.33:1 aspect ratio presented on the Blu-ray does offer lots of headroom, which may be distracting for those sensitive to such an issue.

The Daydreamer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers acceptable dialogue exchanges, with some actors (including Burl Ives during "The Little Mermaid" sequence) dialed up much louder than others. Scoring cues support comfortably, with decent instrumentation for the warm orchestral mood. Musical numbers are a little harsher at times. Hiss is present throughout the listening experience.

The Daydreamer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Rick Goldschmidt and Lee Gambin.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Daydreamer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Daydreamer" has select moments of storytelling clarity and visual imagination, with the live-action sections of the movie not nearly as interesting as the animation. Musical numbers are also quite bland, failing to provide some snap to the production, which mostly uses songs to pad the feature. Efforts to add cartoonish elements to the endeavor (including sped-up footage for Papa's search for Chris) are difficult to sit through as well. "The Daydreamer" means to celebrate the spirit of Andersen's works, and it gets there when humans are replaced by animated characters, which play to Rankin/Bass strengths as filmmakers, creating literary-inspired worlds with inventive, tactile highlights.