March of the Wooden Soldiers (Colorized / Black & White)

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Product Reviews

(1 stars) - A Big Disappointment!
Being a definitive fan of Laurel and Hardy, and having a special place in my heart for "Babes In Toyland" (aka "March of the Wooden Soldiers"), I was excited to add another version to my DVD collection.

Alas, the colorization from Legend Films is a big disappointment. Already in possession of the excellent 2001 Goodtimes Home Video release, in which the colorization truly does approximate the technicolor look, I feel as though I have wasted my money. As for the black and white print, also included on the DVD, is a much poorer rendering than the pristine black and white version available through MGM Home Video.

The extras on the Legends release are nothing new. They have been included on other L&H releases by other companies, so there is nothing gained there.

Over all, I would suggest that if your heart is set on having a colorized version of this particular feature, stick with the 2001 Goodtimes version. The effect is much more pleasing to those of us wanting a "technicolor" appearence. As for the black and white version, stick with MGM's release. It truly is the best print available.

Sorry, Legend Films. You've missed the mark on this one!

(5 stars) - A classic!
I grew up on the east coast. Every Thanksgiving March of the Wooden Soldiers ran on TV. As a kid this meant that Christmas was coming! Now I get to share this classic movie with my kids.

(4 stars) - This is a great holiday movie
Some like it colored and some don't. Ether way this based on a 1903 Victor Herbert operetta, film released in 1934 as "Babes in Toyland," and is still fun to watch.

Now the basic plot is to keep Mother Peep's (Florence Roberts) shoe from being foreclosed on by the evil landlord Silas Barnaby (Henry Brandon) when this fails Bo Peep has to marry Barnaby to keep the shoe. Now to keep Little Bo Peep from having to marry Barnaby, it involves Barnaby being tricked into marrying Stanley Dum dressed up as Bo in Bo Peep's place. Naturally Barnaby can not be fooled long and must have his revenge by letting lose the bogeymen from their caverns to destroy Toyland.

Does he succeed in his evil ways?
Who can stop him and how?

All in all it is a must to complete the holiday collection.

(5 stars) - A classic movie that brings back tons of memories...
One of the many things that made Christmas special in my home as a kid was opening gifts, eating a hearty breakfast and later watching March of the Wooden Soldiers. I'm glad this classic is now offered in DVD format, allowing me to share in those good times with my own family.

(5 stars) - BEAUTIFUL, BRILLIANT & DISTURBING FEVER-DREAM OF A MOVIE
On the far end of the musical movie spectrum is the colorized Laurel and Hardy "MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS." As adapted from Victor Herbert's operetta "Babes in Toyland," there's more of the Holiday Spirit in this 1934 classic than in most of the insipidly lame attempts of movies that exploit the holiday season.

Dum (Stan) and Dee (Ollie) are Santa's toymakers preparing for the big delivery on Christmas eve. Mother Goose and nursery rhyme characters are all over the place and Stan and Ollie are in constant trouble ("Is that 100 six-foot toy soldiers or 600 one-footers?") Silas Barnaby, (remember "the meanest man in town"?), Bo Peep (she's being forced into marriage by Silas or he will evict Bo's mom, who is in fact The Old Woman In The Shoe). And there's Tom Tom the Piper's Son (Ms Peep's true love) and the big finale with the creepy attack of the Bogeymen.

This classic has been cleaned up, digitally remastered and colorized and looks about as perfect as the best of old style children's book illustrations and I bet Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy themselves would want this one in color. It's certainly no sacrilege. This is one beautiful, Fauvistic fever dream of a movie. A weirdly mesmerizing treat.

Laurel and Hardy forever! Let's all love each other, OK?

That said, there is something else to be considered.

For those who dare to read between the lines (or movie frames), this film can be seen as a sly and subversive horror fest that plumbs deeply disturbing psychological and political issues not touched on in contemporary films. I am amazed that someone hasn't examined this in detail and I have often wondered how much of it may have been intentional -- perhaps from the brilliantly demented mind of Stan Laurel. Only on the surface is this a children's movie.

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