Customer Reviews

Jack and the Beanstalk

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I was super-excited every time this 1967 special was going to be broadcast on TV when I was a child. I first saw it at the age of six. It was only shown once a year, and I was very sad when they stopped showing it. Hanna-Barbera's Jack and the Beanstalk is one of only very few films up to that time that had live actors interacting in a cartoon world with cartoon characters. At the time, I had only seen the technique used in Mary Poppins. Soon after this, the technique was used again in Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks and in a Hanna-Barbera series about Tom Sawyer, and only rarely ever since.

I saw the film again recently and it is still delightful. Gene Kelly is a joy as always, and the songs are very pleasant. It's especially good for small children. It has the classy, optimistic, benevolent quality of musicals and other films made in the mid-1960s and preceding decades. (This contrasts with the cynicism, dark vision, violence and vulgarity that has permeated even children's films and musicals in recent decades.)

I was lucky enough to have parents who subscribed to the Disney channel back in the 80's, back when this channel had everything from The Mickey Mouse Club to Zorro reruns late at night. And they recorded this movie for me one day, as a way to keep me occupied when I was a restless little girl. And I have to say, I used to watch this movie every single day. The music was extremely catchy, and the use of combined live-action/animation was highly entertaining for me.

Gene Kelly plays Jeremy Keen, a rather charming proprietor, who makes a proposition with Jack, played by the young Bobby Riha, in one of the most well-known fairy tales to date. The spin on this version involves song-and-dance numbers (this IS a Gene Kelly movie, after all) and the friendship born between both Jack and Jeremy. From the demanding presence of the giant to the extremely beautiful singing, golden harp (whose singing voice is none other than the talented Marni Nixon), I fully believe that any child who watches this movie even once will automatically hooked.

I always wonder why this beatiful movie still in vhs and not in dvd. Most of the movies from that time are already in dvd. Is there a way if I buy it in vhs, to burn it in dvd? and what about the cuality of the movie?

I have to say all my children (14, 8, 3, and 1) thought it was going to be really boring. (This new generation of kids are so used to the new and improved quality and special effects). I have to say they were glued to the TV watching it. They have since watched it everyday. It is very delightful and cute. It mixes real people with cartoons. Very clever idea as to not scare the little ones with a big, mean, ugly giant. I would say it is a great addition to your collection for little ones. It would go along so well as you read the story to them. Hope you enjoy as much as we have.
Don't be fooled by it at first.

Just as enjoyable and entertaining now as it was when we first saw it. Gene Kelly dancing with a mouse is most memorable.