Customer Reviews

Jack & The Beanstalk

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Personally, I think this is one of the best versions of Jack and the Beanstalk. While it strays from the "true" version of the fairy tale, the additions are bizarrely funny and don't detract from the story. In fact, they add a new fun element to it.
Jack's got a dog, and the magician who sells the beans is really weird. Up the beanstalk is probably the craziest part, and where the story strays the most. The giant is a huge ugly ogre, and instead of a nice wife who gets jack out of trouble, he has an insanely wicked witch for a mother. She has enchanted the entire "kingdom in the clouds" so that the beautiful (but anime looking) princess will marry her son (who's name is Tulip of all things), and turned the entire court into animals that cannot talk. They are the ones who help Jack defeat the giant.
This is beautifully animated, and has some great music along with it. I doubt you will be disapointed in this hard to find version. And trust me, once you've seen it, you'll never forget it! The only reason I gave it four, instead of five stars is because I realize it won't float everyone's boat. But, I think many kids would really love it. My little brother and I sure did when I was growing up.

The songs from this movie had been haunting me recently and so I did a random search for it by "movies watched in the 80's" because that's when I first saw this. I was so shocked when I got a hit on it! I didn't know that there were other people that had an attraction to this quirky, creepy movie like I did. I bought the VHS version and it shows just as good as anything else. Sorry to say, I tried get some of my younger neices to watch it...They just didn't get it, they thought I was crazy and obviously an "old timer". Well anyway, this was definetly worth my money for a walk down memory lane!

Yes, I did say "anime," because it is anime, although it dates from a time when Japanese animation wasn't "cool" in America yet. This film was originally released in Japan in 1974 under the title "Jack to Mame no Ki." (It was directed by renowned anime director Gisaburo Sugii, whose later work would include "The Tale of Genji," the "Street Fighter" anime movies, "Night on the Galactic Railroad," and the TV series "Touch.") The movie was dubbed into English and given a very limited release in the U.S., and unfortunately sank without a trace aside from being aired on HBO a few times over the years (which is how I was introduced to this film). I can remember waking up early in the morning just to watch this on HBO when I knew it would be on. The animation is quite good considering the film is now over thirty years old. The voices in the dubbed version are also very well done. I can also remember admiring Jack for what he did at the end of the movie... I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it. I think what made the movie most memorable for me, however, was the songs - they're catchy and well-sung, and I still remember bits and pieces of them after all these years, especially Princess Margaret's "No One is Happier Than I," which has all the makings of a pop standard (for some reason, it brings to mind the Carpenters' "Top Of The World"), and the song Jack sings to his mother when he brings all the treasures from the kingdom in the sky back home and promises her they'll be rich forevermore. It has been years since I've seen this film, but I would love to see it again, and I would advise you to pick it up if you're interested in an anime musical that can easily hold its own against the Disney catalogue. "Pokemon," "Yu-Gi-Oh" or "Evangelion" this is not, just pure and very well-done family entertainment that even anime-haters could enjoy. You won't regret it.

In the spring of 1980, when I was 4 years old, I happened to be fortunate enough to catch on television an animated feature-length re-telling of the Jack and the Beanstalk story. This one has Jack climbing the beanstalk, and instead of just encountering a giant, he encounters an entire kingdom over-run by the giant and his witch mother. The witch has placed Princess Margaret and her court under a spell, turning them into mice and making Margaret fall in love with her son, the giant Tulip. Helping Jack on this adventure is his faithful dog, Crosby. What struck me the most about this film at the time, besides the great adventure story, was the music. The film was made in 1974 and has a rock opera soundtrack that although sounds a little dated, it manages to hold up over the decades. Later, as I got older, I tried to find this film on VHS, only to be told that the film DIDN'T EXIST!!! I know I have a very active imagination, but there is no way I could EVER dream up something this good! Then one day, when my cheap father decided to finally break down and get cable, I was channel surfing WHEN I SAW THIS FILM AGAIN!! Without even thinking, I immediately began watching it...without bothering to TAPE it! I checked the cable listings to find out when it was airing again and set my VCR to record. So I finally had a grainy copy of one of my beloved films from childhood...only to lose the copy AGAIN when I went to college! Ever since then I have been on a quest to find this film. I finally found it on Amazon.com, on DVD no less, and immediately snatched up a copy. When I watched it again, I expected to see its flaws, as seen through the eyes of a 27 year old young man, not a child anymore. But guess what: I COULDN'T FIND ANY!!! This movie MORE than stands the test of time. The main theme is one of courage, as Jack decides to do the right thing and rescue the princess instead of just taking off with the gold. Also the courage of the giant, Tulip, to finally confront his oppressive mother, and crush her...literally. The good thing about watching this movie as an adult, is seeing all of the adult qualities inherint in it, that you miss as a child. Such as the pressure put on Jack to be a man and run the house now that his father has died. And Tulip to be a man and quite letting his mother run his life. Add to all of this the music. From the opening song "What's in the hat?", with Jack frolicking through the woods, to the showstopping "No One's Happier Than I" sung by the enchanted Princess Margaret, the music ALONE deserves some sort of positive recognition. Especially the number "Are You Happy?". It's the wedding song sung by Princess Margaret and Tulip's wedding guests, paper cut-outs brought to life by magic, that really sends the soundtrack home. The tune is the sort of trippy, Who-inspired song that exists solely in the '70's, accompanied by acid induced imagery, but AGAIN, it stands the test of time. I recently screened this DVD for my 5 year old nephew, who LOVED it, which further proves my point: more people should definately see this film, young and old. My goal is to one day host a big-screen screening of this film, and hopefully bring it the recognition it deserves.

Like a lot of the reviewers here, I saw this film as a kid in a limited-release movie theater. I was familiar with the old fairy tale, and entranced with this slightly altered version. I recently acquired the DVD to watch with my grandson, and am even more impressed with it now than I was when I was a kid. The animation is cruder than I remembered. (I guess my memory enhanced the art over the years) But I was highly impressed with the story elements and, above all, the musical score. The songs leading up to the growing of the beanstalk are mediocre at best, but once Jack climbs the stalk, the songs take over, too. Someone else besides me noticed the uncanny resemblance between "No One Is Happier Than I" and The Carpenter's "Top Of The World". Crosby's paean to the full moon, and the creepy, sinister wedding song (Are You Happy-ee-ee-ee?, etc.) are marvelous. What is most impressive is the incongruous musical score. This film based on a fairy tale uses Rock-and-roll, jazz riffs, and the blues equally well. It takes guts to use music that is "out-of-genre", for lack of a better term; but when done right, with "Ladyhawk"'s rock score, and "The Sting"'s ragtime soundtrack for example, it can be astonishing. My sister, who obtained a DVD copy for her daughters, compared notes with me and agreed that the musical soundtrack, songs and all, is a pastiche of '70's-era rock operas. And all for an animated film based on an old fairy story.

if there is one cartoon that will not get out of your head it is this one! last time I watched it was 15 years ago, and the music, the witch and Crosby the dog follow me wherever i go. this tape is a catch, and very difficult to get. It is beautifully done, and the storyboard is very funny. My kids wont grow up without this Chef-d'Oeuvre.

This is definitely a gem of a movie. Old style anime, a classic tail, and musical numbers mixed together in a memorable way.
I would give this product a higher rating if it weren't for the poor DVD authoring. I had read in a previous review that there was trouble with the English audio track offset and it was present on my copy of the DVD as well.

"No one's happier than I, I feel like reaching out to touch the sky, something something cloud, I could shout out loud, I'm aglow, and I know the reason why."

omg see, i can still remember the lines of the songs this 1976 version is the best of all the jack and the beanstalk series. i remember seeing it when i was like 7 yrs old and find it really creepy but really fantastic!!! it haunts my head till ive growned up and still now, and way long long way back on looking for this like ive search everywhere to get a copy of this and re-live my beanstalk memories.

i am so gonna get a dvd copy of this when its release, i really cant wait.

"god bless the internet"

There are only a few movies that I went to at any course of my life that I went to many times. The Star War trilogy, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and a few others. This one I believe is the one I went to in the 70's though I am totally unsure. If this is the same movie the music is quite intersting and creepy in a way. I have read many posts and it seems this is the flick I remember. The wedding scene is what I remember the most. Crazy song with the princess in a weird state and Jack breaking thru glass to save her. I went to this film at the movies quite a few times. I loved it but it was weird and my friends and family werent so enthused by it. The song during the wedding even today is still in my head although I have not seen it since then on TV or tape. I need to see it again. This movie may be the most obscure thuing Ive enjoyed. If you get a chance see it.

My sister and I watched this movie on cable a million times in the 70's, and I have never forgotten it. She and I can quote lines from it like we just watched it yesterday. The music is great, especially unforgetable is the scene with the princess floating on a cloud singing "No One's Happier than I" because she is going to marry the Ogre, Tulip. To this day, I still sing that song. I have yet to get my own copy because it is so rare but I will, and I encourage anyone with kids to do so. You will be as enchanted as they are when you watch it.