Customer Reviews

The Velveteen Rabbit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"The Velveteen Rabbit", Margery William's 1922 story, is a classic in the annals of children's literature. I loved it as a child, and continue to adore it as a grown woman, and have since shared it with my own preschooler. Thus, when I saw this new release, I could not wait to watch it with my daughter.

Young Toby [Matthew Harbour] is sent to stay with his strict grandmother Ellen [Una Kay] when his serious father, John goes off on business to New York. Feeling abandoned and lonely, Toby explores the house and comes across the "Magic Room", which is filled with his father's old toys, including a rabbit stuffed toy. As Toby's imagination is given free rein, Rabbit comes 'alive' in a lively world of animation, and Toby together with rabbit and the other toys in the magic room run free and play in a lively dream world. The animals, i.e. Horse [Tom Skerritt], Swan [Ellen Burstyn], and Rabbit [Chandler Wakefiled] all dream of becoming real animals, and as we all know from "The Velveteen Rabbit", that can only be achieved by true love. Grandma Ellen and Toby soon bond, but his father John is still distant, and it takes a near tragedy to set things right.

A mixture of animated sequences and live-action, this movie appealed to my family. Though the original story has been adapted here, I felt that the adaptation doesn't stray too far from the original message of love overcoming all obstacles.Purists may not appreciate this adaptation, but those seeking family-friendly entertainment will love it.

This movie is absolutely wonderful, just like the book. It is a powerful story which is timeless and very true to life. The first time I read this story as an adult, I was moved to tears; the same is true with this movie. (I guess it was put out on the shelf early, judging from the release date, because I found this movie at Target the other day for $9.99.) The movie is well done in every way, from the acting to the music to the scenery. I highly recommend this movie to everyone. It is worth the price. Buy it; watch it; share it! And my thanks to Nick, Philip, Michael, Chris and Hunter - who made me Real! :)

The Velveteen Rabbit was a great DVD. This movie is for all ages. We need
more movies like this so the whole family can watch together.

This movie has the same basic message as the book: Love makes you real. But it is not meant to be a perfectly faithful adaptation; rather, the book is a springboard for the fanciful journey the movie takes. The movie's credits state that it is "inspired by" Margery Williams' story.

Michael Landon did a great job of retaining the heart of the book while telling a very enjoyable story that stands on its own right. It is wonderful to see how love opens up the characters over the course of the movie and changes them for the better. Definitely a tearjerker (for adults anyway). The story borrows themes from several classic children's tales, such as The Secret Garden and Pollyanna, and weaves them together with the moral of the Velveteen Rabbit to create an inspiring, heartwarming tale.

I still would love to see a faithful live action or animated adaptation of the Velveteen Rabbit. I found the Meryl Streep narrated version to be slow and boring -- why sit there and watch that when I could just go read the book? But this movie does bring the same feelings and thoughts to me as reading the book does, even with the changes made to the story.

Bought this for my 2 grandchildren (ages 2 and 4). They loved it. I loved it. Brought back many childhood memories. the product was in perfect condition just as promised.

I watched this movie before I bought it. Its so cute and what a great story. A must watch for all ages (I'm 57). The story is so heart warming and has a great life lesson thrown in. Watch it with your children or grandchildren or like me watch it alone. Its a feel good story with a great ending.

I bought the DVD for my 5 year old son. He loved it and the rest of the family did too. It is a great story. It is also one of our favorite books.

My granddaughter was so pleased with this DVD for Easter that she now has her own "Velveteen Rabbit" that she takes on imaginary travels as in the movie. It was a perfect gift for a young child but even my 11 year old and adults love the tender story.

I have a nearly six year old daughter and we were lucky enough to find this with a tiny beanie-baby type of rabbit disc set. First off, I LOVE the costumes that the live actors are wearing...it's very somber and provides a nice contrast to the lively cartoon world that the boy transports himself to. The characters are wonderful, the animation is nice, there are points where I was kind of rolling my eyes a little bit as the animators' timing seemed to be a little off, such as the rabbit being stuck in mid-air, right before he was going to fall to the floor, the hesitation-factor seemed hokey but that said, it was good clean cartoon viewing for my tot.

This is an excellent movie for young children and older children. Has good values and is very entertaining.