The Water Babies (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Water Babies |
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| Directed by | Lionel Jeffries |
| Produced by | Peter Shaw executive Ben Arbeid |
| Screenplay by | Michael Robson Lionel Jeffries (additional material) |
| Starring | James Mason Bernard Cribbins Billie Whitelaw Joan Greenwood David Tomlinson Tommy Pender Samantha Gates |
| Music by | Phil Coulter |
| Cinematography | Ted Scaife |
| Editing by | Peter Weatherley |
| Studio | Ariadne Films (UK) Studio Minitaur Filmowych (Poland) |
| Distributed by | Pethurst International Ltd. (UK) The Samuel Goldwyn Company (USA) |
| Release date(s) | June 23, 1978 (UK)June 15, 1979 (US) |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Poland United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £1 million |
The Water Babies is a 1978 live action-animated family film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring James Mason, Bernard Cribbins, Billie Whitelaw, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Tommy Pender, and Samantha Gates. It is very loosely based on the book The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby by Charles Kingsley.
The film combines live action with long sections of cartoons. However, although generally a "children's film" it is very hard to gauge what age it is aimed at. The cartoon sections appear to aim at the very young, the live sections are aimed at teenagers. The original book, whilst bracketed as a "children's book" has quite a high reading age, and is somewhat intellectual. Despite a very promising cast in the live-action sections the film is disappointing to most viewers.
Plot
Tom is a 12 year old orphan living in York in the mid-19th century. He is taken under the wing of Grimes, a roguish chimney sweep, as he is small enough to climb inside the chimneys. One day they leave town and go to a huge country house set in vast grounds. Grimes rides a donkey - Tom and Grimes' assistant Masterman walk alongside.
At the house Tom gets lost in the maze of chimneys and appears in a young girl's bedroom (Elly). Meanwhile Grimes is passing silverware out of the windows to Masterman. When discovered by the housekeeper Grimes blames the crime on Tom who makes a run for it with his dog Toby. They are pursued across the estate, and end up at Dead Man's Pool: a deep pool in a fast flowing river. Although the young girl protests his innocence Tom jumps in with the dog.
The film then switches to a fantasy cartoon of speaking sea-creatures. Here he must help rescue his new friends, the Water Babies, from enslavement by sharks. This section includes multiple musical sequences manly involving a Scottish lobster. The story jumps to a cave in Antarctica with singing polar bears and penguins.
Cast
- James Mason as Mr. Grimes
- Bernard Cribbins as Masterman
- Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby/Old Crone/Mrs. Tripp/Woman in Black/Water Babies 'Gate Keeper'
- Joan Greenwood as Lady Harriet
- David Tomlinson as Sir John
- Tommy Pender as Tom
- Samantha Gates as Elly
- Paul Luty as Sladd
Voices
- James Mason as Killer Shark
- Bernard Cribbins as Electric Eel
- David Tomlinson as Polar Bear
- Samantha Gates as Ariadne the Water Baby
- Paul Luty as Claude the Swordfish
- Jon Pertwee as Salmon/Jock the Lobster/Kraken
- Lance Percival as Terence the Seahorse
- David Jason as Cyril the Walrus
- Olive Gregg
- Cass Allan
- Liz Proud
- Una Stubbs
