Walt Disney had considered adapting Babes in Toyland much earlier than the late Fifties. In the early Thirties, when Walt Disney was considering various stories for his first animated feature film, among the things he considered was an adaptation of Babes in Toyland. He ultimately settled on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the subject of his first feature film, and it would be Hal Roach Studios that would adapt the Victor Herbert operetta, the famous 1934 Babes in Toyland.
It was in May 1955 that Walt Disney announced the studio would produce an animated featured film based on Babes in Toyland. By October 1956 Walt Disney had decided that Babes in Toyland would not be an animated feature, but instead would be a live action musical. At the time Bill Walsh was set to produce and Sidney Miller was set to direct. It was set for release in 1957. Ultimately, this would not come to pass and the Babes in Toyland project would be delayed for for a few years. It was announced in August 1959 that the project had been restarted. Legendary animator Ward Kimball was set to direct the live action feature, while Mel Leven would write new lyrics for Victor Herbert's songs.
While Mel Leven would remain with Babes in Toyland, Ward Kimball would not. While Walt Disney was on vacation in Europe, Mr. Kimball set about casting the film, something which actually required Mr. Disney's approval. The publicity department realized that the studio's rights to Babes in Toyland were set to expire with the year, and as a result placed ads in the Hollywood trade papers, something which also did not please Walt Disney. As it was, Ward Kimball and Walt Disney came to disagreements over casting. Ward Kimball had one particular actress in mind for the role of Mary Contrary, while Walt Disney wanted Annette Funicello. Ultimately, Walt Disney removed Ward Kimball from the film and assigned Jack Donohue to direct the film.
Babes in Toyland would be Annette Funicello's first starring role in a feature film. Ray Bolger was cast as Barnaby, the villain of the film and the first villain he ever played in his career. Tommy Sands was cast as Tom Piper, Mary's love interest. Walt Disney had wanted Dean Jones for the role, and according to Annette Funicello, Michael Callan and James Darren were also considered for the role. The roles of villains Gonzorgo and Roderigo were filled by two veterans of Disney's television series Zorro, Henry Calvin and Gene Sheldon respectively. Ed Wynn was cast in the all important role of The Toymaker, while Tommy Kirk was cast as his assistant Grumio.
Babes in Toyland departed from the plot of Victor Herbert's operetta a great deal, much as the 1934 version had as well. Only some of Mr. Herbert's music remained, and even then it was sometimes altered a good deal. While Babes in Toyland (1961) was released at Christmas and is often thought of as a Christmas movie, the holiday only plays a role in the plot towards the end of the movie. In some ways this should be no surprise, as Christmas plays no role in Victor Herbert's original operetta. Christmas doesn't play a role in the 1934 film version either (unless one counts a summertime visit from Santa to The Toymaker), despite having been released at Christmas and being shown repeatedly on television during Christmas time.
As it turned out, Walt Disney may have regretted departing from the operetta so much. Babes in Toyland opened on December 1961 to reviews that were indifferent at best and hostile at the worst. To make matters worse, audiences appear to have agreed with the critics. In the early Sixties it was rare for a Walt Disney movie to do relatively poorly at the box office, but Babes in Toyland bombed at the box office. Ultimately, the only thing anyone had good to say about the movie was the "March of the Toys" sequence that formed its climax, complete with stop-motion animated wooden soldiers.
It would be the wooden soldiers from Babes in Toyland (1961) that would prove to be the movie's most lasting impact. Almost immediately they would become a part of Disneyland and would figure in the park's holiday celebrations. They have remained a part of Disneyland's holiday celebrations ever since, as well as those of other Walt Disney Resorts. They would even appear in the stop-motion nursery sequence in Walt Disney's much more successful live-action musical, Mary Poppins (1964).
Babes in Toyland (1961) would air in two parts on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Colour on December 21 and December 27 1969, and it would appear on television a few times since then. In 2002 it was released on DVD and in 2012 it was released on Blu-Ray. It is currently available on the streaming service Disney+.
With Babes in Toyland (1961) Walt Disney had wanted to create a film that would match The Wizard of Oz (1939). At the same time, one had to think he hoped Babes in Toyland (1961) would become a holiday tradition. While it failed at both, Babes in Toyland remains important in the history of Walt Disney. It was the studio's first live-action musical, paving the way for Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and others. It would also be the first time Annette Funicello played the lead in a feature film (she had appeared in a supporting role in 1959's The Shaggy Dog). Furthermore, the toy soldiers featured in the film have been a part of Walt Disney parks ever since. Babes in Toyland (1961) may not be regarded as a classic even today, but it was an important film nonetheless.
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