tom thumb

Hans Christian Andersen meets the Grimm Brothers in Disney's animated blending of two classics. Of course there are significant updates: Thumbelina (Jennifer Love Hewitt) doesn't need others to come to her aid; she rescues herself--and others. Between the evil circus sideshow owner who keeps her incarcerated until young adulthood, the Mole King (Peter Gallagher) who twice abducts her for marriage, and a scientifically inclined boy who traps both little people in test tubes, there is plenty of rescuing to be done. Tom Thumb (Elijah Wood), also kidnapped in infancy, had a happy childhood but sets out in search of kin. The small pair meet cute, bicker, fall in love, and, eventually, find their way back to their small village. The animation is a little flat, the songs fairly drippy, but the voice casting is stellar (Bebe Neuwirth, Jane Leeves, Robert Guillaume, etc.) and the underdog story line will appeal to the kids. Ages 3 to 7. --Kimberly Heinrichs