'The Water Babies (1978)' is really weird because it's basically just two different films awkwardly stuck together. After about half an hour, the piece transitions from a period drama to an animated musical; it then swaps back again for its final moments. The problem isn't that these two elements are mutually exclusive (which they aren't necessarily), it's that neither of them are all that compelling. In fact, they're often fairly boring. Besides, who exactly is the target audience? The movie's two sides almost seem to be aimed at totally different audiences. The animated musical moments are what most people seem to fondly remember. Sadly, though, there are only a couple of songs and they aren't exactly great. The main number is repeated so often and so many times that it becomes straight-up annoying. Also, the animation is pretty janky and the character designs aren't all that appealing. In general, the film just sort of washes over you. It has its highlights - Bernard Cribbins and David Tomlinson included - and it isn't aggressively 'bad'. Still, it isn't exactly an entertaining experience. 4/10
Review of The Water Babies
