Walt Disney had great hopes for "Babes In Toyland", releasing it during the lucrative Christmas holiday season. But the critical reaction was just so-so, and the box office take, while not disastrous, was disappointing. Watching the movie today, it's pretty easy to figure out why there wasn't much enthusiasm for the movie. Its biggest flaw is that there is almost nothing done to make the main characters of Tom and Mary into REAL characters - we learn next to nothing about them, and Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello give performances that show their helplessness with their thin characters. Somewhat better is the character of Barnaby - he's given a lot of screen time and Ray Bolger gives a decent performance. Bolger gives some spark in his scenes, but additional problems with the movie defeat his enthusiasm. The songs, while not awful, are extremely unmemorable. Most of the sets come across as extremely stagebound and theatrical and feel phony. Is there anything else in this movie that might attract some viewers? Well, Ed Wynn fans might be charmed by his scenes as the toymaker. And the climax does have some stop-motion animation that might interest fans of the medium. But even these people might turn off their televisions before these moments come because the movie is for the most part so bland. I think even kids will be bored.