BABES IN TOYLAND 3D 1934 LAUREL & HARDY MUSICAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY FAIRY TALE FILM IN 3 DIMENSIONS DVD-R!

Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical Christmas film released on November 30, 1934. The film is also known by the alternative titles Laurel and Hardy in Toyland, Revenge Is Sweet (the 1948 European reissue title), and March of the Wooden Soldiers (in the United States), a 73-minute abridged version.

Based on Victor Herbert‘s popular 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland, the film was produced by Hal Roach, directed by Gus Meins and Charles Rogers, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 

Although the 1934 film makes use of many of the characters in the original play, as well as several of the songs, the plot is almost completely unlike that of the original stage production. In contrast to the stage version, the film’s story takes place entirely in Toyland, which is inhabited by Mother Goose (Virginia Karns) and other well-known fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters.

RKO Pictures originally purchased the rights in 1930 with the plans of filming the musical partly in two-strip Technicolor. Plans were announced to have Bebe Daniels (later Irene Dunne) star in the musical along with the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey. Due to the backlash against musicals in the autumn of 1930, the plans were dropped. A couple of years later, some thought was given to filming the musical as an animated feature film to be shot in Technicolor by Walt Disney, however, the projected price of the film gave pause to RKO’s plans. Hal Roach, who had seen the play as a boy, acquired the film rights to the project in November 1933.

The production was the biggest and most expensive film vehicle for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s comedy at the time it was produced, as comedy films were most often seen as a way for studios in the 1930s to produce light-hearted entertainment on a low budget. The production was also beset with delays throughout the filming process caused by on set injuries, personal strife in Stan Laurel’s private life, and sudden illnesses among the cast.

In spite of these issues, the film was completed in November 1934. The village of Toyland was built on sound stages at Hal Roach Studios with the buildings painted in vivid storybook colors, leading Stan Laurel to regret that the film wasn’t shot in Technicolor. The film was originally produced in sepia tone and later colorized.

color, anaglyph, fullscreen, 79 minutes. includes your two pair of 3D glasses! DVD-R comes packaged as shown in color DVD case, wrapped in plastic!