A poor cousin to Harryhausen's more polished adventures, this film nevertheless boasts a high fun quotient for stop-motion aficionados. Jim Danforth's skillful animation is unfortunately undercut by very poor puppets, which were built outside his supervision and control. The first stop-motion sequence is the best, with the dancing dwarf from the Princess' music box growing into a giant, then absconding with her. I liked the clever way Jack coped with this monster, using his wits and materials at hand: strangling him with a rope bound to the millhouse wheel. Nice touch when the ogre's hand gets crushed by the millstone. Saw it as a kid of 7 or so originally, and it scared me pretty good. Good acting by "7th Voyage of Sinbad" veterans Kerwin Matthews, as the hero Jack, and Torin Thatcher as the evil mage Pendragon.
Review of Jack the Giant Killer
