Maybe I had advanced tastes for your average eight-year-old. I don't know. What I DO know is that, ever since I saw this underrated classic on TV at about that time, I fell in love with it, and that love affair has continued down the years since. First, there's the voice casting. You will never hear a better latter-day Judy Garland than here. She's in great voice and seems to be genuinely enjoying herself in the role of Mewsette. Ditto Robert Goulet, Red Buttons, Hermoine Gingold, and company. The Harold Arlen - Yip Harburg songs, if not the classics they wrote for "Wizard of Oz," very enjoyable. In fact, I believe this was Arlen's last full-length score, after the Broadway flop "Saratoga," and, rumor has it, it was he who persuaded Garland to take the job. The animation excellent and imaginative throughout, especially the sequence where Mewsette is depicted in the styles of various artists, and even though ace animator Abe Levitow gets sole directorial credit, it's obvious that executive producer Chuck Jones had a pretty active hand in things as well.
One final note: In addition to owning the video myself, we also have it in the video collection of the library where I work. When I recommend it to people as a good alternative to Disney&co for the kids, patrons will say they've never heard of it, but take it out on my recommendation. When they come back the next day, they always say almost the same thing: "Wow! This was great! My kids loved it and so did I. Why didn't I know about it before?" And I tell them "Because it's one of the great hidden treasures of animated features." Which, I think, says it exactly.
One final note: In addition to owning the video myself, we also have it in the video collection of the library where I work. When I recommend it to people as a good alternative to Disney&co for the kids, patrons will say they've never heard of it, but take it out on my recommendation. When they come back the next day, they always say almost the same thing: "Wow! This was great! My kids loved it and so did I. Why didn't I know about it before?" And I tell them "Because it's one of the great hidden treasures of animated features." Which, I think, says it exactly.