The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

Best movie of this year hands down!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Classic surrealistic Chuck Jones animated feature film (with some live action parts). It's an intelligent, entertaining movie. I would say educational as well but if your kid is able to learn from the fast-paced and often tongue-twisting wordage here then they are much smarter than I was as a tyke.The plot is about a young boy named Milo (Butch Patrick) who enters a mysterious tollbooth and is transported to the Kingdom of Wisdom. Accompanied by Tock, a watchdog who literally has a watch in his body, he has a series of adventures traveling through the various enchanted lands.It's a fun, smart, sophisticated movie that won't appeal to all. Sadly, I must cynically say it won't appeal to most kids of today. Another thing: the songs are nothing exceptional but not as bad as I've seen others say. Some of them are quite good. Don't let naysayers talk you out of trying this movie. If you love Chuck Jones or classic animation in general, it's definitely a must see.

SPOILER ALERT!!! I haven't watched the movie, but if it is anything like the book, then it is really a waste of your time. Milo hates his life and then he magically gets imported to a magical land of metaphors, not wisdom. And in the end, after his self-changing journey, he goes back to Earth and of course, classically, only one hour has passed. And then he looks at the world differently. He notices small things; he loves school and everything much more. It's definitely different from Modern Movies. I would rate this as a very bad book. Especially because about every one to three chapters, a bunch of characters are jumping from one place to the next ("Jumping to Conclusions") and there are about 50 characters in the whole book, and I lost track after Milo, Tock, Tick, The Mathemagician, King Azaz, Rhyme, Reason, The Humbug and the Which. Also, if you are looking for a realistic read, never read this book. It's very fantasy, except it's not actually a "fantasy", because there is nothing good that happens in it! If you are going to read it, get it from the library. Don't waste your money.

Milo (Butch Patrick) is a boy who is bored with life. One day he comes home to find a toll booth in his room. Having nothing better to do, he gets in his toy car and drives through, only to emerge in a world full of adventure.This film is pretty good, and the animation is quite well-done. Fans of Chuck Jones will appreciate it, as will fans of the book. Some of it (especially the music) is a bit dated, but it can be excused. And how can a young Eddie Munster be a bad thing? I strongly recommend reading the book before watching this. The film jumps from one scene to the next very quickly, and sometimes not even in the same order. Some parts are left out entirely (though I did not mind the exclusion of Alec, whom I found quite annoying). I think those who read the book will better appreciate the film.Would I like to see a remake of this? Perhaps. But I think it would hold up fine if touched up. I watched a very old VHS copy. Perhaps the DVD is better, but my guess is they did not put much into it.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately the movie does not do it justice. It does not come together in the same way the book did. I am not saying that all film adaptations should follow the book strictly, but the film should at least stand on it's own. I just feel like the movie was quite rushed and did not take time to explain things. The animation was also rushed too. The whole movie just seemed rushed. Weren't half baked ideas frowned upon in the movie? How ironic! A lot of my favorite part of the book were also skipped, such as most of the forest of sight where Milo learns about perspective. Milo's adventure in the valley of sound was also skipped. Milo also did not meet the child from infinity. Tock was also far too patronizing and did not preach as much in the book, where his character was far less perfect and more believable. The order in which Milo hits his destinations, such as Chroma's place, and Dr. Dischord's van also made more sense in the book and probably should have been followed more strictly in the movie, for the sake of the story's flow. Even for children, the film is much too choppy.The end was also very cheesy because it was sung. In fact, most of the songs were overkill.Maybe this book just isn't meant to be made into a film. It isn't exactly subtle and is more of a concept or "how to" type of story where the metaphors are more obvious. Film translates ideas a bit more subtly, with dialog, action, etc. Bad guys being defeated by a pencil firing the words "truth" just doesn't make for a good film. Oh well, maybe another producer will pull off the Phantom Tollbooth in a better way, but for now, read the book; the story flows much more nicely when it is read.