This slightly disappointing film from George Pal takes the famous fairytale as a starting point when a tiny chap (played with some flair by Russ Tamblyn) arrives at the house of childless couple Jessie Matthews and Bernard Miles, following a meeting between the man of the house and a woodland fairy.
It all starts well enough and one particular scene, where Tom’s toys come alive and put on a display for him, is fabulous, but the introduction of some token bad guys (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) slows up the action and doesn’t really work.
I imagine this film is entertaining for kids in fits and starts but as a feature it is far too long and sags badly in places. Tamblyn is good value but there are slim pickings to be found in this stodgy saga.