The Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Directors:

Chuck Jones
Abe Levitow

Writers:

Chuck Jones (screenplay)
Norton Juster (book)

Release Date:

7 November 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Adventure | Animation | Fantasy

Tagline:

It's an Alphabeautiful Mathemagical New Musical Movie!

Plot:

Milo 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...

Plot Keywords:

Toll Booth | Lifting Person In Air | Wisdom | Child Driving Car | Reason

Cast

Butch Patrick	...	Milo
Mel Blanc	...	Officer Short Shrift / The Word Speller / The Dodecahedron / The Demon of Insincerity (voice)
Daws Butler	...	Whether Man (voice)
Candy Candido	...	Awful DYNN (voice)
Hans Conried	...	King Azaz / The MathemaGician (voice)
June Foray	...	Ralph / The Which / Princess of Pure Reason (voice)
Patti Gilbert	...	Princess of Sweet Rhyme (voice)
Shepard Menken	...	Tick Tock the Watch Dog (voice) (as Shep Menken)
Cliff Norton	...	Spelling Bee / Senses Taker (voice)
Larry Thor	...	Kakofonous A. Dischord (voice)
Les Tremayne	...	Humbug (voice)

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | USA:G

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Animation Visual Arts

Trivia:

This film was actually made in 1968 but due to MGM's financial problems and frequently changing management, the film was not heavily promoted. When it was released in 1970, it was not a box office success.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Faintly McCabre offers Milo and Tock some cookies, Tock eats all of them, yet in the next shot they are back.

Quotes:

Officer Short Shrift: Now then, would you like a short sentence or a long sentence?
Milo: Well, a short one, I guess, if I have a choice.
Officer Short Shrift: How about "I am"? It's the shortest sentence I know.
[Writes "I AM" on his pad and hands it to Milo]
Milo: It's very kind of you to give me... such a short sentence.
Officer Short Shrift: And when will you go to prison to start serving it?
Milo: Serving it? I guess I can't, not until I get back from Dictionopolis and the Castle in the Air.
[Thunderclap]
Officer Short Shrift: The what in the what?
Milo: The Castle in the Air.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Being from Another Planet (#5.5)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Noise, Noise, Beautiful Noise

What's not to like?

I still don't get why so many people who have seen it dislike it so much. I first saw it when it was playing on Cartoon Network. I liked it so much that I had to get it on videotape. Granted, the moralizing was a bit heavy-handed, but all the same, I loved it when I was young and still find it entertaining now.

BTW: Those of you who did not like the movie may want to read the book. It is just as good, maybe better, but has things put better into perspective.