When I was growing up in Wisconsin I would often times kill time at my local video store. I would roam through the aisles, looking at the VHS boxes, searching for something interesting to watch. I was fascinated with genre mash-ups and Ralph Bakshi’s films and quickly immersed myself in them. But Waukesha wasn’t exactly stationed along the cutting edge of pop culture, so I had some rather sizable gaps in both my film knowledge and exposure.
It wasn’t until college that I began meeting people who were giving enough to introduce me to German Expressionism, Italian neorealism, and Turner Classic Movies. From then on I always have had great respect for people who introduce me to new and exciting things, especially when it comes to films.
Which brings me to my girlfriend, Anna. I found my first excuse to talk to her when she was reading Watership Down, which was one of my favorite books (as well as animated films) as a child. Much to my delight she had never read it before so it afforded me the perfect opportunity to lay down some serious knowledge, and from there we soon began introducing each other to all sorts of of new experiences. One interesting thing to note is she was far more open to trying out my recommendations early on then I was with hers. This is quite simply explained. She likes Bjork, Dogville, and Ayn Rand. I like cool crap.
Now sure, I nearly made her cry when I went on my anti-Bjork tirade and I couldn’t stop laughing during our screening of Manderlay but I balanced this out by bringing the awesome. I taught her about Terry Gilliam and Werner Herzog. Forced her to watch American Movie and The Devil and Daniel Johnston. And in my finest moment, dragged her kicking and screaming to The Descent. Where ten minutes in I heard her growl “Why do you like this movie?”, only to hear her excitedly claim when we exited the movie “That was the scariest movie movie that I have ever seen!” So I was more then carrying my end of the bargain.
But this isn’t to say she didn’t either. Flushed with dismay at my apparent lack of enjoyment at the things she loved she doubled her efforts. Soon she unveiled her deep and unhealthy fascination with Rubber Johnny, an unwavering devotion to Claire Danes, and the incredibly odd but undeniably lovable trump card The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb.
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb is a film that will immediately stick to your brain, much like a double decker Devil’s Food cake will stick to your waistline. It is hauntingly dark, rich and delicious with its imagery. Using a little used animation technique called pixilation (a form of stop-motion animation where actors are used as a frame by frame subject, a style rather famously used in Pater Gabriel’s Sledgehammer music video) the Bolex Brothers animation studio transforms a whimsical children’s fairy tale into an Orwellian nightmarish dream scape.
With a quizzical opening sequence, the Bolex Brothers manifest their film on an image of a still gestating Tom Thumb before they turn their attention to a methodical automated assembly line that leads us into the darkness, This rather blunt metaphor is subtle compared to the barrage that awaits the viewer after the title card. Tom Thumb, no longer a lovable Mini Me, has become a claymation foetus who was abducted from his family, and must now try to escape from his captors and find a way to rescue his parents before they are killed by the unseemly purveyors of this dystopian nightmare. The pixilation transforms the humans into robotic monsters, more machine then man, and it provides a disturbing and creepy effect that lingers with every gesticulated movement.
Tom’s parents seem to be the only people capable of seeing past his subordinate stature and see his prodigious character. It is quite clear why Tom carries over this nurturing nature during his prolific adventures. He befriends an oddly designed cyborg during his captivity who plays a pivotal role in his escape. And unlike the other residents of this world, Tom doesn’t fear him because his outside appearance is far from ideal. And while on his travels Tom will encounter people filled with hatred and prejudice, yet he continues to nourish society in spite of its ills.
While most children’s fare, especially much of the American studio variety, will simply touch on obvious and simple themes that will be easy for both its target audience to grasp and their parents to praise, The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb bathes itself in its own byzantine nature, challenging both young and old with complicated characters who do not simply exist but challenge the perceived boundaries of youth oriented fare. The film is neither content nor satisfied with entertaining its viewers with a light lesson, but rather has the lofty and admirable goal of enlightening the audience, and maybe, just maybe, raising their consciousness to a new level.
The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb is a film quite unlike anything I have ever seen. Both creepy and fun, as well as nightmarish and inspiring, it will cause squeals of delight while it plants the seeds that inevitably sprout into an after show dialogue. Some may complain about the near total lack of dialogue, the dour and often times merciless tone, or even perhaps the high brow nature of a mere children’s film. But to me those complaints register as clear marks of a film that properly challenges the viewer to see beyond their normal scope. The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb is a marvelous film, and one I wish I had witnessed much earlier in my life.
