Wishing for a son after an auspicious encounter with the Forest Queen, woodcutter Jonathan and wife Anna (Miles and Matthews) are pleased to find the pint-sized Tom Thumb (Tamblyn) on their doorstep that very night. Unfortunately, Tom has gotten mixed up with two rogues (Thomas and Sellers) on the way, who cruelly take advantage of the 5-1/2-inch-tall boys naivete, with consequences for Tom's new family.

Size does matter when it comes to family entertainment — and in this case, the smaller the better. Winner of the 1958 Oscar for best special effects, this feisty version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale was meticulously crafted by Puppettoon master George Pal, energetically acted by Tamblyn and co-star Alan Young (playing Tom's pal, Woody the Piper), and tweaked with a few choice musical numbers. Lest we forget, the villainous antics of Terry-Thomas and a quite corpulent Sellers provide lots of laughs to go along with the high-spirited, gymnastic mischief.