This film is one of my favorite Disney live-action musicals and a wonderful Christmas film too. It used to be on TV when I was a kid, but not anymore. I was fortunate to buy it on DVD, though. The film is also based on an operetta by Victor Herbert with new lyrics by Mel Leven, and of course I thought it had a great soundtrack.
In the film, Annette Funicello plays Mary Quite-Contrary, and Tommy Sands plays Mary's fiancé, Tom Piper, the Piper's son. As Mary and Tom's wedding approaches, evil schemer Barnaby (The Wizard of Oz's Ray Bolger) hatches a plot to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep to get her to marry him-for the money she will inherit. But unfortunately for Barnaby, the two henchmen he hired in order to kill Tom kidnap him instead and sell him to a band of gypsies-for more money, of course, since they're being paid by Barnaby to get rid of Tom.
However, the same gypsies eventually put on a show in Mother Goose Village, and Mary discovers Tom is still alive; the couple had a happy reunion. But when the two went back to Mary's cottage, the children in her care, Wee Willie Winkie, Little Boy Blue, and Little Bo Peep, had gone to look for the sheep in the Forest of No Return. The two found the children, but they spent the night in the forest. In the morning, the band was "captured" by the trees of the forest and escorted to Toyland to see the toymaker. That's all I could tell you, folks; you will have to see the film for yourself to see how it ends.
Overall, this is a fantastic Disney production; unfortunately, it performed poorly at the box office, which was too bad.
In the film, Annette Funicello plays Mary Quite-Contrary, and Tommy Sands plays Mary's fiancé, Tom Piper, the Piper's son. As Mary and Tom's wedding approaches, evil schemer Barnaby (The Wizard of Oz's Ray Bolger) hatches a plot to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep to get her to marry him-for the money she will inherit. But unfortunately for Barnaby, the two henchmen he hired in order to kill Tom kidnap him instead and sell him to a band of gypsies-for more money, of course, since they're being paid by Barnaby to get rid of Tom.
However, the same gypsies eventually put on a show in Mother Goose Village, and Mary discovers Tom is still alive; the couple had a happy reunion. But when the two went back to Mary's cottage, the children in her care, Wee Willie Winkie, Little Boy Blue, and Little Bo Peep, had gone to look for the sheep in the Forest of No Return. The two found the children, but they spent the night in the forest. In the morning, the band was "captured" by the trees of the forest and escorted to Toyland to see the toymaker. That's all I could tell you, folks; you will have to see the film for yourself to see how it ends.
Overall, this is a fantastic Disney production; unfortunately, it performed poorly at the box office, which was too bad.