A film that admits straight away it’s not really the biography of fairy-tale writer Hans Christian Andersen (Kaye), this is actually an entertaining but completely fictional family musical that showcases some of his best-known stories.
A must for little girls (it features a Little Mermaid ballet that’s just adorable and a love story with Hans and a ballerina that may put little boys off), it’s packed with songs that should enchant little ones and spark memories in grown-ups.
Hans is a cobbler with a gift for spinning a yarn who makes it big in Copenhagen but then is scuppered when he falls in love with an unattainable dancer.
But forget the subplot, it’s his stories that are enjoyable here, such as Thumbelina and the Ugly Duckling, and their songs, especially ‘Inchworm’, a short little chant about numbers which parents should tape and play back to any tots who are learning their mathematical tables.
Is Hans Christian Andersen suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
None.
If you like this, why not try: The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Anastasia,