Die abenteuerliche Reise ins Zwergenland (1967)

Die abenteuerliche Reise ins Zwergenland: Directed by Robert Stevenson. With Walter Brennan, Matthew Garber, Karen Dotrice, Richard Deacon. In the Redwood Forests of California, a multi-millionaire lumberman and his two young grandchildren encounter two gnomes who are supposedly the last of their kind.

“In all the 3 movies which Matthew Garber appeared, Karen Dotrice was his co-star. u0026quot;The Gnome Mobileu0026quot; is the third of them. The previous ones are u0026quot;The Three Lives of Thomasinau0026quot; and u0026quot;Mary Poppinsu0026quot;. This duo is also known as the «Mary Poppins kids». Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice are two of my favorite kid stars, particularly Matthew.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis fantasy film is something I recommend for anyone who likes old live-action Disney films, Disney in general and especially for fans of Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice, no matter their age. Yet, this film seems to be more for children because itu0026#39;s somewhat childish.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film was directed by the famous Robert Stevenson, the same guy who directed movies such as the great u0026quot;Old Yelleru0026quot; and u0026quot;Mary Poppinsu0026quot; and the okay films u0026quot;The Love Bugu0026quot;, u0026quot;Herbie Rides Againu0026quot; and u0026quot;Bedknobs and Broomsticksu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie is generally likable, colorful and has soul, but it doesnu0026#39;t manage to be a truly great movie. The movie is quite promising in the beginning and it goes rather well until more or less the middle, perhaps a bit later than that. However, after that it isnu0026#39;t that great and becomes a little goofy for my taste.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe sceneries are great, particularly the forest, which create an atmosphere that strongly resembles u0026quot;The Wizard of Ozu0026quot;. Less good are some scenes with cars that inspired certain scenes for u0026quot;The Love Bugu0026quot;, but at least those scenes are separate. The scenes with gnomes clearly resemble later movies such as u0026quot;Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryu0026quot;. At the end, there are some nice primitive special effects.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWalter Brennan is excellent in the role of the eccentric but disciplined D.J. Mulrooney and he is never annoying, unlike that gnome with big beird whose name I donu0026#39;t even know. The character D.J. Mulrooney owns a Rolls-Royce Phantom II, the gnome mobile of the title. A fine automobile indeed, but gigantic. If we consider its immense size and the time when the car was made, itu0026#39;s concerning the serious dangers they took with such an unsafe and huge car by doing some crazy stuff in curves and high speed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the kids (Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice), they are perfect in their acting. Very lively, cute, charming, smart and classy. Itu0026#39;s possible to see Matthew Garber doing incredible things here, such as driving a car and climbing a building. In fact, the scene when Matthew tries to drive the huge car but canu0026#39;t reach the pedals because heu0026#39;s too small for it is funny and Karen gives him a help. After the funny sequence when he climbs a building and helps his grandfather to escape is when the movie begins to lose its initial greatness.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMatthew Garber portrays Rodney, while Karen Dotrice plays Elizabeth. Theyu0026#39;re brothers and their surname is Winthrop. Iu0026#39;ve gotta say, Rodney is a lovely and different name – very classy and British too. I love Matthewu0026#39;s lines «When I get a car, itu0026#39;s going to be a Maserati» and «1 horsepower??». The kid is fine, huh? I mean, a Maserati. Thatu0026#39;s thinking tall :)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe classic comedian Ed Wynn has a small role as one of the gnomes at the end, but this time he isnu0026#39;t as funny as usual.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSad that Matthew Adam Garber is not with us anymore. Why didnu0026#39;t he and Karen keep in touch after this film? After all, they did 3 movies together and they were friends. Another funny line of Matthew is when he comments that nobody has a snoring like grandpa…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the soundtrack, u0026quot;The Gnome Mobile Songu0026quot; is great, very charming, jolly and timeless. The movie wasnu0026#39;t a success. Maybe Matthew lost his motivation because of this and gave up on his acting career. Probably Karen felt the same and maybe thatu0026#39;s why she was such a long time without making movies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn conclusion, a decent movie although not all that great. But itu0026#39;s worth for the lovely Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice.”