The Grand Studio of the Lion was slowly dying when this musical for kids was released.
I read the Norton Juster Book in '71 before seeing the film at a summer film series in my hometown public library. I loved Juster's book so much I read it twice. The movie "Tollbooth" I found faithful to the book, but I didn't like the way the characters were animated. Tock should have had his watch on the outside of his body, and having silhouettes for Princesses Rhyme and Reason instead of regular women was bad. Putting Officer Short Shrift on wheels was creative, though.
Butch Patrick was interesting to see without his Eddie Munster makeup. However, I didn't like his disbelief and precocious cynicism about the tollbooth at the beginning. The book Milo was much more mellow and willing to believe that the fantastic could happen. He calmly investigated and assembled the tollbooth kit (it just springs to life in the movie). After Patrick got into the animated world, he calmed down a little.
Not an animated masterpiece, but an OK cartoon for smaller kids (boredom expected for over 9).
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