Thumbelina (2022 film)

Thumbelina is a 2022 live-action musical fantasy film directed by Erin Cazad and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a remake of the 1994 animated film of the same name, which in turn is based on the book by Hans Christian Andersen. The script was written by Erin Cazad, Bill Kelly, and Don Bluth and starred Katherine Steele in her feature film debut as Thumbelina, Michael Arden as Prince Cornelius, Graham Norton as Grundel Toad, Sacha Baron Cohen as Jacquimo, and Paul McGann as Mr. Mole. It was released on November 18th, 2022.

Despite the original animated film receiving negative reviews, the live-action version received a more positive reception with praise going to Steele and Arden's performances, the special effects, costume design, music, and the empowerment of the titular heroine. It grossed $850.3 million worldwide on a $300 million budget, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022.

Plot
The film opens with a friendly swallow named Jacquimo (Sacha Baron Cohen_ entering Paris, introducing himself to the viewers and then entering Notre Dame where he shows them storybooks about "people with impossible problems" such as Samson and Delilah and Romeo and Juliet before the film zooms onto the storybook entitled "Thumbelina", which opens itself to present illustrations of what will happen.

A lonely woman (Meryl Streep) longs for a child of her very own. One day, a good witch gives her a barleycorn to plant, and the next day the flower blooms, revealing a beautiful young girl "no bigger than her thumb." (Katherine Steele) The woman names her Thumbelina. Thumbelina spends time with her mother's farm animals but is worried that there is no one around of her own size ("Thumbelina"). One night, her mother tells her a story about fairies. After being put to bed, Thumbelina imagines that someday she will be able to find someone to love ("Soon"). As she is humming to herself, Prince Cornelius of the Fairies (Michael Arden) flies by her windowsill and is enchanted by her. The two take a ride on Cornelius' bumblebee, during which they fall in love ("Let Me Be Your Wings"). During this ride, a toad named Grundel (Graham Norton) sees Thumbelina and declares to his lovely mother Mrs. Toad (Sofia Vegara) that he loves her.

Cornelius returns Thumbelina to her windowsill and promises to come back for her the next day. After he leaves, Thumbelina goes to sleep in her walnut bed and is kidnapped by the beautiful and very sexy Mrs. Toad. When Thumbelina awakes the next morning, she is on a lily-pad far away from home. Mrs. Toad declares that Thumbelina will join their family singing troupe "Singers de Espana" (counting Grundel's brothers, Mozo and Gringo) and that Thumbelina will also marry Grundel ("On the Road"). The group leaves her alone on the lily-pad to fetch the priest, despite her protests. Thumbelina successfully flags down Jacquimo, who helps her free of the lily-pad and encourages her to follow her heart and find her way home to her mother ("Follow Your Heart"). Jacquimo himself promises to help her find Cornelius, who lives in the Vale of the Fairies. Meanwhile, Cornelius has learned of Thumbelina's kidnapping and goes searching for her.

Thumbelina almost reaches home, but she is stopped by Berkeley Beetle (Jon Stewart) who wants her to join his act at the Beetle Ball. Thumbelina is forced to perform at the Beetle Ball, but at the end is kicked out for being "too ugly" (as those beetles only like the appearances of beetles). ("You're Beautiful, Baby") Grundel, who is also searching for Thumbelina, tracks down Beetle and forces him (by taking his wings) to help find Thumbelina. Searching for the Vale of the Fairies, Jacquimo seeks help from a fleeing rabbit and its pursuer, a fox. The fox angrily shoves him out of the way and a strong gust of wind blows the swallow into a tree, driving a thorn through his wing. When the cold winter frost arrives, he becomes too weak to fly to the point that he loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The falling snow also causes Cornelius to fall from his bumblebee into a pond, where he is frozen in ice. Beetle finds Cornelius and cuts out a block of ice in which the Fairy Prince is trapped to bring to Grundel. Elsewhere, Thumbelina's mother can only wait at home and hope for the best ("Soon (Reprise)").

With both Cornelius and Jacquimo incapacitated, Thumbelina takes shelter from the winter frost in a shoe. She is rescued by Ms. Fieldmouse (Bette Midler) who tells her that Cornelius is dead. She convinces a heartbroken Thumbelina to join her to visit Mr. Mole (Paul McGann), where Thumbelina is told to sing for him ("Sun"). They take a walk in Mr. Mole's extensive tunnels, where Thumbelina discovers the unconscious Jacquimo. Mr. Mole tells Ms. Fieldmouse that he would like to marry Thumbelina, and she agrees to convince Thumbelina that it would be for the best ("Marry the Mole"). Grundel learns that Thumbelina is to marry Mr. Mole and abandons the frozen Cornelius with Beetle, allowing three young jitterbug children that Thumbelina befriended to light a fire to melt the ice that has trapped Cornelius. Thumbelina sneaks out of Ms. Fieldmouse's home to visit Jacquimo. He wakes, and Thumbelina removes the thorn from his wing. Before she can explain that Cornelius is "dead", Jacquimo flies off, still determined to find the Vale of the Fairies.

When Thumbelina is prompted by the minister at the wedding ceremony, she responds that she cannot marry Mr. Mole, eventually leading into a chase by Beetle, Grundel, and the others. However, Cornelius and the jitterbug children arrive to stop them and Cornelius engages Grundel. Despite his efforts in stalling the crowd long enough to secure Thumbelina's escape, the battle eventually culminates in both he and Grundel falling into a bottomless pit. Thumbelina manages to scare her pursuers by causing a mountain of jewelry to slide toward them, and she escapes to the surface, where she is found by Jacquimo, who says that he has found the Vale of the Fairies. They fly there, and after Thumbelina sings ("Let Me Be Your Wings (Reprise)"), the ice thaws and Cornelius, who survived the fall and is still with the jitterbug children, appears to be reunited with his love. Cornelius proposes, Thumbelina accepts, the pair kiss and wings sprout from Thumbelina's back. The wedding is celebrated with Thumbelina's mother, Jacquimo, the jitterbug children, and Cornelius' family in attendance.

Screenshots during the credits reveal that Beetle resumed his normal, pop star life and got his wings back; Grundel survived the fall with a broken leg and married a female toad; Mr. Mole married Ms. Fieldmouse, and the rabbit and fox Jacquimo tried to ask for help ultimately found friendship.

Characters

 * Katherine Steele as Thumbelina
 * Michael Arden as Prince Cornelius
 * Graham Norton as Grundel Toad
 * Sacha Baron Cohen as Jacquimo
 * Jon Stewart as Berkeley Beetle
 * Bette Midler as Ms. Fieldmouse
 * Paul McGann as Mr. Mole
 * Meryl Streep as Thumbelina's Mother
 * Sofia Vegara as Mrs. Toad
 * Hugh Jackman as King Colbert
 * Catherine Tate as Queen Tabitha

Soundtrack

 * Follow Your Heart (Intro) - Sacha Baron Cohen
 * Thumbelina - Katherine Steele, Ensemble
 * Soon - Katherine Steele
 * Let Me Be Your Wings - Michael Arden, Katherine Steele
 * On The Road - Sofia Vegara, Katherine Steele, Ensemble
 * Follow Your Heart - Sacha Baron Cohen, Ensemble
 * Yer Beautiful, Baby - Jon Stewart, Ensemble
 * Soon (Reprise) - Meryl Streep
 * Sun - Katherine Steele
 * Marry the Mole - Bette Midler
 * Let Me Be Your Wings (Finale Ultimo) - Katherine Steele, Michael Arden, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ensemble
 * Let Me Be Your Wings (Pop Version) - Sarah Jessica Paker, Josh Groban