Editor Reviews:

Description:
Dive beneath the wavesand beyond your wildest dreamsto an underwater playground overflowing with adventure! Featuring a magical mix of live action and animation, The Water Babies is the most fun you'll have aboveand belowsea level! When 12-year-old Tom jumps into a swirling stream, he is suddenly swept away to a fantastical place filled with music, excitement and colorful characters. Frolicking with the fish, singing with the squid and cavorting with the crabs, Tom's as happy as a clam until he grows lonesome for his friends back home. To get to solid ground, Tom must findthe Water Babiesa group of fun-loving children who live far across the ocean. For only the WaterBabies can take Tom to the great Lord of the Seathe one creature powerful enough to make his every wish come true!

Amazon.com:
What happens when a young boy named Tom, apprenticed as a chimney sweep, gets framed for theft in 1850s England? Even though a young girl named Ellie knows the real thieves' identities and tries to clear Tom's name, Tom's desperate escape run lands him right in the middle of Dead Man's Pool. Assumed to have met certain death, Tom gets sucked into a magical underwater world. Tom befriends the creatures he meets beneath the sea, and they accompany him on a journey to the land of Water Babies, where he intends to ask the all-powerful Cracken to help him return to the world above the water. Tom encounters many difficulties along the way, but he eventually arrives in the world of the Water Babies, only to watch an evil shark and eel capture his new friends. Cracken forces Tom to choose between his own return to the world and the freedom of the Water Babies. Tom wisely chooses the Water Babies' freedom, winning his own return in the process. Life is far from idyllic when Tom returns to land, but eventually the quick-thinking boy clears his name, traps the real thieves, and wins a place in Ellie's affluent family. Many adults possess fond memories of seeing this 1978 movie as children. The land portions of this 85-minute musical feature live-action footage, while the water sequence is fully animated. To a fresh, modern audience, the abrupt change from one format to the other is somewhat disconcerting, as is the choppy, older animation style. The story, based on the classic children's book of the same name by Charles Kingsley, is an intriguing look at both Victorian culture and the fantasy world. (Ages 4-8) --Tami Horiuchi

Rating : - Blast from the Past
I remember watching this movie on HBO when it was a brand new network. Remember the miniature town they built and the camera panning through it?... Anyway, this movie is cute is a weird psychadelic way. Love the tunes!