FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

SimonJack The favorite cartoons to this day of a boyhood friend and I are those of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. They are the creation of animator, cartoonist, writer and director Chuck Jones. He also created other cartoon characters (Pepé Le Pew) and directed many animated shorts with other well-known cartoon characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig) in the mid-20th century. Besides his animal caricature cartoons, Jones created animation shorts with an educational theme. He won an Oscar in 1965 for an early such short, "The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics." It's a very clever, funny and entertaining short. I was not aware of "The Phantom Tollbooth" until recent years. I was one of a typical American householder busy raising a family during those years. That was a time when parents seldom could make it out to the movies. But, it's never too late to enjoy a good cartoon, or movie. So, I have enjoyed discovering shorts such as "The Dot and Line" and movies such as "The Phantom Tollbooth" in my later years. An interesting thing about this animated film is that it's likely way over the heads of young audience that it is about, but clearly aimed at the parents of those kids. The story is based on a book by Norton Juster, who also wrote the story and screenplay for "The Dot and the Line." Apparently, Juster was motivated in this story by what he saw in the classrooms of the day. That would be a boredom, laziness and listlessness of many students. So, those subjects become part of the film (the Doldrums, etc.). This is a clever tale, and fun way that the creators turn live action into animation. The characters within the story all show great imagination, and each is aimed to address some characteristic that goes against logic or education. The right age for grasping this subject in the early decades of the 21st century would likely be in the upper elementary grades (4 for the brightest kids, 5 for eager, interested kids, 6 for slower kids). Even then, most may have problems with some words, and that can be a good aid to get them scurrying to the dictionary or looking up words on their electronic devices. This animated movie is a good social picture of the culture of the time, while serving as an educational vehicle in itself. And, it's a very enjoyable and entertaining feature as well. At the very least, this is a fine teaching tool aimed at parents. If we let kids go like Milo at the start, they'll fall way behind in life.A number of actors voice the cartoon characters in the film - all very well. Many of the names are plays on words and the language itself. Some favorite characters are Officer Short Shrift, the Whether man, and the Official Which (sic) of the Kingdom of Wisdom. At one point, Tock The Watchdog says, "That's why people don't seem to care anymore which words they use as long as they use lots of them."A favorite line amidst the running witty dialog is said by King Azaz. He tells Milo, "You may ask all the questions that have never been answered. And answer all the questions which have never been asked."

Sparki Fruit snacks have all the fun and yumminess and prettiness of candy, but are a little more beneficial due to being made with real fruit. Same thing with this movie. A fun-filled, colorful, whimsical fantasy, with some educational benefits mixed in with the fun.The animation is beautiful, with bright candy colors and fun zingy patterns. Viewers feel that they are accompanying bored tween Milo on his adventure, and the music is awesome, especially the Bacharach-esque opening and closing theme sung by a band reminiscent of the 5th Dimension, the Cowsills, Spanky and Our Gang, and the Free Design combined.I put this in the pantheon of great contemporary fantasy films, right up there with The Point, The Neverending Story, and Labyrinth

TheLittleSongbird I am a fan of animation and of Chuck Jones, and I really like The Phantom Tollbooth. I do prefer Gay Purr-ee and the book is better and even more intriguing, but I thought the film was terrific. Yes even with some heavy-handed moralising and one or two scenes in the middle that drag.I loved the story, it is a wondrous concept with some imaginative sequences and a live start and finish that set the tone nicely. I liked the music too, it isn't quite as charming or witty as Gay Purr-ee's, but the incidental music has a great atmosphere and the songs while not to everyone's tastes are in my view memorable with fun lyrics and nice melodies.The animation is in general quite good. Some of the secondary characters could have been less misconceived in the facial expressions and scope, but the colours are wonderfully trippy and the backgrounds have a sense of surrealism about them. The writing is clever and witty, with quotable puns, while the characters are likable and add to the sense of fun, even Milo I can identify with. Some of it might fly over young children's heads, but adolescents and adults would love it I think. The voice acting is also terrific, the immortal Mel Blanc does a brilliant job voicing his characters, while not a tour-de-force as such, it is a real treat, and Butch Patrick, Daws Butler, June Foray and Hans Conreid are also great.In conclusion, a terrific animated film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

theshinepolice The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately the movie does not do it justice. It does not come together in the same way the book did. I am not saying that all film adaptations should follow the book strictly, but the film should at least stand on it's own. I just feel like the movie was quite rushed and did not take time to explain things. The animation was also rushed too. The whole movie just seemed rushed. Weren't half baked ideas frowned upon in the movie? How ironic! A lot of my favorite part of the book were also skipped, such as most of the forest of sight where Milo learns about perspective. Milo's adventure in the valley of sound was also skipped. Milo also did not meet the child from infinity. Tock was also far too patronizing and did not preach as much in the book, where his character was far less perfect and more believable. The order in which Milo hits his destinations, such as Chroma's place, and Dr. Dischord's van also made more sense in the book and probably should have been followed more strictly in the movie, for the sake of the story's flow. Even for children, the film is much too choppy.The end was also very cheesy because it was sung. In fact, most of the songs were overkill.Maybe this book just isn't meant to be made into a film. It isn't exactly subtle and is more of a concept or "how to" type of story where the metaphors are more obvious. Film translates ideas a bit more subtly, with dialog, action, etc. Bad guys being defeated by a pencil firing the words "truth" just doesn't make for a good film. Oh well, maybe another producer will pull off the Phantom Tollbooth in a better way, but for now, read the book; the story flows much more nicely when it is read.