The Blue Bird (1940)

Set in Germany during the Napoleonic Wars, the selfish and spoiled daughter (Shirley Temple) of a woodcutter is told by a fairy (Jessie Ralph) to search for the blue bird of happiness. On this quest, she and her younger brother (Johnny Russell) visit the past, the future and a life of luxury. Based on the play by Maurice Maeterlinck and directed by Walter Lang (THE KING AND I). 20th Century Fox's Technicolor answer to MGM's THE WIZARD OF OZ from the year before is a cloying fantasy which has none of the musical elan, magical imagery or vivid performances of the 1939 movie and this is coming from someone who's not a big WIZARD OF OZ fan. In the end, both movies have the same dubious lesson to be taught. In the film, Temple's pet dog and cat are given human form. The film indulges in the stereotypical attitude of the dog (Eddie Collins) being loyal and man's best friend while the cat (Gale Sondergaard) is sneaky and not to be trusted. Alfred Newman's score is every bit as syrupy as the movie itself. The film was a deserved flop and it and Temple's follow up film, YOUNG PEOPLE effectively ended her reign at the box office. It was remade in 1976 with George Cukor at the helm. With Spring Byington, Nigel Bruce and Laura Hope Crews.