The Three Lives of Thomasina

Fun movie

THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA must rank as one of the most delicately moving, utterly charming and yes, most unusual films from the Disney live-action canon. Set in Scotland circa. 1912 and based on Paul Gallico's book of the same name, it's an unforgettable film which explores a frequent theme in Disney's works - the power of transformation.Young Mary McDhui (Karen Dotrice) lives with her widower father Andrew (Patrick McGoohan), the local veterinarian in their small Scottish village. Mary spends her days playing with her beloved tabby-cat Thomasina (voiced with warm sincerity by Elspeth March). It's a carefree world which comes to a crashing, tragic end when Thomasina is injured in an accident and Andrew refuses to treat her, believing her injuries to be too severe to recover from. Mary's opinion of her father is shattered as a consequence, and as well as her cherished Thomasina, Mary begins to insist that her father, too, has died.Thomasina, though, hovers between life and death. In a spectacular sequence where Thomasina flies toward Cat Heaven, she instead begins her second life - in the care of the town's local "witch", Lori MacGregor (Susan Hampshire). Lori lives in a secluded part of the woods and her rare touch with injured animals has earned her a reputation which rivals Andrew's in the community. Unaware of Thomasina's past, Lori nurses the cat back to vitality. The same cannot be said for Mary, who has fretted so much that her own health starts to decline...It was in THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA that Walt Disney first paired Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber, the two enchanting child actors who'd later be immortalised as the Banks children in "Mary Poppins". Garber plays Mary's friend Geordie McNab in THOMASINA and he is utterly enchanting, more than holding his own in lovely scenes with Susan Hampshire and Patrick McGoohan.The film has a few dark elements (the gypsy circus and scenes of distress involving animals). I would be careful about screening THOMASINA for younger children, but for those aged 10 and over, I can't see any real issues. THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA is one of the most unusual and enchanting films from the "golden period" of live-action Disney films. Highly recommended. The DVD includes a fairly recent interview with star Susan Hampshire which is a nice touch.

The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) is an U.S.-British fantasy Disney film directed by Don Chaffey, starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, Matthew Adam Garber, & Karen Dotrice about a cat and her influence on a family. The film was based upon Gallico's 1957 novel Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God & filmed in Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland & Pinewood Studios, England. Here are the pro & cons of this film as I see it, I hope it helps you.Pros:1. A fun & delightful story good for all ages2. Nice cinematography for the time period & delightful sets & locations3. Overall very good acting, especially by Patrick McGoohan & child actor Matthew Adam Garber4. I don't usually watch special features, but these were good & short5. This was Susan Hampshire's first major role & she did a good job & is looking good tooCons:1. Unusual for me, but I don't have any cons for this film

The VHS clamshell is in excellent condition and looks brand new. This movie is super cute and makes me cry. I had a cat named Thomasina whenever i was a child and this movie reminds me of when she died.

Seeing action star/spy/"hard guy" Patrick McGoohan in a "Disney movie" was a novel experience, but then this didn't strike me as a typical Disney flick. For one thing, the predominant theme is death. McGoohan's wife is dead, the family cat is put to death, the daughter "kills and buries" her father (in her mind) - wow, pretty heavy stuff to lay on a young audience! McGoohan plays the part of a veterinarian in a small Scottish village, but when we're introduced to him, he's not exactly making friends with the locals. He immediately gets a reputation for heartlessness when he suggest to one woman that her very old dog is suffering and would be better off being put to sleep. (He throws in that he thinks she's being selfish, just in case he wasn't already cold-blooded enough!) The family crisis comes when he is in the middle of surgery on a blind man's dog. His daughter arrives with Thomasina, the family cat, who has contracted tetanus. He can't be bothered to even check her out, and instructs his assistant to put her down. Only the most stone-hearted will remain dry-eyed in the following trip to "cat heaven". But Thomasina's mission has only begun, and the remainder of the film is McGoohan's attempts to reconcile with his daughter and Thomasina's role in bringing them back together.There are so many things about this movie that put it out of the ordinary. If they dropped the *very* Disney-esque opening theme song and filmed it more at an adult eye-level (it is filmed very much from the physical point of view of a child), and added a Merchant/Ivory sepia tone, this would be regarded as a great adult movie or "Masterpiece Theater" (think "All Creatures Great and Small") material. The Scottish accents (including at one scene in Gaelic) must have been incomprehensible to children's audiences when it was released, and Thomasina's "funeral", including bagpipes, bier, and procession through town, is not the sort of thing I'd imagine kids found cheery.Totally unlike anything being made today, it isn't so much anachronistic as a reminder of how dumbed-down and emotionally sterile children's programming has become. It doesn't flog any specific message, but is definitely a movie that (if you can get a little one used to more frantic entertainment to sit through it) will make a deep and positive impression. Very highly recommended.

The seller added a personal note with contact information, incase I I had questions or issues with the DVD, no issues everything as promised. Thank you

A sweet old time growing up type of movie. Two children learn that things aren't always what they seem and its sometimes hard growing up.

This is a very engaging story of a little girl and a special pet. It brings on all our memories of pets we loved as children. So this is a family movie about our love for animals, and community.

I've read the book, and as ever was not sure about watching the movie, but as a cat person I thought I'd go for it. The story sticks pretty well to the book, avoiding the philosophical and religious musings, quite rightly for a children's story. It's really about the relationship between a girl and her widowed father who's a vet. You may need some tissues, even right at the start, but don't let that put you off. You care about the characters - the most important thing - and you find yourself hoping that all ends well. It's a Disney film, what more can I say?There's an interesting interview with Susan Hampshire as a bonus, and a few words from Walt Disney.Yes, the DVD is NTSC; all you need is a multi-region player. The quality is OK on my HD TV.

I've been looking for this film for a long time, one of my all time favourites. But please be awere that this DVD will not play on uk DVD players. I kept this DVD because I could not find a uk version as been an old film. I am all sorted now with a multi region DVD player allso purchased from Amzon.

I remember loving this movie as a child , and have been hunting for it for a good while . Somewhat dated in style now , its still very enjoyable as a family picture .Nice also to see the two kids from Mary Poppins , the film they went on to make next .

One of my favourite childhood movies and not normally available in the UK (which seems odd since it was made here!). Never mind The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - I can't wait to introduce my granddaughter to The Cat, The Witch(?) and The Heartbroken Child!

What a call a 'good old-fashioned children's story.' It is simple but very engaging. The use of a real cat, rather than a cartoon one, really makes the film. An unusual role for Patrick McGoohan.