It… has not aged well. The practical effects are decent, and the comedy is okay. The brown-face? Not so much. NGL tho, Fischer Stevens had some great lines:
Howard: What if it goes out and melts down a bus load of nuns? How would you like to write the headline on that one!?
TOYS with Robin Williams. It is a gentle mixture of childhood nostalgia, Christmas whimsy, military child labor and accurate prediction about the future of war… and it is a touching coming-of-age love story. It all never quite comes together, but I love it for trying. Great soundtrack too.
If you're referring to the rumors of killing animals during filming, those appear to be false. Several Humane Societies even put their names on the movie. The belief might come from them using so many different cats and dogs, but that's because it took 4 years to film and they kept aging.
Loved it a a child. Re watched it as an adult.....holy shit. They're using a real kitten and puppy....they had to use several kittens and puppies....those poor kittens!
They through a kitten to a bear. Into a quickly moving river. Got it to get pinched by a lobster. Through Milo off a fucking cliff!
How the hell did they get away with making this movie, even in the 80's?
For me, probably Big Fat Liar. "Starring" Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, but the real highlight is Paul Giamatti as the villain chewing the absolute shit out of the scenery for an hour and a half as the kids subject his character to a series of increasingly elaborate pranks.
We had that on VHS along with a load of cartoons. Pretty sure everyone in it is dead now. I later found out my parents put that movie on for us whenever they wanted some alone time. And I watched that movie a lot.
Although I have to admit the highlight of the tape was the Donald Duck cartoons after it. Three For Breakfast is a stone cold classic that they won't put on Disney Plus because he does a racism at the end.