What is 'Thumbelina' about?

Answer 1

"Thumbelina" is a fairy tale about a tiny girl who is only the size of a thumb. She goes on a series of adventures, encounters different creatures, and ultimately finds her true love. The story explores themes of friendship, perseverance, and finding happiness in unexpected places.

Answer 2

Thumbelina

Based from the 1994 film,

A Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale.

Once upon a time, there was a widow that longed for a child to call her own.

One day, she went to a fairy and told her that she wanted a child of her own.

So the fairy put a flower seed in the widow's hand and told her to plant the seed

in a flower pot. The widow paid 12 shillings to the fairy to pay for the seed, and went home to plant the seed. When she got home, she planted the seed, and when she watered it, it grew. It was a pretty red flower and when it bloomed, the widow was astonished. Inside the flower, was a pretty girl no bigger than a thumb, inside of a

walnut as her cradle. The widow then decided to call her "Thumbelina".

One day, Thumbelina felt lonely and told the widow her fear, being the only small person in the world. Their tradition was to read a bedtime story, Thumbelina only wanted one kind of story tonight. "Is there a story of small people like me?" Thumbelina asked her mother. The widow said yes and pulled up a story of fairies. Thumbelina saw the pictures and grew excited. She then began asking questions about the fairies, and the widow answered them until it was Thumbelina's bedtime.

When the widow left, Thumbelina got up and began to look at the picture of the fairies, wishing she knew if they did exist. She began to sing about finding her true love and while she was, a fairy prince names Cornelius was passing by on his bumblebee and was enchanted by her. Walking through the window opening, he flew around the big fairy book while Thumbelina pretended to dance with a fairy prince. He cut the window part of the picture out and for his 'big entering' asked if he could "Cut in". Of course startled Thumbelina ran across the books and crawled into an empty teakettle to hide. Cornelius apologized, realizing he startled her. He climbed on the teapot to look inside, to see Thumbelina standing there, looking up at him. She then realized this man was small as she and climbed out through the spout to see if it was true. She saw indeed it was no trick, but it was real. She looked at him amazingly, and realized he was a fairy. "Your one of them!" Thumbelina said excitedly. "I beg your pardon?" Cornelius asked. "I thought I was the only small person in the whole world!" Thumbelina told him, doing so woke up the widow's dog, Hero, who began to growl. Frightened and wanting to protect Thumbelina, Cornelius draws his sword and stood between her and Hero. Thumbelina began to quickly coax the dog, afraid Cornelius would run away frightened. She motioned him to follow her lead as she stammered, "Hello, my name is Thumbelina. Thank you sir for coming to visit me this, uh, very night." Cornelius caught her hand motioning to play along and bowed quickly a lot of times, "It was my pleasure, it is a pleasure to meet you.". And Hero fell asleep, knowing Thumbelina was safe. Trying not to snicker, Thumbelina and Cornelius looked at each other and walked away from the dog. "Thumbelina, what a pretty name." Thumbelina said thank you. "I'm Cornelius." He said. "Cornelius!" She said as she spun around, "What a funny name! Oh, I mean, it's perfect..." she felt a moment of awkwardness until she turned around to face Cornelius, "Do you have a prince?" "Why yes, we do." Cornelius replied. "I can only imagine he is handsome, strong and brave!" Thumbelina said. "He is, one of a kind." Cornelius said. "I'd sure like to meet him." Thumbelina began as she went closer to him. "Oh, I'll tell him." Cornelius said, they were about to kiss before something interrupted him. Bzzz! Thumbelina jumped away startled, "What was that?" She said, looking around anxiously. "Oh, that's Bumzby, my Bumble." Cornerlius said, a little upset. "He's on the sill, he doesn't like to stay in one place for a while.". "Why didn't you tell me? Come on!" Thumbelina said as she pulled Cornelius towards the sill. As Thumbelina ran toward the Bumble in excitment, she looked at the creature, "Why, he's so big!" Thumbelina said standing there. Never has she seen a tamed Bumble Bee. "Want to take a spin?" Cornelius asked. "Sure!" Thumbelina said as Cornelius got on the bumble and pulled her up. "I wish I had wings." Thumbelina said, holding onto Cornelius. "Maybe someday you will." He said as he smiled, "Hang on tight.". And with that, the Bumble went full speed as Thumbelina began to laugh in excitment. (In the movie, then sang "Let Me Be Your Wings". During the song, they came and sat on a toad's boat, a band, and one named Grundel saw Thumbelina and fell in love with her, to much awed to speak...) As Thumbelina and Cornelius flew in the sky, He told his mother he loved Thumbelina. When they went back to the house, they began to talk. They were leaning to kiss and all of a sudden, it was interupted by his mom. "Cornelius!" The Queen called out nearby. Cornerlius looked around, "Mother?" and had a frightened look to his face realizing it was her calling, "Mother! Oh, what is she doing here? Get down!" Cornelius quickly dropped behind the window and pulled Thumbelina down with him. "You mother?" "Yes, my mother. She's the Queen of the Fairies. Can I come back for you tomorrow?" Thumbelina quickly stood up and began to what appears to be suprised and shocked. "Your mother - she's the queen - then your? Tomorrow?" "Yes tomrrow. And yes, I'm the Prince of the Fairies. Can you meet my parents?" "Cornelius!" The Queen called again. Cornelius got up to walk out robotically but spun around, "Oh! Say you will." "I will!" Thumbelina said. "You will?" Cornelius asked, suprised. "I will!" Thumbelina said, "I will. Then you can meet my mother!" "CORNELIUS!" "Oh! I've got to go!" Cornelius said as he ran towards Bumbzy. "Wait! Thumbelina said as she quickly took off her flower necklace and put it on Cornelius. "Forget me nots." He said as he put his hand on the flowers, then he quickly pulled his ring off his finger and slipped it onto Thumbelina's. "Don't forget me." Cornelius said. "Never ever." Thumbelina said as he got on his Bumble. They leaned to kiss, but Bumbzy saw this and quickly flew off before Cornelius was ready. Thumbelina watched Cornelius go off and went inside.

Later that night, Mama Toad (Of their Spanish Toad Band) came in and abducted Thumbelina. Hero gave a chase while Thumbelina yelled for help, and Mama toad escaped through a water trough to small for the old dog. She removed her hood and waved to the dog. When Thumbelina woke up, Mama Toad walked in and introduced herself, her other two sons, and Grundel. Grundel compared to the other two was a fat ugly miserable toad. He didn't smile, but the two brothers grabbed his face to make a 'smile' appear. Thumbelina told the Mama Toad she had better be getting home, her mother would be afraid. But the boys jumped into her way. Mama Toad told her she was a star. "A star?" Thumbelina asked, suprised. Mama Toad told her 'yes'. (Then they began to sing a song. During the song, Thumbelina senses something is wrong and decided not to sing. To make her sing, Mama Toad stomped her foot to make Thumbelina innocently hold her voice while she was in pain.) At the end, Mama Toad told Thumbelina she was going to marry Grundel and Thumbelina tried to explain she loved Cornelius and was going to marry him. Mama Toad wouldn't hear of it and pushed Thumbelina on a lily pad and sailed off to fetch a preist. Of course, Thumbelina didn't know how to swim, so she was stuck. As she yelled for help, a swallow names Juaqimo appears and as she told him her story, his response was "Ah! A love story!" Thumbelina asked for his help, to do so he dives under water and snaps the root holding the lily pad. It then begins to float like a boat and Thumbelina grabs a twig to use as an oar. She tries to make it to shore but wasn't. There was a waterfall to near. Juaqimo tries to save her, but get's wet to the point he couldn't fly. Screaming for help, they receive it from fish and the jitterbugs. The little one asked her if she was really going to marry the prince, and Thumbelina said, "Only if he asks me to." (Another song is sang.)

While that was happening, Cornelius went back to Thumbelina's house, bringing more gifts than he could carry himself. Pearls and other wrapped gifts. He drops them in Horror to see the room a mess and couldn't find Thumbelina. He appproaches Hero (The Dog) and somehow understand from some growling responses and actions (Puffing his cheeks and making a quirky croak.) that Thumbelina was kidnapped by Toads. Cornelius tells Hero to let Thumbelina's mother know that everything would be all right. He jumps onto his Bumble and flies off to find her.

During that, Thumbelina was following her heart to find her home, walking with 3 jitterbug kids and a beetle jumped in front of them. "Aha!" He proclaimed. The kids screamed and ran to hide, Thumbelina screamed in fear as she backed up, startled from the sudden stranger. He introduced himself, Thumbelina, not sure what to do, introduces herself and tries to excuse herself. But he jumps in her path. "Where are you going toots?" "I'm going home." Thumbelina said as she tried to walk past him. "Your beautiful!" Beetle proclaimed, grabbed her arm and began to kissing it, shocked Thumbelina quickly slides her hand through his and put's it to his mouth. "It's delicious!" He said and kissed his hand more. She tried to walk off again. "How do you know where you're going?" Beetle asked her. "I'm just following my heart, hopefully I'll get home." "Can you sing?" Beetle asked. Thumbelina stood there, "I can...?" She responded. "Then sing. sing!" Beetle said, but he refused to take 'no' as an answer. So Thumbelina ended up singing a verse, as she did so, she saw a big tree next to them. "What if you flew me up there? Then I'll know if I'm headed the right direction home?" "I don't do those things for free." Then he got an idea, "What if you sang for me at the club, then I would fly you up there?" Thumbelina wasn't to sure, but before she could agree, he swooped her and took her to his club in a rock-cave area. The kids run for help.

Thumbelina, dressed as a beetle in a dress, sings with the beetle (Another song), but something went wrong and her dress tears, showing her red underwear. All the beetles seeing she isn't beetle, call her 'ugly'. "Sorry." Beetle said, "You're just ugly!" and discards her. Thumbelina leaves, not going to the tree after all.

Cornelius is explaining the situation to his parents, the King and Queen. "She's simply vanished?" The Queen said, not fully understanding what happened. "She's been kidnapped mother!" Cornelius says to her, she backs up next to her husband in terror. "Your maiden you met yesterday night was kidnapped overnight?" The King asked. "Father, I can't explain it all right now, I need you to delay the frost. As long as you can!" Cornelius runs and climbs on Bumbzy. Before they could get a word out towards him, he flies off. "Dear, you can't even delay the frost longer than a day!" The Queen said, looking at him in horror, thinking of her son out there (And possibly his lover, Thumbelina.) in the winter frost.

Thumbelina sadly walked off from the club, thinking they were right about being ugly. Juaqimo suddenly appears and talks to her. "Do you care about the beetle?" He asks her. "No." Thumbelina said. "Do you care about the beetle?" He asked her. "No." Thumbelina said. "Then don't listen to the beetle!" Juaqimo told her. He knocked a flower with morning dew on it, leaving a drop hanging on the leaf. "Look at yourself. Does the Prince think your beautiful?" Thumbelina looked at herself, "Yes, he thinks I'm beautiful." Thumbelina said as she looked at herself, relieved to know she was wrong about being ugly. "I will find the Prince of the Fairies!" Juaqimo promised Thumbelina and flew off. Thumbelina continues her journey.

Grundel isn't over Thumbelina, in fact, he was so mad when he saw she was gone. He paced around imaptiently on the boat. His two brothers appeared, "Oh Grundel," the oldest one said, "I hear Thumbelina loves the Fairy Prince!". Grundel turned around, "The Fairy Prince?! I will kill him!" Grundel said angrily. But the brothers laughed in his face. Grundel told them to quit laughing, they still do, knowing Grundel is the youngest. "I will find Thumbelina, and win her again!" He proclaimed. Again, the brothers laughed. They ignored his final warning. Suprisingly, for the youngest toad, he kicks them sky-high in the air, and as they climbed onto a lily pad, they kept laughing. Grundel storms off in the weeds to begin his search for Thumbelina.

Juaqimo landed on a hare on the run from a hungry fox. The hare was suprisingly fast and big. "Beg your pardon, but have you seen the Prince of the Fairies?" Juaqimo asked. "I haven't, he might have!" The hare angrily said hinting he was in the middle of something. "Thank you Mr. Hare." Juaqimo said as he flew into the fox's face. "Hello, have you seen the Prince of the Fairies?" Juaqimo asked the fox. "Get off of me!" The persuer said as he shook his head, but Juaqimo had a good position, so it wouldn't be easy to fly off by accident. The fox tried to say something while running, but Juaqimo accidently got in his mouth, and the fox's words aren't predictable. The Fox spits Juaqimo out. Juaqimo is hurled against a thorn tree, as a resutl, get's a thorn in his wing. He wondered to the cave next to him to fins a bear in deep slumber. As Juaqimo tries to wake him, the bear is half asleep and mostly grumpy. Juaqimo grabs his eyes and calls him stupid and to wake up. Juaqimo falls inside the honey jar the bear is holding, the bear wakes up a second to think the jar is yelling at him, and smacks the jar out of the cave. The jar breaks against a tree, and as Juaqimo climbs out in pain, frost visibly appears and he begins to feel cold.

Cornelius is flying through the horrible winds, making it hard to manuver. He flies to the Jitterbugs and they tell him Thumbelina escaped the Toads, but it out there. Frightened and alarmed, Cornelius quickly get's on his Bumble and flies off to continue his search.

The Jitterbug kids are running and is tired, they are running through what appears to be snow, as they went through a small hole through a rock, they said the had to help Thumbelina. Grundel jumps down and his weight pysically shakes the hole and a small rockslide block the kids path when they turned around. He asks them if the said "Thumbelina", and the kids thinking he was going to help, tell him the beetle took Thumbelina. Grundel stomps his foot to try to scare more information out of them, but they run under him and escape. Grundel heads towards Beetle's place.

Thumbelina is wandering through snow, cold, hungry, and thirty. She falls into a creek and gets wet, making her colder. She walks more to find shealter.

Grundel has found the Beetle and is shaking information out of him. "We found her ugly, so we got rid of her." Beetle told him, outraged beyond thought, Grundel yells she is beautiful, and stomps Beetle into the ground. Grundel forces Beetle to help him, to make sure he doesn't fly away, Grundel rips Beetle's wings off of him and refuses to give them back until Grundel has Thumbelina back. Beetle tells his minions (in hiding) to retrieve his wings, but none of the minions made an attempt. This was the final straw. So he suggests a plot to lure Thumbelina to them, by getting the prince as bait. Beetle heads out to find the prince.

Cornelius is flying through a snowstorm, calling for Thumbelina, he is knocked off of his Bumble, and falls through ice and underwater. As he tries to surface, the frost is done and winter hits, causing him to freeze underwater. His flower necklace falls over him on the solid ice, the wind destroys it.

Thumbelina wasn't to far from Cornelius, in fact, she was where he was, but a little off. Beetle found the prince and had the minions cut the ice and drag the ice block to Grundel. As they passed a shoe, Thumbelina emerges from nearby and see's the shoe. Inside the shoe was a sock, so she tried her best to cover herself with the sock. She falls asleep.

Somehow the Beetle hears Thumbelina is at someone's house and heads there.

When she woke up, she was in a warm bed, smelled food, and heard a voice. Thumbelina sat up alarmed, but saw a feild mouse. She introduced herself. "My name is Ms. Feildmouse." Before she could say anything Ms. Feildmouse cut her off, "Thumbelina, do you want something to eat?" Thumbelina looked at Ms. Feildmouse suprised. "How do you know my name?" "Oh, I hear things." Ms. Feildmouse said, handing her a bowl of food. "Is it true you love the Prince?" Ms. Feildmouse asked. "Oh yes, I love him so much." Thumbelina replied. "It's a shame he was found dead." Ms. Feildmouse said. "What?!" Thumbelina asked jumping up in alarm. "He's dead?" Thumbelina jumped up and bursted into tears. "It's a lie! He's not dead!" Thumbelina said, shaking. "He was found in the ice." Ms. Feildmouse said and realized she didn't know. "Oh, you poor girl. I thought you knew." Ms. Feildmouse said as she walked up to her, "I apologize, I talk to much.". She hugged Thumbelina as she cried. Beetle was on the roof, listening through the chimmney pipes (We never know why he doesn't bother talking to Thumbelina when he went there for that reason.). "We're going to Mr. Mole's now. You can wear this." Ms. Mouse said as she handed Thumbelina a shaw. "I don't feel like going." Thumbelina said, as she began to crawl back in the bed. "Come Thumbelina, we're going to Mr. Mole's now." Ms. Feildmouse said, "Besides, a walk will make you feel better." Then they headed towards Mr. Mole's house. When they got there, Mr. Mole introduced himself to Thumbelina. And he quickly and piggishly grabbed a roll from the basket Thumbelina was carrying. "Mmmm... very good." Mr. Mole said. "Thank you." Ms. Feildmouse said. "Don't touch anything, these are my things." Mr. Mole said and lead them to a room. "Thumbelina, tell us a story. A love story." Ms. Feildmouse said. Mr. Mole agreed and told her to stand where he could see her. As Thumbelina began to tell the story, Ms. Feildmouse cut her off, "Dear, won't you sing it?" Thumbelina gathered what she had in her and began to sing ("There Was Once The Sun") and Mr. Mole sighed as he was love-struck by her voice. After Thumbelina finished, Mr. Mole thought of something and took them underground. "I found a bird and brought it down here." As they approached the bird. Thumbelina cries out. It was Juaqimo. He laid there lifeless. She ran over to her friend. "The poor delicate thing." Ms. Feildmouse said to Mr. Mole. "Ms. Feildmouse, you know I've been looking for a wife for a while." He began. "Yes?" Ms. Feildmouse said leaning towards him, knowing it was about Thumbelina. "I'd like Thumbelina as my wife, and I'd like you to talk to her." He said as he blew an old gold coin next to him and gave it to Ms. Feildmouse. "I'll do the arrangements." Ms. Feildmouse said.

Thumbelina visit's Juaqimo the next day to see he is indeeed alive, she removes the thorn, and he continues to keep his promise and immidietly flies off to find the Prince.

Ms. Feildmouse talks to Thumbelina when they get back to her house. (Then sing "Marry The Mole"). Thumbelina thinks and considers the proposal.

Grundel and Beetle are arguing when Beetle brings up that Mole is marrying Thumbelina. Cornelius was underneath a little hole in his ice block still. Grundel left him there like that. Grundel stormed off dragging Beetle with him to retrieve Thumbelina. The Jitterbug kids run over and start a fire.

Thumbelina is in her wedding dress, hair done and all, and is walking down the aisle and hears Cornelius' voice. She turns and faces the people and her eyes imagine her and Cornelius dancing from their first night (During "Let Me Be Your Wings"). Her thoughts are interupted from the preist starting Mr. Mole's vowes. She continues down the aisle, and again hear's the Fairy Prince. she turns towards the people again and see's him again. Her thought's are knocked again and she goes to the aisle, just as Mr. Mole's vowes were finished. She heard Cornelius' voice and looked in the liquid bowl that the candel was dripping into, his face came visible in the liquid. As the preist did her vowes, she imagined their "Forget me Not's". The preist saying "Speak up." cut's through her mind. And she quickly wakes up and says "Never.", the crowd gasps. "What?" The preist said. "Never! I cannot marry the Mole." She said as she turned towards Ms. Feildmouse, "I don't love him!" Ms. Feildmouse outraged and embarassed said Thumbelina's name. As Thumbelina walks down the aisle. Grundel breaks through the ceiling, stopping her in her path. "I'll marry her!" He said. "No! I want you! I go home!" Thumbelina said as she tried to pass him, he grabbed her and she kicked his shin, releasing his grasp. She runs down the aisle and enters the next room, Beetle pops up and says "Hiya Toots!" and managed to grab her veil. She throws it at him. As he regains his balance standing up, Grundel runs through, bumping the Beetle over, and Grundel was wearing the veil. Prince Cornelius then falls from a hole he stepped on and falls on a ledge with the Jitterbug kids following. "Thumbelina!" Cornelius said, looking in horror as the toad chased her on the bridge, he quickly jumped down and cut off the Toad's pursuit. "We meet at last, Mr. Toad!" Cornelius said as he drew his sword. "You killed! Him!" Grundel said holding Beetle, he yelled and grabbed the torch form Mole as a weapon.

Thumbelina goes through cobwebs and see's a stream of light. She starts to climb towards it.

Cornelius and Grundel are still fighting. "Come on! Ha! Show me what you've got!" Cornelius said, just as Grundel took the torch to his head, knocking him down. Grundel laughs and toss' the torch down, and tried to walk past Cornelius. But he grabbed Grundel's ankle and it threw Grundel off the bridge, he grabbed the ledge, "Let me go!" Cornelius yelled as the others ran by. Thumbelina screamed, "Thumbelina!" Cornelius yelled. Grundel tried to climb on Cornelius to get on the bridge, but they both fell in the endless hole.

Thumbelina was near the top towards the stream of light and saw the crowd after her, she quickly knocks the hill of jewles over, and it scares them away. Relieved Thumbelina climbed through the hole. As usual, Juaqimo reappears and tells her he found the 'Valley of the Fairies'. She climbes onto Juaqimo and explained what happened on the way.

When they arrived at the Valley of the Fairies, Thumbelina falls off of Juaqimo onto a branch. Juaqimo tells her they are there. "This is it?" Thumbelina asked, "This look like an ordinary patch of weeds.". "This is the Valley of the Fairies!" He said, "Sing!" "Juaqimo, I don't want to sing. Take me home." Thumbelina begged, but he wouldn't. Finally, she began to sing "Let me be your wings."

MID-LYRICS: Anything that we desire, anything at all.... Everyday you'll take me higher...

"Let's be pratical." Thumbelina began, "This isn't the Vally of the Fairies, and Cornelius is never coming back!" As she heard a voice, she turns around.

CORNELIUS SINGS: "And I'll never Let you fall!"

"Cornelius, Cornelius it's really you!" Thumbelina said, excitedly, happily. Cornelius ran down to her, "Will you marry me?" "I will." Thumbelina says and they kiss. Suddenly, Thumbelina got wings. "My own wings, my very own wings!" She says as church bells go off. The screen gradually blends into the wedding scene, and her mother is there. Right before they stepped on the Royal Carriage for them, Bumbzy swoops in taking Cornelius and Thumbelina, he was their ride. They laugh as they fly off and kiss again. The picture freezes there and turns into a mosaic picture.

THE END.

Answer 3

I would say adventurous with some comic relief , the tiny girl is about on the size level of, say a butterfly. Good things in small packages, says me. A way out transformation, and making the tiny girls Twins, was in the Japanese monster Movie, Mothra, which was a Giant butterfly, She ( the creature) also appeared in slug-caterpillar form in some of the Mothra films.

Answer 4

Yes, a very good story!

Answer 5

Yes.