AllMovie

"H. C." stands, of course, for "Hans Christian" in this modest British biopic. The title role is played by Ashley Glynne, minus the singing and dancing that Danny Kaye would bring to the same character in 1952. Mr. Andersen's famed children's stories are offered in cartoon form, courtesy of animation director Leon Boje. Curiously, one of the stories illustrated is Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which, last time we looked, was not written by Andersen or any other Scandavian. Somehow, screenwriters Ronald and Jean Haines were able to distill Hans Christian Andersen's autobiography into a mere 62 minutes.