The Princess and the Goblin

The Princess and the Goblin (Hungarian: A hercegnő és a kobold) is a 1991 Welsh-Hungarian animated fantasy film directed by József Gémes. It is an adaptation of 1872 novel of the same name by George MacDonald.

When a peaceful kingdom is menaced by an army of monstrous goblins, a brave and beautiful princess joins forces with a resourceful peasant boy to rescue the noble king and all his people. The lucky pair must battle the evil power of the wicked goblin prince armed only with the gift of song, the miracle of love, and a magical shimmering thread.

Plot
In a mountainous kingdom, the widowed King leaves to attend affairs of state, leaving his beloved daughter, Princess Irene, alone with her nursemaid, Lootie. When Irene is on an outing with Lootie, she runs away on purpose, and Lootie cannot find her. When sun sets, Irene is lost in a sinister forest, and is attacked when a clawed hands bursts through the earth and attempts to seize her kitten, Turnip. Several deformed animals corner the frightened Princess, until a strange singing sounds through the trees, driving them into a fit, and they flee. The singing is revealed to be a young boy, Curdie, the son of a miner. He discovers Irene is lost, and leads her back to the castle. He informs her that the monsters were goblins and their "pets", and that they are driven away by singing. Curdie says that everyone except the King and his family know of the goblins, and Irene reveals she is a Princess.

The next day, Irene goes exploring in the castle after discovering a magical secret door in her bedroom. She ventures into a tower and meets the spirit of her Great Great Grandmother, also called Irene. She informs her that she will be there to help her, for Irene will soon be in grave danger. The same day, Curdie and his father are underground in the mines, and Curdie falls through a pothole and into the realm of the goblins. Hidden, he follows the goblins to a vast cavern where the sniveling Goblin King and the malevolent Goblin Queen are holding an audience, announcing their scheme to flood the mines and drown the "Sun People"... humans. Suddenly, Prince Froglip, the feared yet spoiled and infantile, heir to the goblin throne, announces drowning them is "Not enough!" and states he shall abduct the Princess of the Sun People and marry her, thereby forcing the humans to accept the goblins as their rulers. He claims that this is revenge for the humans exiling the goblins underground centuries beforehand. Before Curdie can run and tell the others, the goblins find him and put him away in a dungeon, but Irene manages to find him with the help of magic string her great great grandmother Irene gave to her. The goblins finally manage to flood the mines and attack the castle, but with the help of Curdie and Irene, the people fight the goblins off and save the kingdom.

Cast

 * Joss Ackland - King Papa, Irene's father
 * Claire Bloom - Great Great Grandmother Irene
 * Roy Kinnear - Mump. This was Kinnear's final screen role released, following his death on September 20, 1988.
 * Sally Ann Marsh - Princess Irene, the princess of the castle
 * Rik Mayall - Prince Froglip, the Goblin Prince
 * Peggy Mount - Goblin Queen, Froglip's mother. This was Mount's final film role.
 * Peter Murray - Curdie, a mining warrior boy. (Paul Keating did his singing voice.)
 * Victor Spinetti - Glump
 * Mollie Sugden - Lootie, Irene's nanny
 * William Hootkins - Peter, Curdie's father
 * Robin Lyons - Goblin King, Froglip's father