Incredible Mr Limpet, The (1964)

It’s 1941 and meek and mild-mannered bookkeeper Henry Limpet (Don Knotts) would love to join the Navy but has been rated 4F (“too small and too weak”).

Henry also longs to be a fish – probably to escape his domineering wife,  Bessie (Carole Cook) – and his dream becomes a reality when he falls into the water during a visit to Coney Island.

As a fish, he makes friends with Ladyfish (voiced by Elizabeth MacRae) and Crusty (voiced by Paul Frees) the hermit crab and loves his new life. He also uses his new underwater prowess to become the Navy’s strongest secret weapon, locating and sinking Nazi U-Boats, forcing the Germans to create a new weapon to deal with the Allies’ new secret weapon.

Hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, The Incredible Mr Limpet is a story about the wonders of imagination and the triumph of the spirit via a mix of live-action cinematography and 2-D animation.

Henry Limpet
Don Knotts
Bessie Limpet
Carole Cook
George Stickel
Jack Weston
Harlock
Andrew Duggan
Admiral P.P. Spewter
Larry Keating
Nazi Admiral
Oscar Beregi
Fleet Admiral
Charles Meredith
Ladyfish (voice)
Elizabeth MacRae
Crusty (voice)
Paul Frees

Director
Arthur Lubin

Video