Danny Kaye stars in the title role of this fictionalised musical biography of story-telling cobbler Hans Christian Andersen, which dramatises many of his famous tales including the famous 'Ugly Duckling'. In the small Danish town of Odense, Hans Christian Andersen, a cobbler by trade, has an extremely active imagination and makes up stories to tell the children who eagerly await his next tales. Although his fables all have morals and lessons of love and humility, the schoolmaster (John Brown) bans Hans from telling his stories to the children. After refusing to admit defeat, Hans is banished to Copenhagen where he and his shop-hand Peter (Joseph Walsh) must try to make a living. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Song ('Thumbelina') and Best Colour Cinematography.