The effects are low-tech and no longer special, but Escape to Witch Mountain still has plenty of Disney live-action charm. It's rather quaint by later standards, coming just two years before Star Wars upped the ante on movie magic, but the story's got timeless appeal as a precursor to Harry Potter's more lavish brand of kid-wizardry. Here you've got Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and sister Tia (Kim Richards), orphans unaware of their mysterious past, who are taken in by a nefarious liar (Ray Milland) seeking to exploit their supernatural powers. Populated by '70s stalwarts like Donald Pleasance and Eddie Albert (the later playing the kids' grown-up accomplice, unwittingly rescuing them from Milland), this lightweight Disney fare is perfect for kids under 10, with such enticements as a clever cat mascot named Winky (because he winks a lot), Tony's magical harmonica... and a Winnebago that flies! With a sci-fi climax, this popular hocus-pocus spawned a 1978 sequel (Return from Witch Mountain) that has proven similarly popular with kids. --Jeff Shannon
Product Details:
Actors:
Eddie Albert, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasence, Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann
Director:
Clyde Geronimi
Format:
Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
Language:
English
Number of Discs:
1
Studio:
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Run Time:
97 minutes
DVD Release Date:
September 02, 2003
Average Customer Rating:
based on 26 reviews
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Review:
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"Escape to Witch Mountain" is the Disney organization's annual Easter movie, and a pretty good oneJun 22, 2010 Too often in the past, the Disney live action features have been impossibly bland, too scrubbed and innocuous, to really hold the attention of all but the younger members of the family. But now here's a sci-fi thriller that's fun, that's cheerfully implausible, that's scary but not too scary, and it works.
The story involves a young brother and sister, who were in some sort of mysterious shipwreck and left with a "star case" that has a picture of two suns on its top. The kids have powers: They can communicate by telepathy, levitate things, unlock doors, turn savage beasts against their masters and in general make Uri Geller look like amateur night. They're sent to an orphanage, and then they accidentally discover that the star case has a map inside leading them to the top of a nearby mountain.
Meanwhile, the girl reveals her power to predict the future by warning a rich tycoon about an accident he's about to have. The tycoon, played by Ray Milland, is named Aristotle Bolt after guess who. He has his evil henchman, Donald Pleasance, kidnap the kids so he can use their ESP. But they escape, hitch up with a friendly loner in a Winnebago camper (Eddie Albert) and the rest of the movie is devoted to a nicely pica resque series of chases.
There are, as we'd expect, lots of tricks from the Disney specialeffects wizards. It turns out the boy can make inanimate objects move just by playing a tune on his harmonica, and he scares the wits out of a sheriff by attacking him with a ghost made out of a hat stand and a raincoat. The kids make friends with a handy nearby bear, which keeps Pleasance at bay. And, let's see, it turns out the Winnebago can flyÑand then there's a sort of aerial dogfight between the camper and Ray Milland's helicopter. Both of them fly upside down on occasion, and the helicopter lands that way, spinning slowly to a halt.
One of the nice things about the movie is the way it provides chills and thrills and still tones down the violence. A couple of the bad guys carry guns, but they don't use them. And when a car crashes into a tree, nobody is hurt (in most movies, even kiddie movies, it would have burst in to obligatory flames) People in general have good motives in the movie (even Milland was going to treat the kids well, presumably while pumping them for info about next week's stock market prices).
The movie's ending is totally off the wall, involving a flying saucer and a mysterious voice that sounds like an ad for the top hits of 1960. There are all sorts of unanswered questions Ñbut, what the heck, we don't bother to ask them. The point in a movie like this is that something is happening all of the time, and most of the time it's scary but funny, too. "Escape to Witch Mountain," as well as "The World's Greatest Athlete" and (I'm told, though I didn't see it) "The Strongest Man in the World" seem to indicate that the Disney studio has snapped out of its doldrums and returned to the business of making movies with life and spirit.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Average Disney FantasyJan 21, 2009 Tony and Tia Malone (Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards) have just been placed in an orphanage. Their adoptive parents have just been killed. But the kids wonder about their birth parents, especially since they have special powers. Among other things, Tony can move things with his mind (as long as he is playing a harmonica) and Tia can communicate with animals.
Just as they discover a weird map in the star case that Tia always carries around, they catch the interest of Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland). Mr. Bolt is rich, but he's always looking for ways to become richer. He thinks the kids ability to see the future would help him with his goal. But they aren't convinced the fancy place he has built for them isn't a trap, so they escape. With Bolt and his henchmen, lead by Deranian (Donald Pleasance), after them, the kids find an ally in Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert), a loaner traveling around in his motor home. Will that be enough to help them escape? What about the strange memories the kids are having? And where does the map lead?
I finally got a chance to watch this 70's Disney classic recently, and I was underwhelmed. The plot took quite a while to get going, so the first half was rather slow. Once we reached the second half, things did pick up, but I still wasn't as caught up in the story as I expected to be. There are a couple of plot points that are completely glossed over in the course of the movie. This left me scratching my head. The adults were fine with their acting, but the kids were a little too earnest, making it seem over the top. While some of the special effects, especially around the climax, are rather dated, most of them actually hold up pretty well today.
This movie will certainly entertain young kids. But the adults in the audience probably won't be nearly as thrilled with it.
I Dedicate This Movie To all Aspies and Autistic Adults and Children!Jan 17, 2009 I remember the first time I saw this movie when I was only 8 years old. I was in the 3rd grade when it first came to the movie theatres. It was re-released at the theatres in 1978 when Return From Witch Mountain (the sequel) came out as well. I really was a kid who wasn't that much into mainstream movies, but I was a Disney Movie fan though. I remember how much the story of Tony and Tia really paralleled my own life and coming to understanding about why I didn't fit in and trust me I will reveal why later in the review. I was shy and withdrawn and didn't have many friends and I usually kept to myself. Watching the movie made me open up my feelings about things and it instantly became one of my most prized "obsessions" in my entire school years growing up from elementary up to almost high school. I was also teased as "the kid from Witch Mountain" because I could actually act every scene from the movie word for word and to this day, I still remember the movie almost word for word. I'm now a 40 year old guy living in Los Angeles and this movie still will remain special in my heart. This is a great movie for all families to share, especially families with children with special needs. I dedicate this movie to all people with autism and Asperger's Disorder (like myself) because of how it "magically* can open our hearts to reach out to those who have difficulty reaching us. Being an adult with autism is almost like how Tony and Tia felt as outcasts, freaks, weirdos (in the words of Dermott Downs). I wish more people would look beyond the Disney part of the movie and really see the emotional part that Tony and Tia feel and what it's like to walk in their shoes. It's good to know that there are special people like *Jason O' Day* who are patient and understanding to search for the answers. I call them special education teachers, general education teachers, parents, and people who are willing to work with people like us. Thank you Disney for opening our eyes and reaching us who would have never been reached without the magic of this magnificent production.
Aspiecub
0 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Poor in every way but...Dec 30, 2007 my wife wanted it. Personally, this is one of the lamest, poorest quality movies ever produced. The special effects look like something from a high school film class. The story line is totally pathetic.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Good Old Classic from the Days When Kids Movies Could be a Bit More Realistic Thrill WiseSep 01, 2007 This classic 1975 adventure is hilarious in parts (granted some laughs are also from the old very dated special effects) of the storyline and edge of your seat thrilling in others. This movie is based on the book of the same name by Alexander Key which was a lot different to this movie wand is a little bit less complicated character wise for the child actors and I guess Disney made it a bit more family friendly as well. Alexander Key was the Steven King for junior fiction back in the 70's and 80's and it's a shame most of his novels are out of print now, but at least the movies or his books are being re-released again. What is also good is that back in this era of film kids films could be a bit more realistic and include things like adults chasing kids with guns (I'm glad they didn't do what ET did and replace the guns with flashlights or something ridiculous), and a bully getting his comeuppance with baseball equipment, stuff like this are all classic scenes and unfortunately in this politically correct cotton wool kid generation world of today have disappeared from films.
This is a great film and is the story of two kids named Tony and Tia Malone who as the film begins are being put into an orphanage as their foster parents just died. Even though they swore to each other not to reveal their powers a bully pushes the wrong buttons and Tony unleashes his powers (with hilarious results). They save a man's life who shows his gratitude by pretending to be their uncle (with the backing of an evil millionaire) and taking them back to his employers mansion who has plans to exploit the children. The children have plans of their own to journey to a destination on a map hidden in Tia's starkit but corrupt police, rednecks and everyone will do whatever they can to stop them. Classic film, region 4 DVD has no extras but it looks like the region Amazon sells has a few. You can also get this DVD as a double movie package with its sequel with the very imaginative title Return from Witch Mountain. Not just for kids, adults will love this too!
based on 26 reviews
