Customer Reviews

Escape to Witch Mountain (Special Edition)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Growing up as a child in the 1970's I remember watching THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY every Sunday evening at 7pm. I of course enjoyed the cartoons but also enjoyed the many live action Dinsey movies such as THE SHAGGY DOG, THE SHAGGY D.A., POLLYANNA, THE WHIZ KIDS movies and of course the WITCH MOUNTAIN movies. I remember looking forward to ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN and would make it a point to never miss this movie when it aired.

The story is about a brother and sister, Tony & Tia, who along with their alien family tried to migrate to Earth but crashed upon arriving. Tony and Tia then try to locate their family with the assistance of a widower while trying to avoid a rich villan who wants to use the kids Extra Sensory Powers (ESP) to further his greedy goals. As a child I actually found this movie to be very scary. I actually feared for Tony and Tia. Now as an adult it has lost the scary aspect. That comes with age I guess. It is still a good watch though.

I have wanted to purchase this film for years so my children could watch it. Now that they are pre-teens and begining to lose their childhood innocence I was finally able to purchase this new DVD. As I suspected they were reluctant to watch this movie and the sequel RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN. I finally got them to watch the films and they did enjoy the them but obviously it did not have the same effect on them as it did me. However younger children, especially those who have not been spoiled by CGI special effects will no doubt still enjoy the films. I tried to explain to my children that as a grade schooler I had a huge crush on Kim Richards (Tia). I got teased for that and of course when I teased my boy about his attraction to Hillary Duff that was a different matter. Go figure.

The DVD has some nice special features. Interviews, cartoons and other such material. I don't have enough positive things to say about Disney's old movies being offered through their Vault Disney line of products.

I like Escape To Witch Mountain better than any other Disney film. It's probably in the top 5 best kid-movies ever made for that matter. I'm now 36, but was 7 when I first saw it. I probably had a crush on Kim Richards back then but I clearly remember seeing the movie at the theater and loving it.

Looking at the dvd now.. the direction by John Hough is crisp and the effects, though not digital, have loads of SOUL, creativity and charm. When a car full of bad guys wrecks.. the fact that they show the 4 occupants safely getting out of the car is a nice touch (after all kids are watching this).. and that (and lots of other things in this movie) speak to the innocence that still actually existed for those of us lucky to be kids in the 1970s... there was still a common-respect in large parts of society.. kids could be kids .. and all the in-your-face junk that permeates much of the world of kids today was years away...

Back on the subject at hand...I watched the DVD (which is nicely loaded with extras) and was surprised by a couple of moments in the film that clearly ...we'll say INFLUENCED.. a certain Mr. Spielberg years later. One involves a menacing object being shown in a rear-view mirror (like Jurassic Park!). The 2nd is when the Winnebago eludes its chasers (I won't say exactly how!).... looking rather similar (shot for shot!) to a scene in E.T. involving a chase and bicycles. (This film is HUGELY suprior to E.T. by the way!)

But I don't want to get too bogged down in how other movies clearly ripped this great one off!

This film is amazing with it's memorable musical score, acting by Albert and the kids, mystery-unfolding storyline and warm, nicely-done conclusion. The open credit sequence is really good too. Perhaps most of all... it has something that gobs of movies today certainly DO NOT - a great story.

I plan to show it to my 5 year old neice this weekend!

Enjoy it!

I just got my DVD copies of both films(This & Return from witch mountain.) This is a very good movie. It's about two kids who have supernatural powers. They can forsee the future, talk to animals, lift things in the air-and jump 15 feet in the air to catch a baseball.

However, they don't know how they got these powers. Where they born with these powers? The two kids Tony & Tia(Played by Ike Eisenmann & Kim Richards)are different from the other kids. After a confrontation with Truck(Dermott Downs), They discover a map inside of Tia's star case.

After saving the life of a man, he comes and claims to be thier uncle-they are forced to live with him. It turns out that his employer is none other than Mr. Bolt(Ray Miland)who wants to use them for his own ends. Tia smells rotten fish (Try Rotten eggs)-she senses very strongly-that Mr Bolt is not a very nice man and she senses danger if they stay at Mr. Bolt's Mansion.

Then, when they dine with Mr. Bolt(I never did say he wasn't a gentleman-just not a very nice one)Mr Bolt tells them that he knows about thier powers and tells them how to make it profitable. After going to another room, Tia & Tony overhear a coversation that MR. Bolt is planning to have them locked away on a deserted island. Tia & Tony then make plans of esacpe.

They do escape and are chased till the end of the film. Helping them is a crusty old man Jason O'Day(Well played by Eddie Albert)Who has a winnebego.

I must say that the Chemistry between Eisenmann & Richards worked so well, people think they are brother & Sister in real life. They are not related in real life. I think it's the acting talents of these two is what made it work so well. Dirctor John Hough(The legend of hell house)did a remarkable job on this film.

The special effects were great for it's time. Some of them were cheezy, but in those days(The 70's)they didn't have computors. But in my opinion, the powers these kids have is not the real story. The real story is that two childern are searching for home, and discovering who they really are. This is the story.

The DVD has some special features on it and an audio commentary by Kim & Ike and John Hough. It provides a lot of insight on how the film was made.

I just bought my DVD of it today and I love it a lot. I really love the fact that Disney has started to put their old classics on DVD. I had a copy of it on VHS that I bought in 1983 when it was first put out but my VHS has pretty well worn out. This movie is really funny and it is a great movie for all ages.

Here Is A Brief Description.

Tony And Tia are sent to an orphanage after their Foster Parents Die. There they are discovered by Criminal Mastermind Aristotle Bolt. Who draws up fake documents saying that he is their Uncle so he can munipulate their powers for his own financial gain. Well the kids find out and they escape his highly guarded Mid 1800's Los Angeles Manchion. When they are escaping they meet a freindly Camper (Eddie Albert. Who helps them be returned to their Uncle Benie (Denver Pyle). This movie ends with a classic Disney car-chase.

Great Movie 5 Star Rating.

Escape to Witch Mountain is one of my favorite Disney movies. I first saw it when I was about ten years old and I really loved this movie. Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann played Tia and Tony, they are a sister and her brother and are living in an orphanage. Tony and Tia have magical powers and can do things like predict the future, communicate with animals move objects with their minds, etc, and it is big trouble for them when this man named Lucas Deranian played by Donald Pleasence from the Halloween movies sees them using their powers and he and his boss a greedy, wealthy and powerful tycoon named Aristotle Bolt played by Ray Milland who starred in the movie The Uninvited come up with a plan to pretend that Deranian is Tony and Tia's Uncle because the evil Mr. Bolt wants to use them to predict the future for him so he can make even more money and become more powerful and when Tony and Tia find out about this they escape and meet a man named Jason O'Day played by Eddie Albert from Green Acres who reluctantly helps them escape. This is a very cute movie and I highly recommend this DVD and it is very nice to see this movie in it's widescreen format instead of the edited the pan & scan format of TV and video tapes!

Thank you Disney Studios for listening to your fans (hopefully). This movie has a handful of extra goodies and is in its Original Widescreen Aspect Ratio (1.75:1). You've got this customer back, at least for this one!

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.

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!

A Great film for anyone from 5 to 95 if they have any imagination at all. Special effects are somewhat minimal but are good considering when the movie was made. The computer graphics used now were not available at that time. As far as I could see only one reviewer came close to attributing the script to it's 'spiritual' if not it's real source. The entire story could have come directly from Zenna Henderson's 'universe' of the People.

The film covers a short period in the lives of two children of the "People" during which they discover why they are different from others around them and eventualy find a large group of others like themselves. For those not familiar with the ultimate source of the tale, The "People" are survivors of a planet of a star which became a nove. One of the escaping starships traveled toward our earth but was damaged on the way. On entering the atmosphere most of those who escaped in lifeboats were widly scatered, usually in small family groups across the Western great plains of the USA. (The ship crashed in the Colorado Rockies). These People were exactly like us in appearence, even to genetic compatibility, but had many mental power powers we do not have.

To anyone wanting to know more about these People I highly recommend four of Zenna Henderson's books: "Pilgrimage: The Book of the People", "The People, No Different Flesh", "The Anything Box" and "Holding Wonder". These were written in the 1950's or early 1960's, so may be difficult to find.

I have always been disapointed that no other films were made based on these stories.

I was always amazed when Disney got the formula right after the 1960s. In 1975, Disney Studios found the magic again with "Escape to Witch Mountain." Soon the special effects of this movie would be eclipsed by the breakthrough movie "Star Wars," but many of the special effects still hold up today, and make this movie a lot of fun to watch.

Tony Malone (Ike Eisenmann, whose acting career has been supplanted by other interests, though he had a memorable role in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan") and Tia Malone (who was a real cutie then and now, but whose acting career mostly stopped in 1985) are two children who appear to be orphaned. But there is something strange about Tony and Tia. They can do magic! Well, maybe not magic, but they are telekinetic, telepaths, and Tia seems to be able to foretell the future.

We meet Tony and Tia as they are entering a children's home. After Tony handles a bully using his mental powers we realize that Tony and Tia are not average orphans. When we overhear Tony and Tia talking to each other using telepathy, we realize Tony and Tia are really out of place.

Unfortunately, Tony and Tia are also incredibly nice kids. Tia tells Lucas Deranian (played by the late Donald Pleasence, a workaholic who appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows in the last 20 years of his life) not to get into his car. Moments later, a tow truck demolishes Deranian's car, and Deranian suspects that Tia may be a very special child.

Deranian tells his employer, Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland, another veteran actor, who was struggling to find better roles after his ill-fated appearance in the critter-fest "Frogs" in 1972) that Tony and Tia may have powers. Mr. Bolt has an open mind about these things, and has been seeking supernatural guidance for some time. Mr. Bolt, wealthy multi-millionaire that he is, fabricates all sorts of documentation to be able to adopt the children for his own nefarious purposes.

Tony and Tia are quick to figure out that Mr. Bolt is sleazy, and they quickly make a break for freedom with Mr. Bolt sending all the forces in his power to find them.

Tony and Tia are fortunate in that they encounter kindly Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert, yet another veteran actor) and his camper. Though Jason appears gruff and bluff, he is actually a nice man and he decides to help the children.

As these events have been unfolding, we catch glimpses of visions that Tia is having. These visions seem to indicate that the children were involved in some kind of disaster at sea. Tia's star case and the visions seem to indicate that the children should go to Witch Mountain, and that's where Mr. O'Day is hoping to take them, with Mr. Bolt hot on their trail.

This DVD includes a sprinkling of extras. There is a making of feature, a cartoon, a featurette and more. Those fans who enjoy extras will find most of these extras interesting.

This Disney movie is sprinkled with enjoyable special effects. Things fly and instruments play themselves. Animals are controlled by telepathy and help the children to escape. All but the most jaded viewer should gain some enjoyment from this film. I think those who remember this film from its original release and children not yet warped by excessive computer graphics and special effects will find the most charm in this fun movie. This movie is worth watching over and over again. Enjoy!