Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)Not knowing where you come from can be pretty unsettling, but imagine the astonishment when it turns out to be from someplace really special. Tony Malone (Ike Eisenmann), and his sister, Tia (Kim Richards), are two special children, orphaned from their prior foster parents, their memories before that a blur, which only reveal themselves sporadically to Tia in her flashbacks to a terrible ocean accident. When Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence), a lawyer who works for the avaricious Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland), witnesses their supernatural gifts, the children soon find themselves targets for Bolt to acquire.
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Escape to Witch Mountain is adapted from the novel of the same name by Alexander Key, and released by Disney's Buena Vista Distribution Company in 1975. While Escape to Witch Mountain is a G-rated picture, and generally appropriate for all ages, the presence of psychic powers and other mysterious, science fiction elements--like Tia's ability to communicate telepathically with Tony--give the film a slightly eerie quality. And while Escape to Witch Mountain possesses a variety of tense moments and obstacles for Tony and Tia to overcome in their adventure, it is also filled with plenty of light-hearted comical moments, such as when Tony animates a batch of marionettes for his sister's amusement when they are taken to "Xanthus", Bolt's ostentatiously named compound, or when Tia frees a circus bear, which periodically emerges to defend the children from pursuit by Deranian and others working under Bolt. Both Tia and Tony possess unique powers which aid them as they seek out their place of origin, following a map revealed to be hiding under a panel on Tia's "star case", her only memento of her life prior to being rescued and taken in by the Malones. Tia is able to communicate with animals, like the aforementioned bear, as well as dogs and horses, which both aid her as they flee from Bolt. Tony appears to be a little less skilled with his powers than Tia, and believes he needs to use his harmonica and play music in order to facilitate his telekinetic powers, although a confrontation with a young bully named Truck (Dermott Downs) suggests it is all in his head (no pun intended). Although Tony and Tia are twice-orphaned, they appear remarkably resilient; not unaffected, but as though they possess a worldliness and wisdom beyond their years, something observed by Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert), an old man who initially appears as a bitter curmudgeon, but is softened by the presence of his two stowaways and their plight. Jason and the two children are chased down by Deranian, as well as Sheriff Purdey (Walter Barnes) and a hunting posse, who are convinced the children are witches, following the kids' escape from apprehension when Tony animates a coat rack to assail the mercenary sheriff, which gives them the opportunity to escape to the eponymous Witch Mountain, where Tony and Tia are convinced they will encounter others like them to guide them home.
I remember first seeing Escape from Witch Mountain when I was a young kid myself, which should be no surprise as at that age, I would have been the target audience. But as a kid, I didn't quite follow all of what it was that made the journey so compulsory for Tony and Tia. Certainly, they might have been fine at the orphanage where they are brought following the oddly sudden passing of the Malones, although it's clear Tony and Truck would have had more than a few scuffles. When they are brought to Xanthus--which Tony previews in his mind's eye, and where Tia hears the guard dogs barking from miles away before they even visit the mansion--they are given everything their hearts could desire (albeit they are monitored by Bolt's closed-circuit television cameras). But what compels the children to escape is not so much that Bolt and Deranian are obviously looking to exploit the children for monetary gain, but that they know they have a larger calling elsewhere. Things might have been easy for them under the controlling wing of Aristotle Bolt, but their gifts are special, and even as children they recognize that they are different and need answers Bolt and Deranian are unable to provide. That Tony and Tia are orphans is what makes the idea of a family out there so appealing, the idea that they have a real home somewhere, not just a lavish facsimile. Tia experiences flashbacks to the time when they were "castaways", drifting in the ocean after an accident, and she recalls that she was given her star case, emblazoned with two stars on the front, by someone she remembers as "Uncle Bené" (Denver Pyle), who even resembles Jason O'Day. It is largely chance that Tia and Tony sneak aboard Jason's motor home, but there is the sense that the kids bond with him more because of the familial similarity, and that Jason finds they fill a void in him he didn't know existed until after having discovering them. His attitude is artificially gruff, but one which not only softens shortly thereafter, but also awakens a protective spirit in him, feeding and hiding the kids and their cat, Winkie. Tia communicates with Tony telepathically at times, but even if there were no voiceover, the bond between brother and sister is such that there is the sense that they could communicate silently without the aid of their powers. Ultimately, it is the theme of family and home which runs through Escape to Witch Mountain and makes the journey and associated obstacles so resonant.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and exciting family film, featuring engaging children with psychic powers and a chase into the woodlands by the menacing adults who would manipulate them.
I remember first seeing Escape from Witch Mountain when I was a young kid myself, which should be no surprise as at that age, I would have been the target audience. But as a kid, I didn't quite follow all of what it was that made the journey so compulsory for Tony and Tia. Certainly, they might have been fine at the orphanage where they are brought following the oddly sudden passing of the Malones, although it's clear Tony and Truck would have had more than a few scuffles. When they are brought to Xanthus--which Tony previews in his mind's eye, and where Tia hears the guard dogs barking from miles away before they even visit the mansion--they are given everything their hearts could desire (albeit they are monitored by Bolt's closed-circuit television cameras). But what compels the children to escape is not so much that Bolt and Deranian are obviously looking to exploit the children for monetary gain, but that they know they have a larger calling elsewhere. Things might have been easy for them under the controlling wing of Aristotle Bolt, but their gifts are special, and even as children they recognize that they are different and need answers Bolt and Deranian are unable to provide. That Tony and Tia are orphans is what makes the idea of a family out there so appealing, the idea that they have a real home somewhere, not just a lavish facsimile. Tia experiences flashbacks to the time when they were "castaways", drifting in the ocean after an accident, and she recalls that she was given her star case, emblazoned with two stars on the front, by someone she remembers as "Uncle Bené" (Denver Pyle), who even resembles Jason O'Day. It is largely chance that Tia and Tony sneak aboard Jason's motor home, but there is the sense that the kids bond with him more because of the familial similarity, and that Jason finds they fill a void in him he didn't know existed until after having discovering them. His attitude is artificially gruff, but one which not only softens shortly thereafter, but also awakens a protective spirit in him, feeding and hiding the kids and their cat, Winkie. Tia communicates with Tony telepathically at times, but even if there were no voiceover, the bond between brother and sister is such that there is the sense that they could communicate silently without the aid of their powers. Ultimately, it is the theme of family and home which runs through Escape to Witch Mountain and makes the journey and associated obstacles so resonant.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and exciting family film, featuring engaging children with psychic powers and a chase into the woodlands by the menacing adults who would manipulate them.