Disney's Witch Mountain Series

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

The Movie

Escape To Witch Mountain and Return From Witch Mountain, 1975 and 1978

Starring

Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann, Edie Albert, Ray Milland, Donald Pleasence, Bette Davis, Christopher Lee, Jack Soo, and more.

Plot

Two children from another world try to rejoin other members of their race at a secret location on earth, then later try to return home after a vacation in Los Angeles, California goes terribly wrong.

Review

When I was a little girl, I loved Escape to- and Return from- Witch Mountain. I loved the idea of two seemingly ordinary children having special abilities that didn’t involve witchcraft—abilities that came from using a part of the brain that we seldom access. As a little girl, I wanted to be able to use my mind to do more than just think. I wanted to do explore the paranormal, to move things, to talk to animals, to change my circumstances with a simple, concentrated thought. And so, I found Tia and Tony Malone fascinating.

When my children were little, I couldn’t wait for them to see the series. My daughter recalls watching the series as a little girl and swearing to the fact that we once owned video cassettes of the films—to which I assured her we did not. So when the films became available on DVD, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy.

I love nostalgia and was looking forward to plopping both versions into the DVD player and having a “Girls Night In” with my daughter—as there was no way I was going to get my, now 18 year old, son to watch the series. At first, my daughter was thrilled to finally be able to watch the series again, but soon found herself dissatisfied with the less than stellar acting of the children, the boring storyline, and the “amateur” special effects found in Escape To Witch Mountain. Needless to say, she walked away fifteen minutes into the film and asked me to call her when Return To Witch Mountain started. It was the later film that held her interest. While there were far less special effects in Escape To Witch Mountain, it contained a storyline that captivated her imagination, had her laughing, and relating the film to one of her favorites: The Goonies.

As for my impression, I can honestly say that I still see the charm that held my interest as a young child and had technology never advanced to the level it is now at, I believe that it would have still captivated children today. So with that being said, I would have to say that this film would be better suited for children between the ages of 2 and 7—an age in which most children are sheltered from films that contain sophisticated special effects which often come with much violence.

Now as to the plot of both films...

Escape To Witch Mountain is about two orphaned children with out-of-the-ordinary abilities to talk to each other telepathically and to move things with their minds. Tia also has the ability to see the future and talk to animals while Tony has the ability to visualize places they are going and move things by playing his harmonica. After their adopted parents pass away the children are placed in an orphanage where their memories begin to resurface and they discover a strong urge to find a place called Stoney Creek—a place they discover when Tia’s purse is broken during a scuffle and a secret map appears. Later, the children save Lucas Deranian’s life by sharing their ability to see into the future. Lucas tells his boss, Aristotle Bolt, about the children then poses as their uncle. There’s just one problem, Lucas and his boss want the children so that they can exploit their special talents for evil. The children, upon discovering their plot, escape and hide in a motor home owned by Jason O’Day. When Jason discovers who’s chasing the children, he promises to do everything in his power to keep them safe and to get them to their destination. In the end, the children are reunited with their long, lost uncle and Mr. O’Day agrees to keep his eye out for other lost children.

Throughout the film, fun events take place like levitating children, dancing marionettes, a walking coat rack dressed as a human, a floating chalk that draws, and a flying motor home. It’s clear that this is a serious film that concentrates on using special effects to help solidify the storyline.

In Return To Witch Mountain, the children are teenagers who’ve been given permission to leave Witch Mountain in order to explore the outside world and its culture. As they’re being driven to their hotel, the taxi runs out of gas—just as Tony discovers a man walking along the edge of the top of a nearby building. As the man begins to fall, Tony runs to the building where he levitates the man to safety. The man’s aunt and her scientist see the whole thing and kidnap Tony, believing that he’s the key to all their money problems. Meanwhile, Tia begins to worry that Tony hasn’t returned and goes looking for him. When she cannot find Tony, she returns to the taxi to discover that the driver has taken off. As she begins wandering the streets, she runs into a group of children who’ve decided school isn’t for them. She befriends them and they agree to help her find her brother. The rest of the film is about Tia’s search for her brother, the children’s avoidance of the truant officer, and the kidnapper’s plot to get their hands on 5 million dollars. In the end, Tia and her friends save Tony, the truant officer convinces the boys that a good education is important, and the kidnappers get arrested.

While some special effects take place in the film, the film concentrates more on outlandish comedic moments. It’s clear that the film was made to make children laugh, not necessarily to make statement or to show realism.

Both films come with audio commentaries, pop-up facts, and interviews with the cast. There are also documentaries on the special effects used and two Disney cartoons: Pluto’s Dream House and The Eyes Have It with Donald Duck.

Order Escape To Witch Mountain and Return From Witch Mountain Today!