Return to Witch Mountain
More Disney Adventures for the Psychic Kids
As Walt Disney Studios entered the 1990s, it remade several of its classic children's movies, including one of its most famous Disney adventures -- Escape to Witch Mountain -- in very unusual ways.
Escape to Witch Mountain (1995)
A Disney TV movie, this new version of Escape to Witch Mountain revamped virtually everything about the original 1975 Disney movie. This time, the psychic kids are fraternal twins Danny (Erik von Detten) and Anna (Elisabeth Moss) who were separated as babies upon arrival to Earth. Years later, the two find each other at an orphanage and discover their paranormal powers.
Once again, the kids are taken into the custody of a wealthy but corrupt man (Robert Vaughn) but receive help from some adults, including a waitress (Zoe Moon) and a mysterious shopkeeper (Vincent Schiavelli) who has some unusual powers of his own.
This version of Escape to Witch Mountain also alters the kids' powers, allowing them to only move objects with their minds when they're touching each other or in close proximity. It also lacks the eerie tone of the 1975 original Disney movie, opting for more kid-friendly comedy. Even so, this TV movie has earned several fans, who enjoy this reimagining of one of their favorite Disney adventures.
The Blair Witch Mountain Project (2002)
While not affiliated with Disney, this independent short film is easily the most unusual of all the Witch Mountain movies. Directed and co-written by Ike Eisenmann (who played Tony in the original Escape to Witch Mountain Disney movie), the story follows filmmaker Blair Billingsley (Hope Levy) in her attempt to create a documentary of the early Witch Mountain movies.
Although Blair initially only interviews former Disney child actors who starred in the Witch Mountain movies, reality and fantasy soon collide as she becomes convinced that Tony and Tia are real people and wanders off trying to find them. It's an interesting (if surreal) trip down memory lane made all the more special by appearances by Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards as adult versions of Tony and Tia.
Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson takes audiences on an action-packed ride in this new version of Escape to Witch Mountain which also stars AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig as extraterrestrial siblings Sara and Seth.
Curiously, while almost every Witch Mountain movie focused on the kids, this Disney adventure focuses on Johnson's character Jack Bruno, who takes over Eddie Albert's role as the children's protector and driver. Moreover, where previous Witch Mountain movies had the kids slowly discover their alien heritage, here Sara and Seth are fully aware of their extraterrestrial origins and are on a straightforward mission to save the Earth for an imminent alien invasion.
It's all a bit jarring -- but even so, Race to Witch Mountain does have some nice nods to its predecessors, including cameos by Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann as waitress "Tina" and Sheriff "Antony," who provide unexpected aid to Sara and Seth. Given the many directions the road to Witch Mountain has taken since 1975, it's nice to know Richards and Eisenmann are still around to provide audiences with an anchor amid these wildly divergent Disney adventures.
Read Escape to Witch Mountain -- Again and Again to learn about other Witch Mountain movies and Tony and Tia's proposed Disney TV series.
And read articles on other popular sci fi films and books at How Sci Fi Films Inspired Monsters vs. Aliens and Children's Films for Sci Fi Fans.
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