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ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
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Teaser (from VHS back cover)
A vehicle floats in midair... a coat rack comes to life and attacks a sheriff... and wild animals are putty in the hands of Tia and Tony Malone in Disney's thrilling fantasy adventure about the psychic powers of two young orphans. Their clairvoyance prompt evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) to lure them to his mansion to exploit their powers. While escaping, they meet a friendly camper (Eddie Albert) and begin to unravel the mystery of their origin. Soon, all three are fleeing townspeople who have branded the children witches. But then IT happens! Someone with even greater powers takes over and leads the children --and the audience-- into a dazzling and unexpected experience... one that is truly out of this world!
Summary from "Disney A to Z"
Tony Malone, 13, and his sister Tia, 11, orphaned by the loss of their foster parents, live in a children's home. Their incredible psychic powers attract rich and powerful Aristotle Bolt, who has his assistant, Lucas Deranian, adopt them as wards to exploit them. Terrified, they escape with the aid of a new friend, Jason O' Day, in his camper. Jason agrees to help them find Stony Creek, a cryptic map in Tia's possession. Pursued by Bolt, Deranian, and the police, the youngsters are jailed but once again escape. As time runs out, the children remember they are castaways from another planet and are soon led by one of their own king, Uncle Bene, to a flying Saucer that blasts off for the sanctuary of Witch Mountain, leaving their captors below far behind.
LEFT: One of two covers for the original VHS release.
A few helpful tips
-The film is rated G, and absolutely kid and family friendly. No scary moments. The film is long enough to keep a child occupied, but short enough to keep their attention spans. The film is quick moving and runs at a steady pace. The film time is approx. 90 minutes, but the actual time for the VHS can vary from 90min-97min depending upon which edition you have.
-All editions of the VHS *except* the original VHS release are closed captioned, digitally mastered and have hi-fi stereo. All editions of the VHS (including the original release) are played in a normal pan-and-scan fullframe format.
-The Special Edition DVD is played in its original animorphic widescreen aspect ratio, completely remastered in Dolby 5.1 and has an optional feature-length commentary!
RIGHT: Original movie poster for the 1975 theatrical release.
The Special Edition DVD
-The official Disney page for the special edition DVD can be found here.
-Special features:
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Audio Commentary with Ike Eisenmann, John Hough And Kim Richards
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Cartoon - "Pluto's Dream House"
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Making The Escape (Documentary)
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1975 Disney Studio Album
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Conversations With John Hough
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Disney Sci-Fi (Featurette)
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Disney Effects - Something Special (Featurette)
-Technical specifications:
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Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
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THX - Certified
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Widescreen (1.75:1 - Original Theatrical Presentation)
LEFT: The DVD cover.
Which one should I buy?
I highly doubt that you will find yourself faced with the decision of which edition to buy. But just in case you are, I will give you my insight.
Original release
Nothing special about this one, except the fact that it IS the original, and it comes in the clamshell case. It all depends on what you are collecting.
Studio Film Collection
This is the edition I have. It came in a paper sleeve type case, with magenta border around the picture shown on the newer VHS covers. Again, it depends on what you are collecting. If you have a bunch of the Studio Film editions, buy this one.
Family Film Collection
Probably the LEAST special of them all. All of the films in the "Family Film Collection" were also released in the Studio Film Collection. It is pretty much the same thing, except no magenta border around the cover.
The Fantastic Adventure Series
Nice, colorful, clamshell case. This is the newest version, released in 1996.
The Special Edition
The only thing that makes this edition special is that it's been digitally restored, which makes a drastic improvement. It includes a Pluto cartoon. If you were thinking of buying the VHS, this would be the ideal choice.
Double-Feature DVD with Return from Witch Mountain
This budget DVD includes both Escape to Witch Mountain and its 1978 sequel, but lacks the special features found on the Special Edition DVD. The cover is, quite frankly, very tacky and "cheap" looking.
RIGHT: The Fantastic Adventure Series cover.
OTHER INFORMATION
Cast
Jason ... Eddie Albert
Aristotle Bolt ... Ray Milland
Lucas Deranian ... Donald Pleasence
Tony ... Iake Eissinmann (credited as Ike Eissenmann)
Tia ... Kim Richards
Uncle Bene ... Denver Pyle
Sheriff Purdy ... Walter Barnes
Mrs. Grindley ... Reta Shaw
Astrologer ... Alfred Ryder
Ubermann ... Lawrence Montaigne
Biff Jenkins ... Terry Wilson
Grocer ... George Chandler
Guru ... Sherpherd Sanders
Gas Station Attendant ... Don Brodie
Sergeant Foss ... Paul Sorenson
Release
Originally released on March 21, 1975. Released on video in 1980, 1985, 1993, 1995, and 2002. Released on DVD in 2002 and 2007.
Filming Information
The film was shot around Moneterey and Palo Alto, California. The Pine Wood Orphanage scenes were filmed in a Victorian mansion at Menlo park. Xanthus (Bolt's home) is a $3 million replica of a Byzantine castle built by Templeton Crocker between 1926 and 1934 from lava rock from Mt. Vesuvius and materials gathered all over Europe. The castle overlooks Pebble Beach. Other scenes were filmed in Carmel Valley, Big Sur, and the town of Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
What about the book?
The book, written by Alexander Key, is amazing. I recommend that you read the book AFTER the movie, so you aren't disappointed by the fact that a lot of major concepts from the book did not make it onto the screen, such as more adventures at the orphanage, and more detail about Deranian (who has a full head of hair in the book illustrations). There is no Aristotle Bolt in the book.
The Overture
Like the opening overture to "Escape To Witch Mountain"? Good news! ... Exclusive MP3 download! Click here.
An interesting note is that Kim Richards' younger sister, Kyle Richards, was in the 1980 Disney film "Watcher In The Woods", which was directed by John Hough and produced by Ron Miller, who both worked on "Escape To Witch Mountain".
READY FOR MORE?
There are many more sections to this website waiting for you!
Return From Witch Mountain : the first sequel, released 1978.
Beyond Witch Mountain : the second sequel, released 1982, as a TV pilot.
Escape To Witch Mountain (1995) : the made-for-TV remake
Escape To Witch Mountain (2007) : the latest remake
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