Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition: Eddie Albert, Walter Barnes, Don Brodie, George Chandler, Sam Edwards, Ike Eisenmann, Tony Giorgio, Harry Holcombe, Rex Holman, Tiger Joe Marsh, Lawrence Montaigne, Donald Pleasence, Denver Pyle, Kim Richards, Alfred Rossi, Alfred Ryder, Shepherd Sanders, Dan Seymour, Reta Shaw, Paul Sorenson, John Hough: Movies & TV
Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition: Eddie Albert, Walter Barnes, Don Brodie, George Chandler, Sam Edwards, Ike Eisenmann, Tony Giorgio, Harry Holcombe, Rex Holman, Tiger Joe Marsh, Lawrence Montaigne, Donald Pleasence, Denver Pyle, Kim Richards, Alfred Rossi, Alfred Ryder, Shepherd Sanders, Dan Seymour, Reta Shaw, Paul Sorenson, John Hough: Movies & TV
Product Description
A vehicle floats in midair a coat rack comes to life and attacks a sheriff and wild animals are putty in the hands of Tony and Tia Malone in Disney’s thrilling fantasy adventure about the psychic powers of two young orphans. Their clairvoyance prompts evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) to lure them to his mansion to exploit their powers. While escaping, they meet a friendly campter (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! The film was shot around Monterey and Palo Alto, California, including a Victorian mansion at Menlo Park that served as the Pine Woods Orphanage.
Bonus features:
All-New Pop-Up Fun Facts
Making The Escape
Conversations With John Hough
Disney Sci-Fi
Pluto’s Dream House
Disney Effects Something Special
1975 Disney Studio Album
Audio Commentary
Universal Themes Make for Timeless Appeal,
By Dave “Davelandweb” (San Diego, CA) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
To coincide with the new Witch Mountain film being released to theaters, Disney is re-releasing “Escape to Witch Mountain” (1975) as a special edition loaded with well-done extras.
The story is about Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and his younger sister, Tia (Kim Richards), two orphans who have recently lost their foster parents as well. While getting used to their new home, an orphanage (run by Disney favorite Reta Shaw), the children draw the attention of an attorney, Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence), whose life is saved because of the children’s esp powers. Deranian’s boss, Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland) is an evil (and wealthy man) fascinated with paranormal powers. He pretends to be the children’s uncle so that he can take custody of them and use them for his own gain. Meanwhile, Tia’s star case (a metal purse) reveals a map to Witch Mountain, providing clues to their origins. Once Tony & Tia discover Bolt’s plot to exploit them, they escape his mansion and with the help of a crusty (only on the outside!) widower, Jason O’Day (Eddie Albert), they try to find their way home to Witch Mountain. Bolt and the greedy townspeople (hungry for Bolt’s financial reward) chase after the children. Will they make it home?
Sure, the special effects will not be quite as dazzling to current generations used to digital, but the story and its universal themes more than make up for the film’s 1970’s appearance. What child couldn’t relate to having a hard time fitting in with others, feeling lost and just wanting to find the comfort and warmth of home? Richards and Eisenmann have excellent chemistry, and are ably supported by veteran actors Ray Milland, Eddie Albert, and Donald Pleasance (who is extremely menacing in his understated performance). The scenery is also fantastic, as much of the film is shot on location in Carmel and Palo Alto. And as for style…the opening credits still pack a wallop–WAY COOL!
The extras are fantastic, giving a very complete look at how the film was made.
Audio Commentary:
Fantastic memories from Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann, and director John Hough. Very enjoyable to listen to, filled with fun behind the scenes info, such as Tia’s star case currently residing in the Disney archives, and learning that Kim’s younger sister played Tia in the flashbacks. What is fantastic is that both Kim & Ike have excellent recall of what occurred during filming.
“Making the Escape” (26:41): What a fantastic making-of featurette. Interviews with Richards, Eisenmann (who now goes by the name Iake Eissinmann), red-headed bully orphan Dermott Downs, and director John Hough. Hough tells how Disney wanted a grittier and darker feel to “Witch Mountain,” which is why he got the job (thanks to previous films, including “Legend of Hell House”). Kim & Ike share very warm memories of making the movie (Ike is even moved to tears when discussing the themes of the movie and people’s reaction). Kim remembers Disney as the best studio and most loyal, with a family feeling; obviously, these were special times for these two actors who also enjoyed being part of the special effects used in the film. Interestingly enough, Jodie Foster was considered for Kim’s part until Foster took another project instead.
“Conversations with John Hough” (6:52): Interview with the director, who discusses his philosophy on filmmaking. “Get passionate about a subject, and don’t give up.” He attributes his long career to making a variety of movies and gambling on risky projects. He aptly feels that good directors must be part psychologists, to understand the actors and crew.
“Disney Sci Fi” (2:45): A montage of clips from films such as “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “The Rocketeer,” “Tron,” “The Cat from Outer Space,” and “The Navigator.”
“Disney Effects–Something Special” (11:03): Harrison Ellenshaw, a visual effects designer who also happens to be the son of famous Disney matte artist Peter, discusses the history of visual effects at the Disney studio. “20K Leagues Under the Sea” (1954) was the first visual effects film shot on the Disney lot. Ub Iwerks was the genius who accomplished many of the dazzling effects at Disney, and the man behind the the process lab. “Mary Poppins” and other films show how rich and artistic matte paintings could look on film, giving a special perfection not possible with location filming. “Dick Tracy” (1990) was pretty much the last Disney film to use the traditional photochemical processes & matte paintings. Today, most of these effects are handled digitally. A clip from “The Rookie” is shown, illustrating how a grip is digitally removed from the film. “Fix it in post” has become the standard line after a mistake is made.
“Disney Studio Album 1975″: Shows clips from what was going on at the Disney Studio during that year: “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “The Apple Dumpling Gang,” “Strongest Man in the World,” “One of our Dinosaurs is Missing,” Debut of America On Parade (Disneyland), Mission to Mars (Disneyland), “No Deposit No Return” in production, “Crazy With the Heat” (reissue), “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” (reissue), “Pluto’s Housewarming” (reissue), “The Sky’s The Limit” (TV), “The Boy Who Talked to Badgers” (TV), “The Secret of the Pond” (TV), and Welcome to the World–Space Mountain Opens at WDW.
“Pluto’s Dream House” (1940): Mickey wants to build Pluto a new doghouse, and with the aid of an unseen Genie in a lamp, accomplishes his goal. Although enjoyable, it is extremely curious that Disney puts this on the DVD with no background or explanation, especially with its politically incorrect depiction of the genie (who sounds like he wandered off the set of Amos & Andy) and Pluto being painted in blackface and getting dubbed “Mammy.” And yet, “Song of the South” remains in the vaults.
Sneak Peeks:
Featuring previews of Bolt, Disney XD, Tinkerbell & The Lost Treasure, Morning Light (inspiring true story of Roy Disney putting together a team of 15 inexperience sailors for a trip from LA to Honolulu), Snow White (on Blu-ray), and Bedtime Stories (Adam Sandler).
Pop-Up Fun Facts
Specs:
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (English & French), French & Spanish Subtitles. Audio is good and clear, but not especially outstanding.
Video: Widescreen (1.75:1), enhanced for 16×9 TVs. Picture is clear with good color, but definitely has a 70’s soft feel.
The sequel, Return from Witch Mountain Special Edition is also now available.
A Disney sci-fi classic that is just as entertaining now, as it was back in 1975,
By Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
The classic Walt Disney sci-fi film “ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” (1975) is released on DVD to help celebrate the theatrical release of “RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” (the third `WITCH MOUNTAIN’ film which can be considered a new storyline or a re-imagining of the first film).
“ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” would be a family sci-fi film to utilize the latest special effects at that time and bring popular British director John Hough (”THE AVENGERS”, “THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE”), known for his work on television episodes and horror films to direct a family film.
Based on the original novel by Alexander Key, “ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” focuses on two children Tony (played by Ike Eisenman) and Tia Malone (played by Kim Richards) who have supernatural powers.
Tia can communicate with Tony via telepathy and has the ability to work things in her mind and sense the future, while Tony has the ability to create or levitate things while playing the harmonica.
Both Tony and Tia (with their black cat named “Winkle”) move to an orphanage and try to watch each other’s back but with a bully at the orphanage always challenging both brother and sister, Tia tends to use her power to help Tony in the public eye. Such as helping him levitate many feet high to catch a ball during a baseball game or during a fight with a bully, levitating a baseball glove and while it’s in the air, using it to hit the bully. Of course, it doesn’t help that the kids of the orphanage see this and thus, they tend to look at the two as strange people.
Throughout the course of the film, Tia has images in her mind of their childhood. Not being able to understand what is happening, these fragments of memories are all she has of their past. Something that both really can’t remember.
While on a school trip, Tia gets one of her premonitions about a guy who will be hurt in his car. Both Tony and Tia try to find the guy named Lucas Deranian (played by Donald Pleasence) and hopefully prevent him from getting into his car. Tina pleads with the guy that she senses things and he should listen to her and not get in the car. He listens to her and next thing you know, a tow truck rams into the car.
Deranian is surprised by the children’s power and he tells his boss, multi-millionaire Aristotle Bolt (played by Ray Milland) about the children. Bolt who likes to use psychics to help him make more money is now interested in the two children and thus he and Deranian concoct a scheme with faked paperwork to say that Deranian is the kid’s long lost uncle.
At first the kids are happy to have a new home, especially in a mansion and having all they can ever want. But Tina starts to sense the future and learns that Bolt is an evil man that will try to exploit them for their powers and possibly hurt them.
She is so afraid that she tells Tony that both of them must leave the mansion. At first Tony feels that maybe Tia is just feeling weird because they have everything that they want but he knows better not to question his sister’s premonitions and thus decides to help her escape from the mansion.
Thus Bolt has all his men looking for the children and bring them back to the mansion but the kids manage to use their powers to help them out of the private property and hide in a camper by a disgruntled old man named Jason O’Day. O’Day is asked by Deranian if he has seen the children but O’Day has not and doesn’t want to be bothered.
O’Day just wants to travel and be left alone and as he parks near the beach, he finds a cat (which belongs to the children) and when he goes to feed it, he finds out that the children are hiding in his camper. At first, O’Day wants nothing to do with them but being an older man who never had any children of his own, he is surprised by the children’s power and tries to help them escape from Aristotle Bolt and the police who are looking for them.
And thus the film becomes a cat versus mouse storyline of O’Day and the children trying to escape and go to witch mountain before they are caught.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” is a 35-year-old film that is featured in widescreen 1:75:1 and enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The film looks well-preserved for its age but of course, special effects from that time do look quite cheesy in today’s standards, but one could imagine how in 1975, the special effects featured were top of the line. Also, the film benefits from being shot outdoors, so the picture quality is colorful.
As for audio, audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with a secondary French language track. I didn’t recall hearing many special effects utilized in the rear channel but dialogue and effects were quite clear coming from the front channels.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” includes several special features. Many which were included in the 2003 DVD release but there is one special feature that is exclusive to the 2009 DVD release. Included are:
* ALL NEW Pop-Up Fun Facts - For those who want to watch the film with fun facts popping up on the bottom of the screen.
* Making the Escape - A pretty lengthy featurette with interviews with director John Hough, Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards and more. Hough talks about working with Disney, while Eisenmann and Richards talk about working with the talent, the animals and their overall experiences.
* Conversations with John Hough - A short featurette about Hough’s past experience in television and film and working on a Disney film.
* Disney Sci-Fi - A short music video of various clips of Disney Sci-Fi
* “PLUTO’S DREAM HOUSE” - An animated short featuring Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Mickey Mouse finds a magic lamp and has the lamp build a dog house for Pluto.
* Disney Effects - Something Special - A very intriguing featurette about special effects in Disney films, especially the utilization of painting backgrounds on glass to how special effects were done in “Parent Trap” and other films.
* 1975 Disney Studio Album - A short musical featurette featuring stills from all films that were shown in 1975.
* Audio Commentary - Commentary by John Hough, Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards. It appears that Hough’s commentary was recorded separately from Eisenmann and Richards. But the three talk about their experiences and some tidbidts of certain scenes from the film.
JUDGMENT CALL:
“ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” is indeed a classic Disney sci-fi film.
As a film such as “MARY POPPINS” was instrumental in wowing audiences for its musical and its special effects back in 1964. “ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” was a Disney film that would be a family film but utilize quite a bit of special effects to make the supernatural abilities look natural on film. With the use of wires and the use of editing tricks available in 1975, children were mesmerized by it.
And since it was a Disney film, it made it that much special for children and families, to have a film that would attract people of all ages. Something that Walt Disney has always wanted for his films…animated or live.
Of course, the special effects used in 1975 looks dated compared to what we have seen Disney do these days but considering how films were at that time, it’s how things were.
But for many children, like Elliott and E.T. were for children in the 80’s, Tony and Tina were popular characters for children in the mid-70’s. The fact that these two had special powers was quite exciting at the time and the film became a big hit.
It resonated well with adults and children and It was quite interesting for me because I was a young child when this film first came out and I had the opportunity to watch the film on DVD together with my six-year-old. He absolutely loved the film and asked if we could watch the second film afterwards.
Now, for those who own the 2003 DVD release, you may not need this DVD because there really is no major addition in terms of special features but for those who are looking forward to watching Dwayne Johnson in “RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” in 2009 and have never watched the original films or its been too long since you have last seen it, then definitely pick up both classic Witch Mountain films.
As for “RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN”, both “ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” and “RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN” both come with a free ticket coupon (attached to the slipcase cover) to download a certificate (ticket) in order to watch the latest film at a participating theater for free.
Overall, “ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN” is a fun and enjoyable film and despite being nearly 35 years old, it’s a film that families can watch with their children now and still be entertained.
Definitely a Disney classic worth having in your DVD library.
Not great, not bad,
By Christian McCallister “dr dolphin” (The waters of the Great Lakes) -
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)
This movie was originally released in 1975 and Disney is now re-releasing it, coinciding with the semi-remake, Race to Witch Mountain [Theatrical Release].
Two siblings, Tony and Tia (Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards), aged about twelve and ten, do not remember their past well. They have grown up as orphans, but now are being adopted by a rich man, Mr. Bolt.
Tony and Tia are not your usual children, in ways other than their past history. They are capable of telepathy, telekinesis, and long-distance hearing. They do not know why they are different, but they are, and it does lead to complications. Their abilities are also the reason why the rich man is interested in them, and nurturing is not what he has in mind. Will the kids become pawns for the rich man’s research? Will they find any allies? Will they solve the mystery of their past and learn their true nature?
What I liked about this movie: Escape to Witch Mountain has an interesting premise and interesting characters, based upon the 1968 book by Alexander Key. The child-stars, Ike Eisemann and Kim Richards, are charming, attractive, and easy to like. Ray Milland, as the evil, rich Mr. Bolt, was already a veteran actor when the film was made, and his comfort with being on-screen translates into a very credible villain. Donald Pleasence, as Mr. Bolt’s attorney and right-hand man, and Eddie Albert as the grumpy but big-hearted ally, give equally smooth performances.
What I found lacking in this movie: I felt bad for Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards. Robert M. Young, who wrote the screenplay, gave them, in my opinion, awkward, stilted, not-credible lines to deliver. I came away with the impression that the dialogue had been written by someone who seldom, if ever, spoke with children of the age portrayed by the two young actors.
I know this movie came out two years before the first Star Wars movie, but the special effects were very, very weak. The spaceship, seen near the end, looks like a hubcap with lights on it, and it wobbles as it flies. While you could not see the strings when Tony and Tia performed their paranormal activities, you could certainly tell that strings were in action. Maybe I am spoiled by today’s computer-generated imagery, but the special effects in the original Star Trek series, which predated this movie by a decade, were better, in my view.
The bonus features on the newly-released “special edition” DVD include pop-up fun facts, a brief documentary on the making of the movie, a discussion with director John Hough, a music video featuring special effects from various Disney films, a short documentary on Disney special effects, a Disney short film called “Pluto’s Dream House,” a Disney “studio album” for 1975, and audio commentary for the movie.
Of these bonus features, I really liked the short on Pluto’s dream house. It was classic, traditional Disney animation and it was both cute and funny. It showed how dreams can morph into nightmares. I liked the music video on Disney special effects, which was a montage of segments of different movies, including Escape to Witch Mountain and its sequel, Return From Witch Mountain, plus other films, with a brisk, upbeat, slightly eerie musical score.
This DVD was given to me, free, by Disney, in exchange for an honest review.
– Chris McCallister, author of Coming Full Circle
Search Escape to Witch Mountain Special Edition: Eddie Albert, Walter Barnes, Don Brodie, George Chandler, Sam Edwards, Ike Eisenmann, Tony Giorgio, Harry Holcombe, Rex Holman, Tiger Joe Marsh, Lawrence Montaigne, Donald Pleasence, Denver Pyle, Kim Richards, Alfred Rossi, Alfred Ryder, Shepherd Sanders, Dan Seymour, Reta Shaw, Paul Sorenson, John Hough: Movies & TV from AmAzon
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