Do you remember the Disney Witch Mountain movies? I thought I did, but having had the opportunity to see them again, there is much that I had forgotten.
In honor of the new Witch Mountain film, Disney has released the earlier films in separate Family Classics special editions. You can watch them again, or for the first time and enjoy the story, plus state-of-the art “magic” of the 1970’s.
It is not fair to compare “special effects” of older films with those of the present day, so I will not even go there. The earliest Witch Mountain film is “Escape to Witch Mountain” which begins with two children Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia Malone (Kim Richards) having lost their foster parents.
As they are orphaned again they are assigned to a children’s home. The audience soon learns that Tia and Tony have some unique special abilities. These make them somewhat alienated from the other children, but bring them to the attention of wealthy Mr. Bolt (Ray Milland).
At first it seems Mr. Bolt can give them everything they want, but it doesn’t take Tony and Tia long to recognize that he has plans to exploit their abilities, so they run away. It isn’t a mindless escape, they have been drawn to an area the locals call “Witch Mountain” and they soon make friends with a tourist camper (Eddie Albert) who helps them.
I wonder how many share the strongest memory of this film as the (then) amazing flight of the Winnebago!
Escape to Witch Mountain looks and sounds good, and comes with a number of bonuses. First of all it is widescreen, with a running time of 97 minutes. Audio tracks are available in English and in French, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Special Features include All-new pop up fun facts, featurette “Making The Escape,” another “Disney Effects- Something Special,” an audio commentary for the film, Conversations with John Hough the director and a Pluto cartoon.
The second Witch Mountain film, “Return to Witch Mountain” has Tony and Tia making a visit to Los Angeles to see some of the cultural and tourist attractions. Bette Davis and Christopher Lee at their evil best are villains in this sequel as they try to take over the world using Tony’s powers.
Tia must enlist the aid of some street-wise kids to help rescue Tony and save the world. This second film had more action and “effects” and with Tony and Tia a little older, it didn’t have quite the satisfactory feel of the original. “Return to Witch Mountain” looks and sounds very good too, and has interesting bonuses as well. It is in widescreen with a running time of 94 minutes, and is available in English, French, or Spanish audio. Subtitles are available in the same languages.
Special Features include “Pop up fun facts,” featurettes “Making the Return Trip,” and “The Gang’s Back in Town.” Disney Kids with Powers examines the special effects used, and a lost interview with Christopher Lee. There are also the Disney 1978 Studio Album, “The Eyes Have It” and a film commentary.
Escape to Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain are fun films to add to a Disney or family film collection.
Escape to Witch Mountain (Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Return from Witch Mountain (Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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