Escape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)

Escape to Witch Mountain
Promotional film poster
Directed by	John Hough
Written by	Robert M. Young
Produced by	Ron Miller Jerome Courtland
Starring	Eddie Albert Ray Milland Donald Pleasence Kim Richards Ike Eisenmann
Cinematography	Frank V. Phillips, ASC
Edited by	Robert Stafford
Music by	Johnny Mandel
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release dates	United States: March 21, 1975
Running time	97 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$20,000,000

Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 film based on the novel Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions, released by Buena Vista Distribution Company and directed by John Hough.

Plot

The movie centers upon the brother and sister pair Tony and Tia, who initially know only their deceased adoptive parents' surname, Malone. The children are placed in an orphanage, where they face difficulties stemming from their strange psychic/psionic abilities: Tony can telekinetically move and control inanimate objects with the aid of his harmonica, while Tia can communicate telepathically to Tony, commune empathically with animals, and experience premonitions and also possesses minor telekinetic abilities. She carries a "star case" with her at all times, which the children find contains a strange map.

Tia has fragmented memories of her early childhood, including an accident at sea and a man she later remembers as the children's Uncle Bené (pronounced Ben-ay), whom they believe had drowned during their rescue.

During a field trip to see a movie, Tia experiences a premonition and is able to warn wealthy attorney Lucas Deranian against a potentially dangerous accident. Deranian informs his employer, millionaire Aristotle Bolt, of the children's unique abilities. Bolt, obsessed with the paranormal, demands that Deranian retrieve the children at all costs. Deranian's detective work leads him to the orphanage, where he poses as Tia and Tony's uncle, though not under the name Bené, and takes them to Bolt's mansion.

Though initially suspicious of Bolt's motives, Tia and Tony are lured in by the wealthy trappings of Bolt's home. Bolt eventually reveals that he has been monitoring the children via a closed-circuit television system and that he and Deranian are fully aware of their unusually strong powers. The night of this revelation, Tia and Tony make an escape, making use of their abilities to psionically control a wild mustang, guard dogs, and the security fence, as well as use the cat Winkey to make the allergic security guard let them pass.

Bolt sends Deranian and a thug, Ubermann, after the children. Tia and Tony hide out in a Winnebago motor home owned by a crotchety widower named Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert). Initially negative towards the children, Jason gradually begins to recognize their powers and the truth of their story; Tia's vague memories of a disaster at sea intrigue him. He agrees to take the children on the route indicated by Tia's star case, which leads them to a mountain known as Witch Mountain, home to unexplainable phenomena. Avoiding Bolt, the law and an incited mob convinced the children are witches, they eventually make their way up Witch Mountain, pursued by Deranian and Ubermann as well as Bolt in a helicopter.

As their memories begin to fully return, the children realize their accident at sea did not involve a boat, but a spacecraft. Tony and Tia are actually of extraterrestrial origin; the double star emblem on the star case stands for a binary star system where their home planet was located.

Having come to Earth because their own planet was dying, survivors of the journey made their way to Witch Mountain and formed a community to await the surviving children, each pair in possession of a star case to help them find their way to their new home. Tony and Tia are the first to reach their destination. The children are reunited with their Uncle Bené (who had survived after all, thanks to an "accommodating" shark whom he'd telepathically asked for help) and board another spacecraft. When Bolt and the others leave in defeat, Jason witnesses the spaceship's return as it flies over him to say a final goodbye.

Cast

• Eddie Albert as Jason O'Day, an embittered widower who decides to travel across the country in his green and white Winnebago.
• Ray Milland as Aristotle Bolt, a ruthless and greedy multi-millionaire obsessed with the paranormal and occult who intends to exploit Tony and Tia's powers to increase his wealth.
• Donald Pleasence as Lucas Deranian, a well-to-do attorney who works for Mr. Bolt.
• Kim Richards as Tia Malone, a nine-year-old orphan with psychic powers.
• Ike Eisenmann as Tony Malone, older brother to Tia, orphan with telekinetic powers.
• Walter Barnes as Sheriff Purdey, a sheriff bribed by Bolt to pursue the children.
• Reta Shaw as Mrs. Grindley, owner of the orphanage Tia and Tony are sent to after the death of their foster parents, the Malones.
• Denver Pyle as Uncle Bené, the children's true uncle.
• Alfred Ryder as Astrologer.
• Lawrence Montaigne as Ubermann, a henchman who assists Deranian in his pursuit of the siblings and drives his Lincoln Continental.
• Terry Wilson as Biff Jenkins.
• George Chandler as Grocer.
• Dermott Downs as Truck, a child from the orphanage who bullies Tony to the point that Tony reveals his powers.
• Shepherd Sanders as Guru.
• Don Brodie as Gasoline Attendant.
• Paul Sorenson as Sergeant Foss.
• Alfred Rossi as Police officer.
• Tiger Joe Marsh as Lorko, a security guard of Mr. Bolt's who is allergic to cats.
• Harry Holcombe as Captain Malone.
• Sam Edwards as Mate.
• Dan Seymour as Psychic.
• Eugene Daniels as Cort.
• Al Dunlap as Deputy.
• Rex Holman, Tony Giorgio as Hunters.
• Kyle Richards, as young Tia Malone (in "elder Tia's" memories) (uncredited)

Crew

Al Roelofs as Art Director

Differences from novel

Main article: Escape to Witch Mountain

Escape to Witch Mountain is based on the novel by Alexander Key. Significant differences from the book include its tone and plot elements. For example, in the book, the children are befriended by Father O'Day, a crusty, old Catholic priest, rather than widower Jason O'Day. The children's ship is shot down, rather than crashed, and the children are olive-skinned, though with light-colored hair, rather than fair-skinned and blond. In the book, Deranian is the main antagonist, and he is working for a shadowy European cabal who are trying to capture the children for their special powers, instead of for Aristotle Bolt. The novel is set along or near the Atlantic coast of the United States, whereas the film was shot along the Pacific coast in California.

Remake

Main article: Escape to Witch Mountain (1995 film)

The movie was remade in 1995 with a different cast and several details changed or omitted. In the remake, Tia and Tony are twins, renamed Anna and Danny. They are separated as children, but reunite in an orphanage where they discover their powers. In the remake, Bolt is a land magnate who wants to develop Witch Mountain, using the twins' power to do so. The children are rescued by a shopkeeper. The 2009 movie Race to Witch Mountain is a continuation of the 1975 movie.

External links

• Official website
• Escape to Witch Mountain at IMDb
• Escape to Witch Mountain at the TCM Movie Database
• Escape to Witch Mountain at AllMovie