Escape to Witch Mountain

1975

Action / Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Mystery / Sci-Fi

21
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 59% · 53 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 59% · 25K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 12231 12.2K

flying car helicopter attempt to escape car crash telekinesis based on children's book

Plot summary

Tia and Tony are two orphaned youngsters with extraordinary powers. Lucas Deranian poses as their uncle in order to get the kids into the clutches of Deranian's megalomaniacal boss, evil millionaire Aristotle Bolt, who wants to exploit them. Jason, a cynical widower, helps Tia and Tony escape to witch mountain, while at the same time Tia and Tony help Jason escape the pain of the loss of his wife.

Director

John Hough Photo
John Hough

Top cast

Reta Shaw Photo
Reta Shaw as Mrs. Grindley
George Chandler Photo
George Chandler as Grocer
Rex Holman Photo
Rex Holman as Hunter No.1
Harry Holcombe Photo
Harry Holcombe as Police Captain Malone
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
695.44 MB
1268*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 37 min
Seeds 6
1.46 GB
1888*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 37 min
Seeds 18

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Coventry 7 / 10

Like father, like son… a family favorite!

Honestly, very few things in life fill me with more joy and happiness than re-watching the favorite movies of my childhood during lazy Sunday afternoons, now more or less 20 to 25 years after I last saw them. During the past couple of years, I discovered that I still love them all just as much as back when I was a geeky 9- year-old with an unhealthy interest in macabre kids' films! I'm talking about titles like "Dark Crystal", "The Watcher in the Woods", "Return to Oz", "Island at the Top of the World" and "Something Wicked this Way Comes". "Escape to Witch Mountain" was also on my list of childhood favorites, and re-watching this particular one also became another emotional milestone for me, since I watched it together with my 6-year-old son! We live in Belgium, so he doesn't speak English and he can't properly read subtitles yet, so I pretty much narrated the entire movie to him. But that was a big pleasure since he was clearly just as impressed and intrigued as I was 25 years ago and he truly loved all the legendary scenes, like with the flying RV, the trained bear and the upside down helicopter! Now, nearly a week after having seen the film he still talks about it and he particularly feels proud about having watched a more mature movie whereas his friends at school are still just watching the animated Disney movies! But anyways, even my more objective opinion states that "Escape to Witch Mountain" is a recommendable film for all types of audiences. It has an engaging plot, good pacing, plenty of versatile action and – most of all – wonderful acting performances. Back when I was 9, I obviously didn't know who Donald Pleasance or Ray Milland were, but over the years I became a horror fanatic and now they are both ranked among my favorite actors of all time. It's good to see that even in Disney movies they remain loyal to their reputations and depict villainous characters that are equally menacing and loathsome as in regular hardcore horror movies! The story introduces two cherubic but orphaned siblings, Tia and Tony, with sensational supernatural powers. The girl Tia can foretell things before they occur and talk to animals, while the boy has telekinetic capacities. Nobody knows where they come from, although Tia has vague recollections of a shipwreck, and they are placed in a boarding school where they clearly don't fit in with the other children. When the girl saves the life of a certain Mr. Deranian (Donald Pleasance) by warning him about an accident about to happen, he is immediately intrigued by her powers and informs his employer Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland). Their intentions obviously aren't peaceful and even though they offer Tia and Tony a giant room full of toys, the girl senses they are in danger and they flee from the estate. With the - initially reluctant – help of lone tourist Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert), they set out on a dangerous journey in search for their true personalities. "Escape to Witch Mountain" is still a great and adventurous kids' movie, accomplished with a lot more heart and passion than nowadays. I hope to quickly track down the sequel "Return to Witch Mountain" as well, as it has an equally impressive cast featuring Christopher Lee and Bette Davis.
Reviewed by wes-connors 7 / 10

Alexander Key's Magic Mountain

After their foster parents die, telepathic Kim Richards (as Tia Malone) and telekinetic Ike Eisenmann (as Tony Malone) must return to living in an orphanage. On an outing with ever-delightful Reta Shaw (in her last film role), the siblings' otherworldly powers are discovered, by Donald Pleasence (as Lucas Deranian), the devious driver for dastardly millionaire Ray Milland (as Aristotle Bolt). With help from heart-warmed Eddie Albert (as Jason O'Day), the children must escape from Mr. Milland, who has nefarious plans… The usual Disney clichés - cute kids, lovable animals, old pros - but significantly better than what had, by the time this film was originally released, become the norm at the studio: mediocre to poor kid fare. Children deserve quality. "Escape to Witch Mountain" is more imaginative than insulting; and, as you'll see, it could arguably be called ahead of its time. The players and animals are nicely corralled by director John Hough; "Winkie" is the cat's meow, and the instrumental puppet dance is quite memorable.******* Escape to Witch Mountain (3/21/75) John Hough ~ Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards, Eddie Albert, Ray Milland
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