Escape to Witch Mountain
Encyclopedia
Escape to Witch Mountain is a science fiction
novel written by Alexander Key
in 1968. It was adapted into a film of the same name
by Walt Disney Productions
in 1975, directed by John Hough. A remake
directed by Peter Rader was released in 1995. Race to Witch Mountain
, a new telling directed by Andy Fickman
, opened theatrically March 13, 2009.
ed siblings, Tony and Tia, who have moderate paranormal
abilities. Tony possesses the ability of telekinesis, which he can access most readily through playing music
, particularly his harmonica. Tia's powers include the ability to unlock any door by touch and communicate with animals. Both siblings can communicate via ultrasonic speech audible only to each other; but Tia cannot speak normally and is regarded as strange because of this. It is later revealed that Tia is not unusual in this respect, but Tony is; few of their kind have the ability to speak out loud. After their foster guardian, Mrs. Malone, dies, they are placed by social services in a juvenile detention home under grim, unwholesome conditions, where Tia befriends a black cat
, Winkie.
Both have suppressed memories of their past, but discover a clue in an old road map hidden in Tia's "star case", a leather purse-like box with a double-star design on it. When a man claiming to be the brother of their deceased father shows up at the detention center to take custody of them, they instinctively know he is not their uncle and has ulterior motives. With the assistance of an inner-city Irish priest
, Father O'Day, the pair run away, following the map's route leading towards the Blue Ridge Mountains
. As their memories begin to return, they realize that they are actually of extraterrestrial
origin, their people having come to Earth
because their own planet
was dying. Through a series of hardships, Tony and Tia find their way to their own people. When their would-be captor, Lucas Deranian, attempts to interrogate Father O'Day, the priest speaks to the effect that God is capable of creating many worlds and many peoples; that there are "mysteries far beyond [Deranian's] narrow dreaming".
As with most of Alexander Key's stories, the embattled protagonist
s find that most of the people they meet are untrustworthy, greedy, and hateful... which makes the decency of the few all the more poignant. O'Day puts himself in danger in order to help Tony and Tia, but he does so willingly because, for the first time in ages, he's presented with the chance to restore meaning to his life.
The novel was illustrated by Leon B. Wisdom, Jr. and originally published in 1968 by The Westminster Press in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
and Kim Richards
, Lucas Deranian by Donald Pleasence
, and the children's Uncle Bené (whom they believe to have drowned in a long-ago accident) by Denver Pyle
. The film replaces the inner-city priest Father O'Day with Jason O'Day (played by Eddie Albert
), a widower traveling in an RV who helps Tony and Tia escape their pursuers. Both Tia and Tony are able to speak out loud in the film, but Tony is not capable of Tia's seemingly telepathic speech. A new major character in the film who is not in the novel is millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland
), Deranian's employer, who wants to obtain the children's powers. The film was one of Disney's most successful live-action films.
The film was followed by two sequels, the theatrically released Return from Witch Mountain
(1978) and the 60-minute TV movie Beyond Witch Mountain
(1982). Director Hough returned for Return, as did Eisenmann, Richards, and Pyle; but new villains Letha Wedge (Bette Davis
) and Dr. Victor Gannon (Christopher Lee
) took the place of Bolt and Deranian. The characters of Bolt, Deranian, and O'Day returned in Beyond Witch Mountain; but director Hough did not return, and no actor returned to their roles except for Albert. Beyond was intended as a television pilot, but the proposed series did not occur.
Also Bryan Drier.
. The film is directed by Andy Fickman
and stars Dwayne Johnson, Ciarán Hinds
, AnnaSophia Robb
, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino
. Original co-stars Kim Richards
and Ike Eisenmann
also play small roles. Filming began in Los Angeles
in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain was released on March 13, 2009. In the new film, the kids' names are Sara and Seth. They crash the UFO into earth and look for an experiment their parents left on earth for research to help their own dying planet. Sara can move things with her mind, and read minds. Seth can go through solid objects, and resist high level impacts, such as getting hit by a van, by changing his molecular construction.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel written by Alexander Key
Alexander Key
Alexander Hill Key was an American science fiction writer, most of whose books were aimed at a juvenile audience. He became a nationally known illustrator before he became an author...
in 1968. It was adapted into a film of the same name
Escape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)
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 :...
by Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
in 1975, directed by John Hough. A remake
Escape to Witch Mountain (1995 film)
Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1995 American television film directed by Peter Rader and a remake of the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain.-Overview:...
directed by Peter Rader was released in 1995. Race to Witch Mountain
Race to Witch Mountain
Race to Witch Mountain is a 2009 science fiction/thriller film and a remake of the original 1975 fantasy film, Escape to Witch Mountain. Both versions of the film are based on the 1968 novel Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key...
, a new telling directed by Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
, opened theatrically March 13, 2009.
Novel
The novel written by Alexander H. Key is about two orphanOrphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed siblings, Tony and Tia, who have moderate paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
abilities. Tony possesses the ability of telekinesis, which he can access most readily through playing music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, particularly his harmonica. Tia's powers include the ability to unlock any door by touch and communicate with animals. Both siblings can communicate via ultrasonic speech audible only to each other; but Tia cannot speak normally and is regarded as strange because of this. It is later revealed that Tia is not unusual in this respect, but Tony is; few of their kind have the ability to speak out loud. After their foster guardian, Mrs. Malone, dies, they are placed by social services in a juvenile detention home under grim, unwholesome conditions, where Tia befriends a black cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, Winkie.
Both have suppressed memories of their past, but discover a clue in an old road map hidden in Tia's "star case", a leather purse-like box with a double-star design on it. When a man claiming to be the brother of their deceased father shows up at the detention center to take custody of them, they instinctively know he is not their uncle and has ulterior motives. With the assistance of an inner-city Irish priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Father O'Day, the pair run away, following the map's route leading towards the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
. As their memories begin to return, they realize that they are actually of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
origin, their people having come to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
because their own planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
was dying. Through a series of hardships, Tony and Tia find their way to their own people. When their would-be captor, Lucas Deranian, attempts to interrogate Father O'Day, the priest speaks to the effect that God is capable of creating many worlds and many peoples; that there are "mysteries far beyond [Deranian's] narrow dreaming".
As with most of Alexander Key's stories, the embattled protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s find that most of the people they meet are untrustworthy, greedy, and hateful... which makes the decency of the few all the more poignant. O'Day puts himself in danger in order to help Tony and Tia, but he does so willingly because, for the first time in ages, he's presented with the chance to restore meaning to his life.
The novel was illustrated by Leon B. Wisdom, Jr. and originally published in 1968 by The Westminster Press in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1975 film and sequels
In 1975, Walt Disney Productions released a film based on the novel, also entitled Escape to Witch Mountain. In this film, Tony and Tia were played by Ike EisenmannIke Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann is an American actor, voice actor, producer, and sound-effects specialist who has been active in the entertainment industry since he was a preteen.-Career:...
and Kim Richards
Kim Richards
Kimberly "Kim" Richards is an American actress, former child actress, and television personality. She had roles in several Disney movies in the 1970s and later TV shows in the late 1970s and early 80s before returning to the screen with her sister Kyle Richards on Bravo's The Real Housewives of...
, Lucas Deranian by Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
, and the children's Uncle Bené (whom they believe to have drowned in a long-ago accident) by Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
. The film replaces the inner-city priest Father O'Day with Jason O'Day (played by Eddie Albert
Eddie Albert
Edward Albert Heimberger , known professionally as Eddie Albert, was an American actor and activist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1954 for his performance in Roman Holiday, and in 1973 for The Heartbreak Kid.Other well-known screen roles of his include Bing...
), a widower traveling in an RV who helps Tony and Tia escape their pursuers. Both Tia and Tony are able to speak out loud in the film, but Tony is not capable of Tia's seemingly telepathic speech. A new major character in the film who is not in the novel is millionaire Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland
Ray Milland
Ray Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
), Deranian's employer, who wants to obtain the children's powers. The film was one of Disney's most successful live-action films.
The film was followed by two sequels, the theatrically released Return from Witch Mountain
Return from Witch Mountain
Return from Witch Mountain is the 1978 sequel to Walt Disney Productions' 1975 film, Escape to Witch Mountain. It was written by Malcolm Marmorstein and is based on the novel by Alexander Key. Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards, and Denver Pyle reprise their roles as Tony, Tia, and Uncle Bené—humanoid...
(1978) and the 60-minute TV movie Beyond Witch Mountain
Beyond Witch Mountain
Beyond Witch Mountain is the second sequel to the 1975 Disney film Escape to Witch Mountain. Although Eddie Albert returned to play Jason O'Day from the original 1975 movie, the parts of Tony and Tia were recast with actors comparable only in age to Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards when they first...
(1982). Director Hough returned for Return, as did Eisenmann, Richards, and Pyle; but new villains Letha Wedge (Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
) and Dr. Victor Gannon (Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
) took the place of Bolt and Deranian. The characters of Bolt, Deranian, and O'Day returned in Beyond Witch Mountain; but director Hough did not return, and no actor returned to their roles except for Albert. Beyond was intended as a television pilot, but the proposed series did not occur.
Also Bryan Drier.
1995 film
This 1995 made-for-television movie is very loosely based on the Alexander Key novel.2009 film
Race to Witch Mountain takes place 30 years after the events of the original 1975 film Escape to Witch MountainEscape to Witch Mountain (1975 film)
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 film is directed by Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
and stars Dwayne Johnson, Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
, AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb
AnnaSophia Robb is an American film and television actress. She gained prominence in 2005 with starring roles in Because of Winn-Dixie and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and starred in Bridge to Terabithia , Race to Witch Mountain , and Soul Surfer .-Personal life:Robb was born in Denver,...
, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
. Original co-stars Kim Richards
Kim Richards
Kimberly "Kim" Richards is an American actress, former child actress, and television personality. She had roles in several Disney movies in the 1970s and later TV shows in the late 1970s and early 80s before returning to the screen with her sister Kyle Richards on Bravo's The Real Housewives of...
and Ike Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann is an American actor, voice actor, producer, and sound-effects specialist who has been active in the entertainment industry since he was a preteen.-Career:...
also play small roles. Filming began in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain was released on March 13, 2009. In the new film, the kids' names are Sara and Seth. They crash the UFO into earth and look for an experiment their parents left on earth for research to help their own dying planet. Sara can move things with her mind, and read minds. Seth can go through solid objects, and resist high level impacts, such as getting hit by a van, by changing his molecular construction.
External links
- The Witch Mountain Experience - An Extensive Fan Site (As of June 2010, not updated since July 2007.)
- The Official Ike Eisenmann Site
- How much was Alexander Key influenced by Zenna Henderson?
- Escape to Witch Mountain Hallmark Channel