User reviews

I was thrilled to see one of my favourite films, as a child, released on to DVD. I can now share some of my childhood with my own kids. No big surprise, but my older daughter (7) loves it. My younger daughter (2) thought some parts were "scary daddy"; the broom/jail scene was well done! Highly recommend it as a family film for folks that want a nice movie to watch with their kids.

Alexander Key's popular pre-teen novel concerns two orphaned siblings with supernatural powers taken in by a nefarious millionaire (named Aristotle Bolt!) who wants to exploit their magical abilities for personal gain. Top-notch Walt Disney adventure for families has natural, non-precocious performances from young Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards as the gifted kids, and their friendship with good-hearted traveler Eddie Albert is sweet but not sticky. The eerie flashbacks to the youngsters' early beginnings are well-captured by director John Hough, who is otherwise forced (perhaps for budgetary reasons) to skimp on genuine atmosphere in place of an elongated chase. Too bad the finale replaces emotion with effects, as these characters are quite remarkable. Followed by a fairly wan sequel, 1978's "Return From Witch Mountain", in which the special effects became the whole show. **1/2 from ****

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.

In 1975, I was 11 years old. "Escape To Witch Mountain" played to a packed house at a now-defunct old theatre called, Miracle. People were sitting on the floor because they sold more tickets than they had seats. I'd never seen anything like that before.

My dad and step mom took me to the movie and we got the last of the few remaining seats. They probably only took me because it was a Disney flick. Had to be harmless, right? Hardly. Afterward, they were puzzled by the seemingly surprising UFO angle. I remember being absolutely transfixed. I'm still fascinated with mysterious stuff like UFOs and ghosts. I wasn't supposed to like that stuff but this film made it impossible for me not to.

And I identified with the kid heroes on a deeper level as well. I, myself, was kind of a ragamuffin misfit kid from a broken home who spent weekends with my dad's new blended family. I felt the siblings' pain at being torn from their home. Tia broke my heart. She was as fragile as me, but far stronger when it really counted. Tony was just hot! Older and very cute at 13. And those powers they had? How cool was that? By the time the credits rolled, I knew I'd seen the best movie ever!

I was lucky enough to have an older cousin who loved movies and hanging out with me and she bought the Disney movie record for me. I don't know if any of you remember these; Disney used to release LPs of the audio track of some of their movies, usually truncated and featuring narration. In the case of "Escape", it was narrated by Eddie Albert. This thing enabled me to memorize every line of Tony and Tia's dialog and much of that of the other characters, too. I still have it, though the sleeve is long lost. It's tough for me to watch the movie without speaking along with the characters (especially Tia), at least in my head.

My cousin also bought me Alexander Key's book. Boy, Disney sure took liberties, didn't they? Key's book is far more serious and developed and meaningful. I tried to take the best parts from the book and the movie and incorporate them together into the Tony and Tia of my imagination. It deepened them. Too bad there was no fanatic outlet back in those days! It was pretty egolesss of Alexander Key for coming together with Disney on the eventual novelization of "Return". Without Key's kind participation, it would of been an empty exercise. I was especially impressed with how he incorporated the issue of Tia needing to learn to speak.

Through the years, I never "Escape" and I saw it as often as I could. For instance, when "Return" was released, Disney sent the movies out as a double feature. I loved "Return", silly as it was, even though there were things in it that really bugged me. Like the sibs being split apart for most of the movie. I loved them together! I think most of the fans of the first film were most affected by their chemistry. I think we wanted to see more of that. Even so, I really liked the Earthquakes, all of them. And it was fun to see Kim and Ike a bit older and even cuter than before. I also remember seeing "Escape" on an odd revival double-bill with "Bambi" at some point in my teen years. I think I would've followed Kim and Ike anywhere. Heck, I even followed them to "Devil Dog, The Hound Of Hell". You have to see the comments page here at IMDb if you haven't already.

I would've seen "Tuff Turf" even if Kim wasn't in it, but that's a convoluted story for another thread. Suffice to say I have seen TT far too many times and many of them were for Kim. Also, I can honestly say I enjoy the TV edit of "Star Trek II" far more than the theatrical cut because it has more Ike. I even had a good time watching "Blair Witch Mountain..." when it hit the web. I have to agree that it might be fun to revisit Tony and Tia with the original actors today. Hey, last year, the new "Twilight Zone" brought Anthony (Billy Mumy) back and introduced us to his similarly gifted, but far less scary (real life) daughter (Liliana Mumy). And all those people came back from the cornfield. Why not Tony & Tia?

I could rhapsodize for paragraphs about both "With Mountain" films, and I may still do so when I get my special edition DVDs. In the meantime, here's hoping that a whole new generation of kids will discover "Witch Mountain" for themselves.

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

Escape to Witch Mountain was a favorite of my mom's childhood as she grew up when this film came out as a kid, and I remember when she bought the DVD for share the film with her family in my childhood years. I could have easily passed off this film as too silly or dated, but even 8-year-old me growing up in the CGI era of visual effects was still sucked into the charm of Tony and Tia Malone.

I still think this movie holds up remarkably well. Sure, the narrative is needlessly complicated at times when you try to think about the final twists of Witch Mountain and some of the effects have not aged in todays standards, such as the flying camper in the third act, but I am still sucked into the charm and magic of this movie regardless. Honestly, I feel like a kid watching this movie, watching this adventure of these two kids trying to find their place and where they came from, seeking to find the answers and exploring their telepathic powers when it seems like most are out to exploit them. This movie features two solid child performances with good chemistry, but the veteran actors really excel in selling the film in its entertainment factor, particularly the appearances of Donald Pleasance and Ray Milland as villains. Also give props to Eddie Albert who gives a tender performance as Jason O'Day, who helps the kiddies out along the way.

The film also works as a sci-fi thriller and a mystery film along with the adventure, and I also welcome some of the "scarier" moments to make the film a blast for kids and adults.

If you haven't watched Escape to Witch Mountain, and you're a Disney fan, it was one of the studio's biggest hits of the 1970s and I do recommend it. It's a good watch for the Disney nerds and I guarantee it will wow any child viewer.

The overall feel of the movie is rather unique and different. Many of the special effects and things were probably pretty good for their time, but are very outdated and simple compared to today's movies. Still they are fairly impressive when you consider that they were done without computers.

Note that the title "Escape to Witch Mountain" is somewhat misleading because the movie has virtually nothing to do with witches. It's about two kids who have special powers, but thankfully these powers are not portrayed as being witchcraft. Some people in the movie start to think that they're witches, but they're actually just kids from another planet where people have abilities that earth people don't have, things like communicating telepathically, talking to animals, and controlling objects with their minds. Some of it is a bit spooky, but it's a very unique concept, and I like that it's not portrayed as being witchcraft.

It's a rather fun adventure that some people may like and others may find boring. For the most part I like it. Something about the ending seems a bit incomplete, but I don't really know what else they could've done it.

Wonderful Disney film about a pair of orphans (Kim Richards, Ike Eisenmann) with special powers being pursued by a greedy millionaire (Ray Milland), who wants to use their powers to his advantage. With help from a grouchy old man (Eddie Albert) in a Winnebago, the kids try to reach a place called Witch Mountain they feel drawn to.

This is one of Disney's best films from the '70s and a personal favorite from my childhood. The cast is excellent. Kim Richards is best known today for being a reality TV "personality," but before all that embarrassing nonsense she actually had a fairly successful career as a child actor. Eisenmann also had a lot of work as a kid before moving on to other things. Both hold their own well with solid veteran actors Ray Milland, Eddie Albert, Donald Pleasence, and Denver Pyle. The vets are all terrific. It's a sci-fi family film with healthy doses of Disney cuteness. Whether or not that cuteness will be your cup of tea I can't say. The special effects are dated now, sure, but they're not bad for their time. Besides, the datedness actually adds to the charm I think.

Sometimes we like movies from our youth solely because of nostalgia or because they are tied to a special memory. While that is no doubt the case for many of us with Escape to Witch Mountain, I really do think it holds up well today on its own merits. If you grew up with this, you don't need me to tell you how much fun it is. To everyone else, particularly the younger viewers weaned on CGI, Ritalin pacing, and music video cinematography, open yourself up to this movie and I'm sure you'll like it. It's a magical adventure with heart, humor, and an emphasis more on story and characters than glitz and hollow special effects.

It always puzzles me how adults can review movies that were meant for a young audience and review it negatively (through adult eyes), completely forgetting about a child's unique and innocent perspective on the film. Shame on them all!!

As a young kid in the 70's, Disney, cartoons and sports were all weekly staples- so many good memories!! Escape to Witch Mountain was one of the first movies I saw in the theater, and was both entertaining and fun. A good adult cast; Donald Pleasence, Ray Milland and the underrated Eddie Albert, all provide good support for our two hero kids who use their powers to not only try to find home again but thwart the evil intentions of those trying to use their powers for their own benefit. The movie is well paced and has the usual hi jinks one expects in a "chase" film. I enjoyed it then and liked it just as much after a recent viewing on cable.

This movie also illustrates how one doesn't need bad language or crude behavior/jokes to appeal to kids. What some people regard as "corny" others find a refreshing change from today's standards of "acceptable" programming.

Having seen the new version of this film recently ("Race to Witch Mountain"), I cannot tell you how much of a pleasant surprise "Escape to Witch Mountain" was to me. The new version, in my opinion, lacks any kind of character development and is full of annoying characters that do nothing to help the movie. Essentially, the new version basically did away with the first 45 minutes or so of this film, which helped set up the story, develop the characters, and give us a better sense of why the kids are running away. Also, Dwayne Johnson is incredibly lacking in emotion and character compared to Eddie Albert in this movie. While I admit that most of the special effects in this film may seem cheesy by today's standards, they actually make the film even more fun to laugh at. This film came out of a couple of decades when Disney was at its height of live action movies, when even film of this type they turned out was at least worthwhile. This is an enjoyable movie, with good jobs of acting done by basically all of the characters. Appropriate for anyone in the family, exciting, funny, and likable.

***1/2 out of ****

In a film that will no doubt engender feelings of nostalgia in those who saw it as children, 'Escape to Witch Mountain' is a reminder that Disney used to be good for fairly decent live-action films instead of churning out cheap teeny-booper soaps and 'comedies' (I use this term in the loosest sense of the word) brimming with brats who have the acting prowess of a plank of wood.

Based on the 1968 novel by Alexander Key, the film centres around orphaned brother and sister, Tony and Tia Malone, who possess paranormal abilities. They have scant memories from early childhood of being ship-wrecked and protected by a mysterious uncle, and discover a strange map to Witch Mountain in the 'star case' Tia carries. When a rich and ruthless businessmen Aristotle Bolt plans to harness the twins' powers for his own selfish purposes, Tony and Tia flee to find out what is hidden in Witch Mountain. On their way, they are aided by a prickly but good-hearted old man Jason O'Day and his cat Winkie.

This is an enjoyable, easy-going family film where Ike Eisenmann (who seems to have an affinity with sci-fi roles) and Kim Richards, as the guileless Tony and Tia, give good performances and are able to depict the strong sibling bond between their characters well. While some scenes, in typical Disney fashion, are a tad cheesy and the special effects don't stand up to films made in the Nineties and Noughties, it is still as enjoyable now as it was when I saw it as a child and I imagine it can still thrill today's young children (especially those weary of the tat that passes for children's TV and films these days). 'Escape to Witch Mountain' is an endearing family film, which might not have the best special-effects, but which has a story which will stand the test of time.

This film is nicely complimented by the sequel 'Beyond Witch Mountain', where Eisenmann and Richards reprise their roles as the now adolescent twins who return for holiday only to find themselves pursued by cruel people wanting to use their abilities. What viewers should avoid like the plague is the atrocious 1995 re-make of 'Escape to Witch Mountain' that has an odd and messy plot.

A pair of orphan children (Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards) with telekinetic powers draw the attention of a millionaire (Ray Milland) who wishes to exploit them. They have a map that holds a clue as to who they are, where they are from and try to escape the millionaire's clutches.

A live feature Disney fantasy adventure that is in part spoilt by some not so great scripting and some pretty poor spfx. A decent cast provides support in otherwise fairly standard Disney fare. Followed by RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN (1978) and RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (2009).

A long time ago, I was into books. This isn't a light phrase, I took out multitudes of them from the library. Alexander Key wrote a neat novel called "Escape to Witch Mountain" about a priest named Father O'Day who helps two siblings return to their people. It was a very good book, and I knew when I bought the book from the Book Fair that it was a reprint to endorse the movie. However, at that time, my movie-experiences were minimal. It took several years for me to actually be able to see the movie (when Disney first brought out the Disney Channel, iirc) and I was a bit surprised at the liberties that were taken with Key's book. The priest became the widower, and the beat up car became the RV. Bolt was not in the book, but he was an interesting main-villian, and I enjoyed the movie. My son, who is now 6 (Tues this week) enjoys watching it on VHS as much as I do!

Return was not as good--it was a "let's make money by doing a sequel" but it was cool too. As that 5th grader, I knew what it was to be outside the norm, and I wanted to have the same powers that Tia did, so I guess that's saying something!

I too place this movie with Parent Trap, Candleshoe, and Freaky Friday. Good movies that I don't have to worry about my child "catching" wrong words from! **** out of 5.

I've just watched this movie for the first time, and enjoyed it. Sure, a bit wooden and pared down, but the story is basically sound and the feel of the film is both inviting and mysterious. Good grown-up actors - the great Donald Pleasance in particular, of course - and the two kids in the leading parts are likable and convincing. A short question, though: Could any Californian help me with some specifics regarding the film's locations? Especially the rocky coastal landscape seen in the middle part of the film. Exactly where were those scenes shot? Is that area all uninhabited? National/State park? Any small towns overlooking the ocean? Just curious :-)

This was one of my favourite not-animated Disney movies that I saw on Sunday afternoons back in the 2000s, and last Friday I saw it again, inevitably bringing back so many memories.

First I must talk about the plot: two children (named Tony and Tia) with special mind powers are lured by a mega-maniacal millionaire that traps them in his mansion and wants to use them for money, but after Tony discovers the evil plan, he and Tia escape, but not until they end in a police station and with their mind powers distract the police guardian and find the company of a crusty old man that helps them return where this children call ''home''.

The two children are played by Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards, that would co-star in the sequel ''Return From Witch Mountain'', along with Denver Pyle as their uncle. Ray Milland and Donald Pleasence are magnificent as the two villains, and the always good Eddie Albert as Jason O'Day, the old man that helps the two boys returning home.

This movie had one sequel, ''Return from Witch Mountain'' (1978), with Bette Davis and Christopher Lee as the villains, and it's pretty much similar to this one. I recommend both this and the sequel because they are both funny and enjoyable for everyone!

Decided to watch this vintage 1975 Disney film starring some veteran actors like: Eddie Albert,(Jason O'Day),"Green Acres TV Series", Ray Milland, (Aristotle Bolt)"The Lost Weekend",'45 and Donald Pleasence,(Lucas Deranean),"Halloween4". The story involves a boy named Tony Malone,(Ike Isenmann), "Cross Creek",'83 and his sister Tia Malone,"Escape",'90, who are orphans and are looking for their real parents. Tia & Tony have some very powerful abilities that a normal person would not be able to perform; because of these talents, Aristotle Bolt decides he wants to find these children and Lucas Deranean assists him in trying to capture and get them under his control. Jason O'Day comes to Tia & Tony aid, but many things happen and the story just does not end quite so easy. The picture has a very unusual ending and could very well be quite true if you believe in such THINGS!

Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards played brother and sister in three films--both this film, its sequel and a completely wacko made for TV movie, "Devil Dog: The Hound From Hell", in which they played Satan worshipers!! Surely this third film is nothing like their previous two films!!

This film finds Tia and Tony (Richards and Eisenmann) as sibs who are living in an orphan home. However, they are not ordinary kids and they've been hiding a secret--they have realized they have amazing psychic powers. But they try to keep them hidden as they are worried what would happen if others discovered this. Unfortunately, a baddie and his toady (Ray Milland and Donald Pleasence) discover this and spend most of the film chasing the two. Fortunately, the pair discover a nice old man to help them (Eddie Albert) and ultimately they learn who they and their parents really are when they arrive at Witch Mountain.

If you've seen the sequel, you've pretty much seen this film. The plots are pretty much identical except for who plays the baddies. Now this is a problem, as the ending of "Escape To Witch Mountain" does end with the children leaving planet Earth...making the sequel unnecessary and nonsensical. So, if you have to see one of these family films, try to watch this one.

When I say there are so many flaws, I am not alluding to the special effects within the film. They did rather well for the time this film came out. No, my statement is regarding things that occur within the story as there are just some things that make one scratch their head. That does not include the strange obsession with dogs this film has that makes it out like dogs are going to play a huge part in the film as they are within the opening credits and the two kids keep talking about them and then they are not really all that important to the story at all.

The story has two orphan kids who do not know who their real parents are being brought to a orphanage because their foster mother and father died. The girl is prone to flashbacks, so much so, that you will get sick of seeing them. Both share strange psychic abilities and telekinetic abilities. They soon are taken to a mansion where a businessman wishes to exploit their powers and in return he will give them everything they want. Strangely they don't want to and so they must try to get to Witch Mountain!

So many things make one go, "Huh?" as an adult that we would have just ignored as a child. Why does none of their real relatives track them down? They should easily be able to find the kids as their powers are greater. What are the odds of the kids helping the one man who works for a person who is wanting to enlist people with psychic powers? Why bother chasing the kids in the first place, as they do not want to help and as their powers grow they will only become more uncontrollable and you have the end of Firestarter!

So the film has its moments, but the plot is all out of whack, too much for me as an adult to ignore. The film has Eddie Albert who looks like he is 80 in this film, but would go on to live well into the 2000's and it also has Donald Pleasance who turned up in quite a few movies back in the day. There are some humorous moments and one creepy one as the boy makes puppets come to life...

Disney's Escape To Witch Mountain is in my opinion one of the finest of their live action outings. I grew up with it, it was one of the first films I ever saw, and will always hold a special place in my heart. It has such a buoyant sense of light hearted adventure and well staged scenes of intrigue, you can't not be transported to its world. I find myself hazily recalling it all the time, similar to the way the two intrepid young protagonists dreamily experience flashbacks to their mysterious past. Tony (Ike Eisenmann) and Tia (Kim Richards) Malone are two very different kids. Left in an orphanage with no past or parents, they don't fit in with the others. They have certain abilities: premonition, foresight, levitation, clairvoyance and more. Pretty soon greedy, selfish billionaire Aristotle Bolt (a hammy, terrifying Ray Milland) hears rumors about the two, and dispatches his main operative Mr. Deranian (Donald Pleasence) to forge adoption papers and obtain them, as well as their powers. Pleasence, an old pro, slyly plays the role to slick perfection. Tony and Tia escape from Bolt's clutches and go on the run, aided by a cranky, motor home driving old timer, played excellently by Eddie Albert. The three attempt to elude Bolt's extensive reach and find out where Tony and Tia come from (Stony Creek, Misty Valley POWER) and unlock the secret of their extraordinary powers. The heart of the movie rests with the two youngsters, giving genuine performances beyond their years, and using their active imagination to make us feel the reality of both their powers, and their plight. The special effects, although dated by today's standards, are still delightful to watch. Just do yourself a favour and steer well clear of the sequel, and the remake with Dwayne the cock Johnson, they're both just awful. The vibe of the film is pure fun, and at times gets a bit mysterious and moody, never loses that rollicking adventurous tone that trademarks Disney efforts. A gem.

ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN succeeds on several levels and fails on a few others. It's a mixed bag of delights and disappointments. The delights include a scene where a coat-rack and hat descend upon a sheriff who is cornered by it while the kids make their escape from jail. Another is the scene where the puppets in the kids' playroom put themselves through their paces in a charming dance sequence reminiscent of something out of Disney's own "Pinocchio." More sequences like this would have enhanced the whole story about an "out of this world" pair of kids sought by RAY MILLAND (as Mr. Bolt) and his helper DONALD PLEASANCE, who want the kids to tell them about their extra-sensory powers that border on witchcraft but are really due to something quite different. It's here that the sci-fi elements of the story don't seem to ring true, particularly with regard to the spaceship ending.

The special effects for the time are quite an achievement, only occasionally making the viewer aware of the film's age when today's CGI can do so much better. The scenes with the clever black cat are enjoyable too, as is the performance of EDDIE ALBERT as a crusty old man whose resistance to the kids gradually melts in time for a happy ending. RAY MILLAND, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten he's in a comedy and plays the villain in a heavy-handed way.

Summing up: Abounds in the Disney touch, although the director could have gotten better performances from both children.

Based on a 1968 novel by Alexander Key, the film starts well with a predictably stylish and atmospheric animated title sequence (which depicts a scene that is actually over pretty quickly in the film itself), followed by a rather sombre introduction to the arrival at an orphanage of two cute but troubled youngsters (attractively embodied by Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards) who both possess strange powers that soon draw them to the attention of rich and powerful but nasty Aristotle Bolt (who presumably intends to exploit them to make himself richer, more powerful and nastier still).

There are a couple of neat special effects sequences involving dolls and later a hatstand coming to life, but for me the film degenerated into a sort of supernatural 'Dukes of Hazzard' with an assortment of goons in suits, cops, rednecks and a gormless sheriff in hot pursuit of the kids; who along the way befriend a bear and enlist the shelter of crusty old widower Jason O'Day (Eddie Albert) and his Winebago. The kids' Uncle Bené appropriately turns out to be old man Jesse Duke himself, Denver Pyle, but I thought the special effects at the finale were a real let down when the cast eventually converge upon Witch Mountain itself.

Apart from the fact that he strongly recalls Disney's perennial zillionire meanie Alonzo Hawk it's also never made clear exactly why Bolt is the bad guy, other than the fact that he always wears a black suit and that Donald Pleasence works for him (never a good sign) and that the plot requires one; he is thus duly played with a sneer by Ray Milland.

But this film obviously wasn't meant for me, and it was popular enough to spawn four sequels. So it plainly hit the spot it was aimed at.