Beyond the Escape to the Return of the Race to Witch Mountain

Writing by Spencer on Wednesday, 19 of November , 2008 at 5:20 pm

In the 1975 Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain two orphans with paranormal abilities discover a clue to their past.  These clues lead them to Witch Mountain and the knowledge that they are in fact aliens.  This movie was followed up by a sequel in 1978 called Return from Witch Mountain, and a TV movie in 1982 called Beyond Witch Mountain, and then it was remade in 1995.

I’ve talked about this re-imaging before, but somewhere along the way my attitude has shifted.  Let’s say that I want to make a really cool movie about these kids with special abilities.  Every good movie needs a good McGuffin, so I make them orphans with a mysterious past.  They work to uncover evidence of who they really are.  It’s an allegory of us all trying to find our place in the world, and hoping that we can prove that the things that make us different are the things that make us special.  These kids find out that they aren’t oddballs, but they are actually part of an alien society.  They discover that they aren’t alone in the world and their abilities are real gifts.

Now, to help separate my movie from all of the other movies out there I want to tie into some sort of existing fan base.  I happen upon the old Disney movie Escape to Witch Mountain.  I research it a bit and discover that the movie is based on the 1968 Novel by Alexander Key.  After reading the novel I find this is really a “a very cool dark thriller”.

I find myself wondering how many melodies can be made from the same 12 notes, but then I sit back and enjoy the music.  I’m looking forward to sharing this movie with my kids.

'Race to Witch Mountain' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Comments (4)

Category: movies, video

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