This 1978 sequel to 1975’s Escape to Witch Mountain is not nearly as good despite some star villains: Bette Davis and Christopher Lee. Lacking is the tension and drama of the first film, (essentially a pursuit of the heroes by evil forces), and added is lots of Disney silliness, and an unbelievable and manipulative plot. Tony and Tia, the alien children, return, a few years older, traveling by flying saucer from Witch Mountain to Los Angeles for a vacation of sorts, but they’re soon sidetracked and lost. Tony saves a man from a fall from a high building, attracting the attention of Lee and Davis, who capture him to use his powers for crime. Tia makes friends with a gang of kids who help her try to find him. The film starts out okay, but soon descends into banality and predictable stunts, with lots of people making messes. A goat is perhaps the most fun character, though Kim Richards as Tia is appealing and feisty. Davis and Lee’s talents are barely utilized. Running time is 94 minutes, I think it made a modest profit, and I watched it on Disney Plus.
Described as a comedy adventure, I really like this 1977 feature made mostly in England. It stars Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes (her last film) and Leo McKern. Casey Brown (Foster) is a wild child causing havoc with her gang on the streets of Los Angeles when she’s caught and taken to see Harry Bundage (McKern). Bundage is looking for a child to play the missing granddaughter of Lady Gwendolyn (Hayes), owner of the large British estate Candleshoe. Harry and Casey conspire to fool her, and it works. Casey is invited to stay at Candleshoe, where the real grift is trying to find the treasure of Lady Gwendolyn’s pirate ancestor, hidden somewhere in the house. When Casey learns more about the household, she finds the butler Prior (Niven) is also posing as the gardener, the chauffeur, and a neighbor friend, all pretty convincing. It seems the estate is nearly broke, and he and four orphan children the lady has taken in are trying to make enough money to pay the taxes. Casey gradually warms to them, but Harry is always on her case to find the treasure.
I thought the writing, acting, and directing were all excellent. I would watch this again. The running time is 101 minutes, and I watched it on Disney Plus.
John Varley’s short stories hit the science fiction magazines in the mid 1970s like a blazing comet, full of ideas and new ways of approaching the genre. I loved his work, and saw him as my generation’s Robert A. Heinlein, my favorite author. I haven’t changed that opinion, though he did settle down to more predictable writing in his later years. This is his first novel, published in 1977.
The story takes place in Varley’s distant future history where Earth has been taken over by Invaders who believe whales and dolphins are the only important species, and most humans have been expelled to the other worlds and moons of our solar system. There humans thrive with help from mysterious messages from space nicknamed The Ophiuchi Hotline that provide scientific advances, especially involving human anatomy and surgery, so that most people can change sex easily, and can make all kinds of other changes to their bodies. Lilo is a female scientist on Luna who’s gone too far, though, experimenting with gene manipulation, for which she’s sent to prison and execution. She’s saved by the agents of The Boss, who wants her for secret operations he’s conducting near Saturn and Pluto. Several clones of Lilo are made because she keeps trying to escape, but one finally makes it to the hidden base near Saturn, and is soon stirring up trouble there. Meanwhile, two other clones are making more trouble on Pluto and in the asteroid belt. Everyone is worried about a new ultimatum from the Ophiuchi Hotline: they want payment for all the advice given, and threaten human destruction if they don’t get it. Lilo and her friends on Pluto decide to fly toward the source of the broadcasts to confront the unknown threat.
Fine writing, a complex plot you have to pay attention to, but rewarding if you do. Recommended.
This 1977 feature marks a turning point for Disney animation. A group of new young animators had been hired, and some younger staffers like Don Bluth were given more freedom as well, as this was considered their project, and a way to try new things. From the credits and music on it did just that. The story is loosely based on books by Margery Sharp, and the writing and characters seem fresher to me than in the previous few animations from Disney. Bernard and Miss Bianca are two mice, part of a rescue society of mice who are tasked with finding and rescuing a small orphan girl, Penny, who has sent a message in a bottle asking for help. With advice from an old cat at her orphanage and an albatross running an airline for small animals, they arrive in Devil’s Bayou in a southern swamp, where an evil pair of villains and their alligator pets are using the orphan girl to find a huge diamond, pirate treasure, in a cave too small for them to enter. The lead villainess, Medusa, is somewhat like Cruella De Vil, but more of a slob than a fashionista. Before long, Bernard and Bianca are trying to rescue Penny against heavy odds, and with only Miss Bianca’s quick mind keeping them from disaster.
Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor are great as the lead mice, Geraldine Page and Joe Flynn are good as the villains, Jim Jordan is fine as the albatross, and Pat Buttram is here as well, but my favorite character is Evinrude, a dragonfly, in a non-speaking but important role, I think the first one for an insect in a Disney feature. The titles are backed by beautiful pastels, as seen above, the music, mostly by Shelby Flint, a singer-songwriter, is heading toward the modern Broadway sound of Little Mermaid, though not there yet, but feels younger than most Disney animated feature music to this point. Shelby sings over the story, mostly the characters don’t sing. The plot is not as predictable as many Disney films, the humor and adventurous thrills work. I’d call this the best Disney animated feature since 101 Dalmations. The running time is 77 minutes, it was a hit with audiences and critics and did well financially. I watched it on Disney Plus.
This 1977 feature combines three previous Winnie the Pooh short features: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) with a small amount of new connecting material and a new ending. These are all based on the British books written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by E.H. Shepard, after Disney bought all rights except publishing. The first and second had involvement from Walt himself, and there are a number of songs, mostly short, by the Sherman brothers. The animation uses illustrated pages from the books in many places, and the feel and spirit is certainly much like those, with some Disney additions. Some characters, including the boy Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Kanga and Roo, and Eeyore look much like the Shepard art, while the rabbit and owl are more typical Disney style, with Tigger somewhere between. A ground hog looking and acting much like the beaver in Lady and the Tramp is added for comic relief. The stories are gentle and charming, owing largely to the voice of Sterling Holloway as Winnie and Disney animator Ralph Wright as Eeyore, though Paul Winchell adds lots of energy as Tigger. Another throwback element is a Pooh dream sequence similar to the Pink Elephants section of Dumbo. Overall this is enjoyable, and though aimed at young children, there’s enough to keep adults watching. The running time is 74 minutes, and I watched it on Disney Plus.
