ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (1975)
Article #537 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 9-3-2002
Posting date: 1-27-2003

Two children with strange psychic powers find themselves on the run from a greedy tycoon who wants to use them to make a fortune.

The fact that the movie is from Disney should clue you in to the fact that there will be quite a bit of cuteness at play here, and there is, particularly during a scene involving dancing puppets. Despite this, the movie largely takes itself seriously enough, with some interesting scenes and several welcome faces, particularly Donald Pleasence and Ray Milland. It works all right, but I found myself wishing they had gone all the way and made a thriller; it’s not quite as exciting as it might have been. For that matter, the humor could have been funnier and the magic a little more magical, but as far as I can tell it’s still one of the better Disney live-action movies from the period.