Search - Return from Witch Mountain on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 1978 DVD Release: 09/02/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: Walt Disney Video Members Wishing: 34 Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Children's/Family, Children's Fantasy See Also: Return from Witch Mountain [Special Edition]

The Fury meets The Misadventures of Merlin Jones in this comic-book sequel to Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain. Reprising their roles as the psychic siblings from another world are Kim Richards as Tia and Ike Eisenmann as Tony. Their Uncle Bene (Denver Pyle) gives the kids a treat by letting them vacation on planet Earth, and they make the most of it by immediately getting into hot water. It seems that arch-fiend Dr. Victor Gannon (Christopher Lee) and his Bette Davis-like accomplice, Letha (Bette Davis), are in the process of testing a mind-control device. They want to see if they can mentally save their cohort Sickle (Anthony James) from plunging to his death from atop a building. Tony spots Sickle's plunge and telekinetically saves him. When Dr. Gannon sees Tony's powers, he kidnaps him, hoping to utilize his otherworldly powers for his own nefarious purposes. Enlisting the aid of a collection of low-life youngsters (Christian Juttner, Brad Savage, Poindexter, and Jeffrey Jacquet), Tia uses her powers of telepathy to contact her brother and tries to rescue him from Gannon's clutches. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Bette Davis - Letha
Christopher Lee - Victor
Kim Richards - Tia
Ike Eisenmann - Tony
Jack Soo - Mr. Yokomoto

Disney has produced a fine companion piece for their special edition of Escape to Witch Mountain with this solid DVD version of Return From Witch Mountain. The anamorphic, widescreen transfer is THX-approved and offers all the color and detail one would expect from a transfer with that credential. The film's audio has been given a 5.1 stereo remix that adds some extra dimension and bottom end to the sound. It doesn't offer many directional effects but offers a nice, fully-rounded soundtrack overall. The disc also features a nice array of extras for the film's fans. As with the Escape disc, director John Hough and stars Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards recorded a commentary track for this disc (the director and stars were recorded separately, with their comments edited together later). Hough focuses on the logistical and technical challengers of directing while the stars offer up plenty of on-set memories. Between the three, they offer a nicely-rounded track. There is also a featurette on the making of the film and another fun featurette that reunites three of the actors who made up the film's "Earthquake Gang." Elsewhere, there are galleries of stills and promotional material, a "Studio Album" (a montage of that year's highlights at Disney) and a Spanish-language interview (with English subtitles) of actor Christopher Lee. All in all, this is nicely rounded package that will appeal to fans of vintage Disney fare. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide