hands. But realizing that their new “patriarch” is up to no good, Tony and Tia flee Bolt’s estate, only to be pursued around California’s Central Coast (highlighting areas of Pebble Beach and Carmel-by- the-Sea). A grouchy-on-the-out- side camper (Eddie Albert) finds himself reluctantly assisting the fugitives—whose destination can only be determined by following a map Tia had discovered to be in her possession. But where did they come from in the first place? The answer lies in the clarification of some hazy memories...


Director John Hough wasn’t exactly known for his experience on children’s films, but his pre- vious take on paranormal mate- rial (in THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE) caught the studio’s eye. With THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS still lurking in his future, Hough delivered exactly what Disney audiences expected from such offerings—with legitimately sinister themes sweetened by “magical” interludes (Tony ma- nipulates toys to dance for his sister’s amusement), slapstick sight gags, and plenty of children and animals (here, “Winky” the cat occasionally saves the day, once by playing on a Bolt employee’s exaggerated allergies). The film is best remembered for its climactic scenes, featuring a flying camper and an upside-down helicopter, whose blue-screen effects are now obvious as what they are, but still work their charms. And so do the cast: Eisenmann and Richards do well as the characters most chil- dren in the audience wanted to be, nobody could expect beloved TV personality Albert to keep his gruff exterior for long, and Milland and Pleasence carry a potent one-two punch as the heavies. ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN offers a very agree- able slice of Disney cross-appeal. Now in their 40s, Richards and Eisenmann team up on an audio


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commentary track which is shared with the separately-recorded memories of director Hough. The actors enticingly describe both the “child star” and the specific “Disney” experiences they shared, while Hough combines his per- sonal background with the ex- pected play-by-play, while the supplemental feature MAKING THE ESCAPE is essentially a video ver- sion of said commentary, featur- ing on-camera interviews and some behind-the-scenes material. The end titles here are highlighted by Richards’ tale of her hair-rais- ing experience with a trained bear—amusing only in hindsight. An interview with Hough alone is also supplied.


Also to be found in the supple- mental “Vault Disney” is the “1975 Disney Studio Album” (a montage of the studio’s movie/TV output for that year), “Disney Sci-Fi” (another short montage of various theme- fitting clips) and “Disney Effects— Something Special” (this look at the creation of the visual effects of various Disney productions is absurdly identified as a “Lost Trea- sure” though it’s of such recent vintage that it covers the Dennis Quaid vehicle THE ROOKIE!). The feature can, if desired, be preceded (as in theaters) by the cartoon “Pluto’s Dream House,” which may raise some eyebrows with the very “ethnic” voice of an unseen genie in a lamp (who even offers the comment “Mammy!” when the title canine is given huge red lips with the swipe of a paintbrush). Trailers for other Disney offerings attempt to play as the disc starts— only your “Menu” button can res- cue you. ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN has been reworked with a new 5.1 Dolby Digital Sur- round soundtrack—an unneces- sary push for a film that succeeded with modest charms. The 1.75:1 image has been enhanced for 16:9 playback, and 12 chapters have been assigned to the feature. Both


the image quality and the goosed- up sound are free of flaws. Three years later, Tony and Tia (Eisenmann and Richards again) are dropped off in Los Angeles by their Uncle Bene (Denver Pyle) for their RETURN FROM WITCH MOUN- TAIN. And in lieu of a more imagi- native setup, this time they walk straight into trouble—again in the act of saving a life. Dr. Victor Gannon (Christopher Lee) has squandered the entire fortune of the once-wealthy Letha (Bette Davis) on his mind-con- trol experiments, with which the duo hope to gain power and money, re- spectively. And as Tony and Tia arrive on the scene, a botched test is about to send Letha’s nephew Sickle (BURNT OFFERINGS’ An- thony James) plunging to his death from the top of a building. After the siblings intervene, Gannon seizes the opportunity to drug and abduct Tony—but Tia escapes, soon find- ing herself in the company of a mis- fit “street gang” known as the Earthquakes, who spend most of their time on the run from truant officer Yokomoto (Jack Soo). With Tony and Tia split up, the film pro- ceeds on parallel courses: Gannon and Letha groom Tony to assist them in a nuclear blackmail plot, while Tia and the Earthquakes work together to find Tony and stop the villains. And as the reunion approaches reality, Gannon pre- pares to play Tony off against his sister. Richard Bakalyan is featured in an amusing turn as a cab driver oblivious to the fact that he has a telenetically-controlled goat (got to get that animal in there!) as a passenger.


This sequel has “obligatory” written all over it, but sufficient Disney “smile” value remains, while the casting of Lee and Davis will demand at least one viewing from their fans. While the G rat- ing is never seriously threatened, RETURN is, at times, even more ominous than its predecessor— never more so than when Gannon

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