In Search of the Castaways
by Robert Stevenson
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DVD details
Actor: George Sanders, Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, Michael Anderson Jr., Wilfrid Hyde-WhiteDirector: Robert Stevenson
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: Paul Beeson
Editor: Gordon Stone
Producer: Hugh Attwooll
Writer: Jules Verne
Writer: Lowell S. Hawley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-03
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Product features:
- With good reason to believe that Captain Grant, skipper of the S.S. Brittania, is still alive, Lord Glenarvan, owner of the Steam Navigation Company, sets out to rescue him. Aboard his ship are Grant's daughter and son, as well as their companion, a Frenchman named Jacques Paganel. A series of hair-raising incidents as they travel the 37th parallel, including surviving an earthquake, flood, an
DVD Reviews of In Search of the Castaways
DVD Review: Fun Family Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1858 Glasgow, two young teens, Mary and Robert Grant, set forth on a daring journey across the ocean to find their castaway father and his companions with only a message in a bottle as an indication of his possible survival and clue to his location. They are joined by charming, carefree Frenchman Jacques Paganel, the stately Lord Grenarvan, and his teenage son, John, whose sights are casually set on Mary. The little band of adventures make their way to South America, Australia, and New Zealand on their search for the lost Captain Grant, and they encounter harrowing dangers every step of the way. Luckily, Paganel is played by Maurice Chevalier, and he is always ready to lighten things up with a song!
Released in 1962 and based on Jules Verne's book "The Children of Captain Grant", "In Search of the Castaways" is sort of a second tier Disney live-action classic, easily known by hardcore Disney fans and even often remembered by the general public, though not as much as films like "Swiss Family Robinson", "Old Yeller", "The Parent Trap", and a few others. This is probably because it is such a simple adventure story that doesn't spend much time on character relationships or subplots. It is purely a forward moving search to find the lost father. That's not to say it doesn't work. It's a fun, entertaining adventure with likeable, believable characters, and to my fellow Disney theme park lovers, this is one of those great "Adventureland" films. It does have another trait that may be the reason it is not quite as revered as the other films I mentioned (though this film is hardly among Disney's more obscure stuff), and that is the fact that the effects in "In Search of the Castaways" often seem sub par compared to other classic live-action Disney films, and I'm not really sure why it turned out that way. Some of those effects driven stunts are also quite absurd, admittedly, but that's forgivable in this fun-filled romp. Still, if you took serious issue with some of Indy Jones's more extreme survivals, you may not enjoy Castaways either. One has to go into the film ready to accept that what they are watching is not trying to be 100 percent realistic. This is more of a DuckTales kind of adventure, but it really is a delightful way to spend an hour and 38 minutes, and I still highly recommend it!
The main cast in "In Search of the Castaways" is excellent, including Disney fave Hayley Mills as Mary, the aforementioned Maurice Chevalier, Keith Hamshere as Robert, Wilfred Hyde White as Grenarvan, Michael Anderson, Jr. as his son, Wilfred Brambell as the very Ben Gunn reminiscent Bill Gaye, and even the voice of Shere Khan, George Sanders, as a rather suspicious character in the second half of the film. Directed by Disney great Robert Stevenson, it's really just the sometimes less impressive than expected visual effects that are the only real negative about the film, but the same can't be said for the DVD release, as it lacks any extras whatsoever and is presented in a full screen format. It's hard to say if this is a matted print or an open matte print, but it clearly is not the theatrical "widescreen" presentation, and one would hope for at least the theatrical trailer and maybe some bonus features that could be used on multiple Disney releases (at least), like a Hayley Mills or Sherman Brothers featurette, or one of those Disney yearbook montages. Alas, this one was released bare bones, but it still deserves a place on every DVD shelf for anyone who appreciates classic Disney and family adventures.
Also recommended: Disney's Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, Island at the Top of the World, Shipwrecked, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. And for more Disney Hayley Mills: The Parent Trap, The Parent Trap 2, Pollyanna, Summer Magic, Moon Spinners, and That Darn Cat.
If you enjoyed this review, be sure to watch my video review show on YouTube, The Moonlight Movie Show!
Description of In Search of the Castaways
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