The “Witch Mountain” film series struck a cord with Gen Xers who either saw them on the big screen, VHS, or Disney Channel replays. Now, everyone can relive the nostalgic magic of not only “Escape to Witch Mountain,” but its sequel, “Return from Witch Mountain,” on Disney+.
“Escape to Witch Mountain” follows siblings Tia (future “Real Housewife” Kim Richards) and Tony Malone (Ike Eisenmann), orphaned twins who are blessed with psychic powers but don’t know their biological parents. Attorney Lucas Deranian (Donald Pleasence), working under his boss, Aristotle Bolt (Ray Milland), presents himself at their orphanage as their uncle. The twins go with the lie, but when they learn what kind of person Bolt is they escape, with only Tia’s cat, Winkie, in their possession. On the road they meet embittered widower Jason O’Day (Eddie Albert), and learn more about their shocking destiny.
The movie was followed by a sequel, “Return to Witch Mountain,” in which Tia and Tony become further entangled in the world of human machinations when Letha Wedge (Bette Davis) tries to use their powers for her own desires. Two made-for-TV movies followed — the 1982 sequel “Beyond Witch Mountain” and a 1995 remake — before Disney gave the film a modern theatrical do-over featuring an unexpected star.
Disney tried to revive Witch Mountain as a franchise with … The Rock?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may not be who comes to mind when you think of the “Witch Mountain” series, but long before “Moana,” Disney attached him to the 2009 reboot, “Race to Witch Mountain.” In the film, Johnson plays Jack Bruno, a cab driver who finds himself in for a wild ride when he’s forced to take a fare from twin aliens Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb), whose spacecraft crashed and are now on the run from the government. Just as in the original, the twins are telekinetic and communicate via a mental link.
The film was a respectable player for Disney, raking in over $100 million worldwide during its box office run. But critically it lacked, only holding a 41% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasn’t ginned up as much nostalgic fervor as the original 1975 film either; the reboot sports only a 44% Popcornmeter audience score. Some even name it one of the worst reboots you can stream on Disney+.
While the franchise’s future is up in the air as of this writing, with a Bryce Dallas Howard led television series being rejected by Disney+ in 2024, there’s still plenty of magical goodness for folks of all ages to enjoy on the platform.