Explorers (1985)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writer:

Eric Luke (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Adventure

Tagline:

You don't need a driver's license to reach the stars.

Plot:

Ben Crandall, an alien-obsessed kid, dreams one night of a circuit board. Drawing out the circuit, he and his friends Wolfgang and Darren set it up...

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Space | Alien | Alien Contact | Exploration

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Ethan Hawke	...	Ben Crandall
River Phoenix	...	Wolfgang Müller
Bobby Fite	...	Steve Jackson
Bradley Gregg	...	Steve Jackson's Gang
Georg Olden	...	Steve Jackson's Gang
Chance Schwass	...	Steve Jackson's Gang
Amanda Peterson	...	Lori Swenson
Danny Nucci	...	Nasty Kid at School
Jason Presson	...	Darren Woods
Dana Ivey	...	Mrs. Müller
Taliesin Jaffe	...	Ludwig Müller
James Cromwell	...	Mr. Müller
Brooke Bundy	...	Science Teacher
Tricia Bartholome	...	Girl in Classroom
Eric Luke	...	Darren's Teacher

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and action, and a brief scene involving beer. (special home entertainment version)

Runtime:

109 min | 100 min (restored video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:MG6 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | France:U | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

1616 Wabasso Way, Glendale, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When the helicopter pilot looks the newspaper, one of the headlines says "Kingston Falls 'Riot' Still Unexplained". Kingston Falls was the town where the events in Gremlins (1984) (also directed by Joe Dante), took place.

Goofs:

Continuity: At 07:16 on the DVD, "2517 Davana County School District" is written on the side of the school bus, but at 49:58, the sheriff's helicopter lands by a sign reading "Davanna County" and at 50:51, deputy Gordon reads a copy of the "Davanna County Gazette".

Quotes:

Mr. Müller: [to his son's "talking" rat] "Shut up, Heinlein!"

Movie Connections:

References Citizen Kane (1941)

Soundtrack:

LESS THAN PERFECT

quite a movie to explore

The '80s yielded a number of movies about kids going on adventures, but "Explorers" was something else. On the surface, it seems like any other movie, but the aliens aren't what anyone is expecting. Mostly, the movie is about Ben Crandall (Ethan Hawke), Wolfgang Muller (River Phoenix) and Darren Woods (Jason Presson), and their fantasies.

And then there are director Joe Dante's touches. Dick Miller - whom Dante always casts - plays a cop who discovers the boys' spaceship. Robert Picardo (another frequent Dante player) voices one of the aliens. And of course Dante has many allusions to '50s B-movies. Maybe "Explorers" isn't anything special, but it's still pretty fascinating.