SpaceCamp (1986)

Director:

Harry Winer

Writers:

Clifford Green (screenplay) and
Casey T. Mitchell (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 June 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

An impossible mistake put them into space. The adventure of their lives will be getting back home.

Plot:

The young attendees of a space camp find themselves in space for real when their shuttle is accidently launched into orbit.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Space Camp | Space Shuttle | Astronaut | Outer Space

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kate Capshaw	...	Andie Bergstrom
Lea Thompson	...	Kathryn Fairly
Kelly Preston	...	Tish Ambrosei
Larry B. Scott	...	Rudy Tyler
Joaquin Phoenix	...	Max (as Leaf Phoenix)
Tate Donovan	...	Kevin Donaldson
Tom Skerritt	...	Cmdr. Zach Bergstrom (Andie's husband)
Barry Primus	...	Brennan
Terry O'Quinn	...	Launch Director
Mitchell Anderson	...	Banning
Scott Coffey	...	Gardener (as T. Scott Coffey)
Daryl Keith Roach	...	NASA #1 (as Daryl Roach)
Peter Scranton	...	NASA #2
Hollye Rebecca Suggs	...	Young Andie
Terry White	...	NASA #3
Susan Becton	...	Senior counselor
D. Ben Casey	...	Rudy's father
Kathy Hanson	...	Girl
Ron Harris	...	Tom the technician
Scott Holcomb	...	Hideo Takamini (Guy Registering in Space Camp)
Kevin Gage	...	Counselor #2
Saundra McGuire	...	Rudy's mother
Bill Phillips	...	Kathryn's father
Jon Steigman	...	Bully in dorm
Adrian Wells	...	Rudy's brother
Frank Welker	...	Special vocal effects (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rocky Krakoff	...	Boy on rooftop (uncredited)

Directed by
Harry Winer

Writing credits
Clifford Green		(screenplay) (as W.W. Wicket) and
Casey T. Mitchell		(screenplay)
Patrick Bailey		(story) and
Larry B. Williams		(story)

Produced by
Patrick Bailey	....	producer
Walter Coblenz	....	producer
Leonard Goldberg	....	executive producer
David Salven	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
William A. Fraker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Tim Board
John W. Wheeler

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Production Design by
Richard Macdonald		(as Richard MacDonald)

Art Direction by
Leon Harris
Richard Lawrence		(as Richard James Lawrence)

Set Decoration by
Richard C. Goddard

Costume Design by
Patricia Norris

Makeup Department
Janice Alexander	....	hair stylist
Katalin Elek	....	makeup artist
Zoltan Elek	....	makeup artist (as Zoltan)

Production Management
Wendy Bailey	....	production supervisor
Herb Jellinek	....	executive in charge of production
David McCann	....	post-production supervisor
David Salven	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Simons	....	first assistant director
Tena Psyche Yatroussis	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ronnie Chambers	....	lead man
William Maldonado	....	construction coordinator
Tom Miller	....	assistant property master
Leonard Monfredo	....	head painter
Tony Paolone	....	stand-by painter
John Schacht	....	lead man (as John A. Schacht)
Sal Sommatino	....	property master

Sound Department
Ed Bannon	....	special sound effects
Beth Bergeron	....	adr supervisor
Steve Bowerman	....	boom operator
Robert Bradshaw	....	sound editor
Dominick De Stefano	....	cable person
Tom Gerard	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bruce Glover	....	special sound effects
David W. Gray	....	stereo consultant: Dolby
Cliff Latimer	....	adr editor
John Leveque	....	supervising sound editor
David MacMillan	....	production sound mixer
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chuck Neely	....	sound editor
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Rice	....	adr editor
Jeffrey L. Sandler	....	sound editor
Solange S. Schwalbe	....	foley supervisor (as Solange)
David Spence	....	sound editor
Becky Sullivan	....	adr assistant
Shawn Sykora	....	assistant sound editor
Sherman Waze	....	sound editor
David A. Whittaker	....	sound editor
Karen G. Wilson	....	sound editor
Richard E. Yawn	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects coordinator
Andrew Miller	....	special effects (uncredited)
John Palmer	....	special effects: WonderWorks (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Tom Anderson	....	blue screen camera
Kathleen Beeler	....	graphics technician
Jeff Burks	....	animation supervisor
Nina Chierichetti	....	graphics technician
Joe Day	....	key optical effects crew
Nancy Evans	....	graphics technician
Charles L. Finance	....	visual effects coordinator
Joseph Franke	....	key optical effects crew
Jammie Friday	....	graphics technician
Rocky Gehr	....	key optical effects crew
Robert Habros	....	graphics technician (as Bob Habros)
Ian Jenkins	....	graphics technician
Robert L. Johnston	....	key optical effects crew
Kevin Koneval	....	optical camera
Candace Lewis	....	graphics technician
Michael Lloyd	....	matte painting artist (as Mike Lloyd)
Richard Malzahn	....	graphics supervisor
Peter Montgomery	....	graphics technician
Barry Nolan	....	supervisor special visual effects
Karl Nygren	....	key optical effects crew
Dick Ramirez	....	optical camera
Pierre Rouger	....	motion control
Bob Rundell	....	optical camera
Robert Scifo	....	matte painting artist (as Bob Scifo)
Jethro Singer	....	graphics technician
Doyle Smiley	....	key optical effects crew
Mark Stetson	....	key optical effects crew
Eric Swenson	....	motion control
Ed Thompson	....	graphics technician
Randy Weeks	....	graphics technician
David S. Williams Jr.	....	optical photography supervisor (as David Williams)
Dick Wood	....	key optical effects crew
Christopher Nibley	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)

Stunts
Donna Keegan	....	stunt coordinator
Donna Keegan	....	stunts
Dianne L. Wilson	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerald H. Boatright	....	gaffer (as Gerald Boatright)
Rick Borchardt	....	key grip
Damen Braxton	....	best boy grip (as D. Braxton)
Jerry G. Callaway	....	camera operator: second unit
Billy Clevenger	....	second assistant camera (as Bill Clevenger)
Jack Cooperman	....	director of photography: second unit
David E. Diano	....	camera operator
William A. Fraker Jr.	....	second assistant camera (as William Fraker IV)
James Globus	....	still photographer (as Jim Globus)
Robert C. Jessup	....	director of photography: second unit
David M. Lang	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as David Lang)
Ron Phillips	....	still photographer
Clyde Smith	....	dolly grip
Richard Turner	....	first assistant camera
Clay H. Wilson	....	grip
Julian Wilson	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Don Yamasaki	....	best boy (as Donald Yamasaki)
Wayne Baker	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Animation Department
John 'D.J.' Des Jardin	....	computer animation and displays
Rhonda C. Gunner	....	computer animation and displays (as Rhonda Gunner)
Richard E. Hollander	....	computer animation and displays (as Richard Hollander)
Pete Martinez	....	computer animation and displays
Gregory L. McMurry	....	computer animation and displays
Monte Swann	....	computer animation and displays
John C. Wash	....	computer animation and displays

Casting Department
Mary Gaffney	....	extras casting: Alabama
Barbara Harris	....	adr casting
Pat McCorkle	....	casting: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dan Bronson	....	costumer
Nancy McArdle	....	costume supervisor
John S. Perry	....	costume department head

Editorial Department
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Pat Magee	....	assistant film editor
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter
Scot Scalise	....	apprentice film editor

Music Department
Armin Steiner	....	music recordist
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music editor
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist (uncredited)
James Thatcher	....	musician: French horn (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Joe Berman	....	transportation coordinator
Andy Straub	....	transportation captain (as Andy R. Straub)

Other crew
Ed Buckbee	....	technical advisor
Judy A. Carbino	....	administrator
Joel Cohen	....	special consultant
Chuck Comisky	....	technical advisor
Jerry Cormier	....	administrator
Rick Edelstein	....	administrator (as Richard Edelstein)
Alan K.M. Faucher	....	shuttle maintenance
Penelope Gottlieb	....	title designer
Robert Harman	....	flying wire consultant
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
Richard Heckman	....	technical advisor
Charles Hosang	....	administrator
Billie Beasley Jenkins	....	assistant: Mr. Goldberg
Leo Krupp	....	technical advisor
Toni St. Clair Lilly	....	assistant: Mr. Winer
Richard Mirisch	....	production assistant
Ray Quiroz	....	script supervisor
Yvonne Ramond	....	assistant: Mr. Coblenz
Myra Rosenthal	....	teacher
Julie Samuels	....	production assistant
Lee Sentell	....	technical advisor
Nanette Siegert	....	production coordinator
Victoria Singleton	....	assistant: Mr. Bailey
Leonard S. Smith Jr.	....	production executive
Reggie Smith	....	assistant: flying wire consultant
John Taylor	....	technical advisor
Michael Van der Veer	....	administrator (as Michael Van Der Veer)
Val Van der Veer	....	administrator (as Val Van Der Veer)
Terry White	....	technical advisor
Carol Davies	....	continuity coordinator (uncredited)
Taylor Jernigan	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
June Jordan	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• ABC Motion Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1986) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (DVD)
• CBS / Fox Video (1990) (Greece) (VHS)
• CBS / Fox Video (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Feature Films for Families (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Manga Films (2001) (Spain) (DVD)
• Vestron Video (USA) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Van der Veer Photo Effects (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• Atmosphere Agency  extras casting: los angeles
• Brick Price's Movie Miniatures  miniatures by
• Gordon Ecker Productions  sound post-production
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM)  color by (as MGM)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  the cooperation and assistance does not reflect approval of the contents of this film ot the treatment of the characters depicted therein
• Panavision  
• Springgreene Marketing Associates Inc.  promotional consultants
• TAJ Soundworks  foley
• Tondreau Electronics  motion control computer software
• Video Image  computer animation
• Video Image  displays

Also Known As:

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Norway:7 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Company:

ABC Motion Pictures

Trivia:

Joaquin Phoenix's feature film debut. He is credited as Leaf Phoenix.

Goofs:

Factual errors: After Kathryn aborted the automatic re-entry to rescue Andie, they stated that there was not enough oxygen even with the refuel to make the next landing window at Edwards. In reality, the first landing available to an orbiting shuttle would have been back at Kennedy an orbit before an Edwards landing was possible, and even if they missed the first one, there would have been at least one more opportunity on the next orbit for any of the four available landing sites (Kennedy, White Sands, Edwards, and Gregg County Airport in Longview, Texas [is deemed an emergency landing location for the shuttle]), about 90 minutes later, well within the 12 hours' air they had left.

Quotes:

Kevin:You know, there's this, uh, full moon out tonight.
Kathryn:What, are you gonna turn into a werewolf or something like that?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Community: Basic Rocket Science (#2.4)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Turn It Up

Pretty bad, but strangely, I can't turn away...

The people who wrote this movie must have taken their potential audience to be idiots. I first saw this bomb in 1986, when I was 12. If memory serves, I felt insulted. The storyline was incredibly stupid, and unrealistic. Granted, at that time I was following the space program pretty closely, as a lot of kids were. The space shuttle was still a big deal, and the Challenger accident was still a fresh memory.

I'm not sure if U.S. Space Camp thought this was a good advertising vehicle for their program or not. Honestly, spending the summer with this pack of idiots would have turned me off completely. Perhaps the exception would be the character played by Larry B. Scott. Perhaps I just loved "Revenge Of The Nerds". Lea Thompson's character was slightly tolerable in her seriousness, but this was a far cry from 1984's "Red Dawn" or "Back To The Future" trilogy. A paycheck, I guess.

The producers must have thought they were producing Shakespeare and needed to cheer it up a bit. This can be the only reason for the inclusion of Leaf Phoenix's insanely irritating character, Max, and the stupid robot. Enough said. In my recent screening, I kept looking for obvious evidence that his scenes had been edited in. No such luck. What grating nonsense. The robot scenes had me squirming in my seat.

Watch this movie if you need to revisit the mid-80's, or need to induce vomiting. You've been warned.