Sabrina, Down Under (TV 1999)

Offshoot of the popular TV show finds the teen witch (Melissa Joan Hart) on a trip with her friend (Tara Charendoff). There she finds romance with a merman.

Director:

Kenneth R. Koch

Writer:

Daniel Berendsen

Stars:

Melissa Joan Hart, Tara Strong, Scott Michaelson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Melissa Joan Hart	...	Sabrina Spellman
Tara Strong	...	Gwen (as Tara Charendoff)
Scott Michaelson	...	Barnaby
Lindsay Sloane	...	Fin
Nick Bakay	...	Salem Saberhagen (voice)
Peter O'Brien	...	Dr. Julian Martin
Rebecca Gibney	...	Hilary Hexton, the Cat & Woman
Conrad Coleby	...	Jerome Hestor
Steve Harman	...	Dr. Martin's assistant
Victor Parascos	...	Helicopter Pilot
Ronen Stoliar	...	Reef Diver
Enrico Mammarella	...	Resort Manager
Scott McLean	...	Sea Wasp Crewman
Thom Fountain	...	Maitre D'
Dave Nemeth	...	Wally Gilliams, TV Newscaster

Storyline

Sabrina travels to Australia's Great Barrier Reef with her best friend Gwen, a fellow witch from England, for a week-long vacation where they try to help protect a hidden mermaid colony whose habitat is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist, Dr. Julian Martin, determined to find the colony as his claim to fame. While Sabrina finds romance with Barnaby, a "merman" from the mermaid colony, Salem the cat finds a posible romance with another witch-turned-into-a-cat, named Hilary, but finds Sabrina's problems interfering with his plans.

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Plot Keywords:

merman | australia | helicopter | hereditary gift of witchcraft | archie comics | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sabrina en Australia

Filming Locations:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hartbreak Films, Ovidio Assonitis Productions, Paramount Overseas Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Scott Michaelson, who plays a merman in this film, was in the TV series "Flipper", in one episode of which he met a mermaid.

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Goofs

When Sabrina jumps into the water to swim to a boat, right before she hits the water, it's very clear that her hair's already wet.

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Connections

Follows Archie (1964)

User Reviews

Fluffy TV movie

The plot is an imaginative way to present an ecology theme. Sabrina meets a merman who is suffering from the effects of pollution. She must help save him, his mermaid sister, their mer-colony, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

A typical TV movie stuff aimed at kids, we are offered merfolk who talk as if they are ordinary humans that just happen to have tails, and two talking cats that are quite obviously puppets. The FX are brief and incidental.

The film is well-meaning and has a good message. Too bad that the myth and mystery of merfolk and the sea weren't given more story time here. As it is, it is an amusing, fluffy, typical TV movie.