Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

Tia and her brother Tony have supernatural powers, can communicate and move things with the power of their minds alone. They arrive in Los Angeles, California from Witch Mountain for a ... See full summary »

Director:

John Hough

Writers:

Malcolm Marmorstein, Alexander Key (characters)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Christopher Lee, Kim Richards

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bette Davis	...	Letha
Christopher Lee	...	Victor
Kim Richards	...	Tia
Ike Eisenmann	...	Tony
Jack Soo	...	Mr. Yokomoto
Anthony James	...	Sickle
Richard Bakalyan	...	Eddie (as Dick Bakalyan)
Ward Costello	...	Mr. Clearcole
Christian Juttner	...	Dazzler
Brad Savage	...	Muscles
Poindexter Yothers	...	Crusher (as Poindexter)
Jeffrey Jacquet	...	Rocky
Stu Gilliam	...	Dolan
William Bassett	...	Operations Officer (as William H. Bassett)
Tom Scott	...	Monitor

Storyline

Tia and her brother Tony have supernatural powers, can communicate and move things with the power of their minds alone. They arrive in Los Angeles, California from Witch Mountain for a visit. When Tony uses his powers to prevent an accident, he gets into the hands of Dr. Gannon, a ruthless scientist who's constantly striving for power over the world. He puts a device near Tony's brain that allows him to control Tony's will. Tia gets help from a kids gang to free Tony and save the Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

mind reading | gang | supernatural | supernatural power | sequel | 

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Taglines:

Those visitors from outer space are back!!!

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Genres:

Family | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Volta da Montanha Enfeitiçada

Filming Locations:

Burro Flats, Simi Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bette Davis agreed to do this movie because it was a movie her grandchildren could watch. Also, Davis had three people tending to her on the set throughout the shooting of this movie.

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Goofs

When the two children and Uncle Bene are walking away from the Rose Bowl, the camera pans back to reveal crosses marked on the ground for where the actors are supposed to stand and walk.

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Quotes

Tony: Tia, open the gate.
Tia: No, everybody join hands. 1... 2... 3
[the kids energize over the gate]

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Alternate Versions

In the Spanish Castilian version Tia's name was changed into "Sia", because in Spanish "Tía" means "Aunt" and is the slang for "Chick".

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Connections

Featured in Disney Dimanche: Episode #2.1 (1979)

User Reviews

Good cast and interesting teenage characters sacrificed for yahoo thrills...

Disney's sequel to their not-bad 1975 hit "Escape To Witch Mountain" brings back Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards as the teen-tykes from outer space, here battling wits and powers with villainous Bette Davis and Christopher Lee (and their chauffeur, Anthony James, who also played a chauffeur alongside Davis in "Burnt Offerings"!). Well-enough made, but the movie loses sight of what was so special about the first film (a kid's flick with the emphasis on character, not overtly outlandish special effects). Davis is alert and anxious, but she's practically smothered under the gaudy make-up and is left to chew the scenery without benefit of a strong script. Poor Christopher Lee has it even worse, blending into the foreground action while the kids steal all his scenes. The plotting gets too heavy in the final third, what with Los Angeles about to be decimated and delinquent children running amok, but the worst decision was to separate siblings Tony and Tia for much of the movie. Some good sequences, Jack Soo does nice work in a warm supporting bit, and a goat nearly saves the day (and gets a big "thank you" to boot!). ** from ****