Tom and Huck (1995)

Two best friends witness a murder and embark on a series of adventures in order to prove the innocence of the man wrongly accused of the crime.

Director:

Peter Hewitt

Writers:

Mark Twain (novel), Stephen Sommers (screenplay)

Stars:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, Charles Rocket

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonathan Taylor Thomas	...	Tom Sawyer
Brad Renfro	...	Huck Finn
Eric Schweig	...	Injun Joe
Charles Rocket	...	Judge Thatcher
Amy Wright	...	Aunt Polly
Michael McShane	...	Muff Potter
Marian Seldes	...	Widow Douglas
Rachael Leigh Cook	...	Becky Thatcher
Lanny Flaherty	...	Emmett
Courtland Mead	...	Sid
Peter Mackenzie	...	Mr. Sneed
Heath Lamberts	...	Schoolmaster Dobbins
William Newman	...	Doc Robinson
Joey Stinson	...	Joe Harper
Blake Heron	...	Ben Rodgers

Storyline

Tom Sawyer is a mischievous young boy, growing up in a small US town in the mid-1800s. He finds a friend in Huckleberry Finn, a vagrant and outcast, and the two get up to all sorts of boyish adventures. While on one of these adventures they witness a murder, leaving Tom with a dilemma.

---

Plot Keywords:

rescue from drowning | near drowning | character names as title | forenames as title | nicknames as title | 

---

Taglines:

A lot of kids get into trouble. These two invented it.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance | Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some villainous acts and mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is the first film where Jonathan Taylor Thomas performs as the title character from a classic novel. The second time would be in The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996).

---

Goofs

When Tom is cutting his finger, he cuts the index finger on his right hand, but in the next shot, he's writing his initials with the index finger on his left hand

---

Quotes

Tom Sawyer: Hello Huck!
Huck Finn: Hello yourself and see how you like it.
Tom Sawyer: Watcha doin' down here?
Huck Finn: Lookin for jackasses.
Tom Sawyer: Under a bridge?
Huck Finn: I found one, didn't I?
Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn: [both laugh]

---

Alternate Versions

Disney Channel cut adds a scene of Doc Robinson's corpse being moved through town, as well as the scene from the trailer in which Tom and Huck get milk thrown into the barrel they are hiding in.

---

Connections

Version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1973)

---

Soundtracks

Ring Around the Rosie
(uncredited)
Written by Traditional

User Reviews

Not great but works on certain levels

Tom Sawyer is a mischievous young boy, growing up in a small US town in the mid-1800s. He finds a friend in Huckleberry Finn, a vagrant and outcast, and the two get up to all sorts of boyish adventures. While on one of these adventures they witness a murder, leaving Tom with a dilemma.

Based on Mark Twain's famous novel, this adaptation is hardly definitive. Produced by Disney it's clearly made for kids, with dumbed-down plot development and sub-plots and performances by the leads that are aimed strictly at children. Throw in some pretty hammy acting all round and it appears to not have much going for it.

Yet it has some positives. It's a very harmless, accessible version of the book. If you've never read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or watched any other version of the novel, it's a quick and painless introduction to the book. It's short and never dull so doesn't feel like a total waste of time. In addition, kids will enjoy it (which is great for Disney, as they are the target audience).

So not a total write-off.

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tom and Huck

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,210,458, 25 December 1995

Gross USA:

$23,920,048

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,920,048

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Painted Fence Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1