It’s an accepted truism that Disney’s ’70s output, especially in the realm of live action, was questionable at best. But say what you will about Condorman (and there’s a lot to be said about it — enough that it could easily count as one of our guilty pleasures) the studio made a couple of flicks in the ’70s that at least tried a new idea or two. Take Escape From Witch Mountain, which not only had Ray Milland and Donald Pleasance, but a real live bear and a couple of alien kids from space with real live special powers.
OK, actually the ideas aren’t that new. It was based on a novel, and anyway, isn’t Witch Mountain basically 101 Dalmations with ninety-nine too few telekinetic kids?
Who cares, right? Not Disney, since the studio is moving forward with a remake/reimagining. Shankman/Sandler enabler Matt Lopez wrote the working draft, and now there’s a director: Andy Fickman.
Who?
He’s the guy that headed up Reefer Madness: The Musical and The Game Plan, Disney’s upcoming family comedy with The Rock. And of course, there was She’s The Man, that droll comedy of manners with Amanda Bynes.
Excited yet?