“Right now being alive is more important than being found.”
Disney’s 1960 family film release, Swiss Family Robinson, is one of the company’s most beloved live action films. Loosely based on the book (published in 1812) of the same name by Johann David Wyss, the film tells the story of the shipwrecked Robinson family and how they adapt to life on an uninhabited island.
On their way to New Guinea, the ship that the Robinson family is aboard is attacked by pirates and forced into a deadly storm. The crew, believing that all hope is lost, abandons the ship and the family, leaving them to the mercy of the sea. The ship finally settles just off of the coast of an uninhabited island. Thankful to be alive, the family scraps the ship and brings all of the animals on the ship with them to the island where they set up a home and begin life as castaways.
Using a disease flag, the family scares away the pirates that had attacked the ship at the beginning of the film. Soon after, the family uses what is left of the ship to build a massive tree house. They establish a home on the island and take on any challenges that come their way.
Soon enough the mother, Elizabeth (Dorothy McGuire), begins to wonder what life will be like for her boys on the island. With no other women around, she speculates on how her sons will grow up without someone to love. After talking with their father, William (Sir John Mills), it is agreed that the two eldest boys Fritz (James MacArthur) and Ernst (Tommy Kirk) should build a boat and map out the rest of the island in the hopes of finding other settlements or possibly finding someone that can rescue them.
The boys end up discovering the pirates that attacked their ship. The duo rescue a captain and his son, but in the ensuing chase, the captain surrenders to the pirates and promises to return to save the boys and his son. Eventually the boys discover that the captain’s son is actually his daughter, Roberta (Janet Munro), in disguise, and after a long and dangerous trek across the island, they return to the Robinson settlement just in time for Christmas.
Enamored by Roberta’s beauty, Fritz and Ernst battle against one another for her affections. Desperate to calm his sons down and to drive out some of their aggression, William plans a day of fun. This includes a number of games that culminate with a race between the family on the backs of ostriches, zebras, and a young elephant.
The family’s loud fun attracts the attention of the pirates. Thankfully William and Elizabeth had their boys and Roberta prepare numerous traps and fortifications to fight off the pirates should they ever return. One of the traps includes a tiger that was captured by the youngest Robinson, Francis (Kevin Corcoran).
The pirates attack. The family does a solid job off holding them off but eventually start losing ground to the pirates. Do they survive the attack? Does the tiger trap come in handy? What happened to Roberta’s father (Cecil Parker)? You’ll have to watch Swiss Family Robinson to find out!
I really enjoyed this film. I remember watching it as a young child every time that it was shown on television. There are a number of familiar faces in the film, including Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran (who appeared in a total of six films together, five of which they played brothers) and Dorothy McGuire (who portrayed Kirk and Corcoran’s mother in Old Yeller in 1957). McGuire’s career spanned decades and included numerous popular roles in film, television and onstage. Fans of the original Hawaii Five-O will recognize James MacArthur, perhaps best known as Detective Danny “Danno” Williams. Sir John Mills, like McGuire, also had a long and successful career, especially in film. He was knighted in 1976. He’s also the father of Hayley Mills, another successful actress in her own right.
Many members of the supporting cast also had successful careers. Already a silent film star, Sessue Hayakawa (Kuala, the pirate captain), was an established “talkie” actor by the time he joined the cast of Swiss Family Robinson. He appeared in over eighty films including The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). Milton Reid (Big Pirate) was an established actor known for playing brutes, henchman, and other tough guys. He appeared in three James Bond films and a number of other popular films. He was also a professional wrestler.
The film was shot in Tobago and was constantly delayed due to heavy rains. According to IMDb, Tommy Kirk considered leaving the production due to homesickness. Sadly, all of the main cast have passed away with the exception of Kirk. Kirk, Sir John Mills, and Kevin Corcoran were all inducted as Disney Legends later in their careers. Mills’ daughter, Hayley, also holds this honor. The movie is currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, and the Disney+ streaming service.
I hope that you enjoyed this post. Thank you for reading it. If you’ve seen this film and want to leave a comment, please do so. Also feel free to share this post. I appreciate all of your support.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 