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Disney's sequel to 1975's "Escape From Witch Mountain" scuttles all interest in its teen characters, Tony and Tia (the returning Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards), for the sake of jazzier special effects. The kids return to Earth from outer space, where Tony is kidnapped by villains Bette Davis and Christopher Lee (and their chauffeur, Anthony James, who earlier played chauffeur in "Burnt Offerings"). Terrific cast, well-enough made, but the movie loses sight of what was so special about the first film: a kids' flick with the emphasis on character, not outlandish effects. Davis is alert and anxious, but she's practically smothered under her gaudy make-up job; Christopher Lee unceremoniously blends into the background without much of a character to play (it's easy to forget he's even in the picture). The plotting gets too heavy, what with Los Angeles about to be decimated and delinquent children running amok, but the worst decision was to separate the siblings for much of the movie. Jack Soo does nice work in a supporting bit, and there's also a goat who nearly saves the day. *1/2 from ****

This is a very well done sequel to "Escape to which mountain" Tony and Tia(Ike Eisenmann & Kim Richards)are back! This time, they come back to LA(they come via space ship and land on the 50 yard line at the rose bowl!)for a vacation.

On their way to the motel, the cab they are riding in runs out of gas. When the cab driver leaves to go get gas, Tony and Tia have visions of a man falling from a tall building. Tony goes to help him. Enter Letha and Victor(Bette Davis & Christopher Lee)who are testing a mind control device that Sickle(Anthony James)is wearing. The test goes wrong when Letha grabs the remote control from victor and drops it on the ground.

When Victor and Letha see Tony's powers, they repay Tony for saving Sickle's life by kidnapping him. Meanwhile, when Tony hasn't returned to the cab-she goes looking for him. He is nowhere to be found. After a short while, a pre-teen group of kids(Whom they call themselves "The earthquake gang)are running away from another gang-Tia helps them escape from this gang. They then help Tia look for Tony.

I like the earthquake gang. These kids, despite how they dress are not really a violent gang-I think they have a tender side of them-they want to help people. Now I realize that this is not based in any real reality, it's only a movie-they are not to be taken seriously. I get a laugh out of them. Although, they try to act tough they don't scare anyone.

Victor and Letha are in their Lab testing this mind control device on Tony. After seeing the success of their tests, they both use Tony for their own evil ends. Letha wants money, she takes Tony to the museum in an attempt to steal 3 million dollars worth of gold which is on display. Things of course go wrong when they underestimate the weight of the gold bars. Victor on the other hand wants to rule the world and he uses Tony to take over a plutonium processing plant.

Tia then shows up-and a show down between Tia and Tony ensues-you will need to watch the film to see how it ends.

Although not the best sequel, it's better than most(Esp. by Disney). I recently got my DVD copies of both films. It's been remastered in THX, Dolby 5.1 surround sound. It sounds better than ever.

Disney fantasy full of adventure , tension , intrigue and spectacular images . Engaging Walt Disney Sci-Fi/fantasy in which we meet Tony (Ike Eisenmann , in 2009 recent version played by Alexander Ludwig ) and Tia ( Kim Richards , subsequently performed by Anna Rob ) as they are arriving along with their uncle (Denver Pyle) in a flying saucer at a stadium called Rose Bowl . They have special telekinetic powers which make getting along with the rest of the kids difficult . After that , the clairvoyant kids with special powers meet a Cabman getting into a car across the streets . Some baddies discover their supernatural powers and effect they can have on humans while the children being pursued . As Tony is abducted by the evil Dr. Gannon (Christopher Lee), his spinster pal Letha (Bette Davis) and hoodlum (Anthony James) who want to use his powers for his own objectives . Gannon puts him an artifact into the neck that allows him to control Tony's brain . As Tony will brainwashed into helping them commit several crimes , hoping to put his special faculties to evil .

This mystery-fantasy is packed with amusing action , thrills, suspense and spectacular scenes with abundant but primitive effects. The two children with mysterious powers played by Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann are enjoyable and phenomenal , as always , Christopher Lee as mean villain and likable Bette Davis as old nasty . The picture results to be the sequel to ¨Escape to Witch mountain (1978)¨ also by John Hough that holds a recent take on titled ¨ Race to witch mountain (2009)¨ with The Rock , Carla Gugino and Ciaran Hinds as government agent and as homage to former adaptation appears Kim Richards as Sara and Ike Isenmann as sheriff in a brief roles .

This funny picture is well directed by John Hough . He has an eclectic and long filmmaker career , beginning in television series ( Avengers, Protectors , The champions ) , making Hammer film (Twins of evil) , classic terror ( Legend of hell house ) , average horror movies ( Howling IV, American Gothic, Incubus ) , adventures ( Island of treasure, Black arrow ) until wholesome Disney family fare ( The watcher in the woods , Return and escape to witch mountain) . The flick will appeal to Disney film buffs and wholesome entertainment enthusiasts . A good children's film with acceptable special effects by that time though nowadays corny . The motion picture is professionally made though with no originality because being a simple remake , being an agreeable fun from Walt Disney productions .

Sir Christopher Lee as the mad scientist and Bette Davis as Cletha play the mad scientist and his business partner in a plot to take over the world and make money. Anthony James plays Sickle, Cletha's nephew and only living relative. One day, they go searching for a perfect location and end up with gold. Sickle has the mad doctor's commands in his ear and he hurts him if he doesn't do exactly what he wants like climbing to the roof of a building in a deserted Los Angeles area. He's about to fall but is saved by Tony, a boy with special abilities. Tony and his sister, Tia, were headed to return home but their cab ran out of gas. The cab driver goes to get gas. Tony sensing trouble tries to stop and saves Sickle's life. Unfortunately, Tony is tagged and taken away. They have other plans for him. It's not a bad film and the special effects are way outdated but the acting isn't bad and the cast does make it worth watching.

Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Aliens Tia (Kim Richards) and Tony (Ike Eisenmann) return to Earth for a vacation but soon Tony finds himself kidnapped by an evil scientist (Christopher Lee) and the woman (Bette Davis) who funds his experiments. The evil duo plan on using Tony's powers to take over the world so it's up to Tia to try and stop them. This sequel to Disney's ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN isn't nearly as good but fans will at least get some entertainment out of the supporting players. I think, for the most part, this is just a rehash of the original movie and the imagination level isn't nearly as high nor is the adventure as good. What we basically get are a lot of mildly amusing scenes where the kids are forced to use their power against one another and this does lead to a few good scenes. One of the highlights of the film happens when Tony is forced into a museum where Davis tries to get him to steal three-million in gold. This includes bringing the museum to life and this long sequence turns out to be the most memorable. The ending is also quite fun as Lee plans on blowing up the world and Tia must try to fight off Tony's powers. Unlike the first film, this one here actually contains some rather dark moments as the kids are constantly in danger and this gives the film a tone that isn't nearly as enjoyable. The special effects are just as impressive as the first one and they really get to shine during a car chase where certain objects magically move to try and ruin the chase. Both Richards and Eisenmann are very good in their parts and add a lot of charm even though their characters aren't written as well as previously. The main reason to check this out will be for fans of Lee and Davis who appear to be having a great time together. You can tell that both actors are enjoying these lesser roles that certainly didn't require them to do anything other than have fun. I found the two of them worked very well together and made for a great duo. Lee gets to be a good villain while Davis gets to show off some of her comic timing. In the end the film isn't nearly as good as the original but the cast and special effects make it worth while.