A Cidadela dos Robinson

A family is shipwrecked on a seemingly uninhabited island. Using the remaining recourses of the wrecked ship they build an elaborate treehouse. They have a nice Christmas scene. Then the adventure begins.

This movie has a great family feel to it and I liked the animal races; it is a classic Disney. Do not dwell on where all the animals came from. The pirate attack scene was suspenseful and gave new meaning to log off. You are kept wondering if, and how they will get out of the precarious situation.

Of course, it is campy and unrealistic; it is Disney.

Be sure to watch John Mills play a more serious role with his real daughter Hayley Mills in Corações Feridos (1964).

Gorgeous production with Disney all-star-cast , funny sequences , spectacular adventures and amusement . Amusing family fun in which a Swiss family formed by a father (John Mills) , mother (Dorothy McGuire) and children (James McArthur , Kevin Corcoran , Tommy Kirk) must survive being shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island . As a family seeking to getaway Napoleon's wars in Europe , set sail for New Guinea , but shipwrecks on an island . There they built an idyllic life , only to be confronted by a gang of pirates (led by Sessue Hayakawa). Furthermore , they battle anaconda , tiger , and finally dispatch a group of cutthroats . Meanwhile , they domesticate animals , as among the Robinson's pets are : Duke and Turk the dogs, Rocky the elephant, Lightning the donkey, Clementine the ostrich, Duchess the Zebr and an anaconda was actually pregnant during filming .

The picture contains noisy adventures , humor , emotion , stirring action and sensational outdoors . The film displays some scenes have you on the edge of your seat as the amusing images when the protagonists fight an anaconda and against a band of pirates . Lots of adventure for family viewing , including an climatic as well as bemusing ending battle ; it was a direct influence on the final Ewok skirmish in ¨The return of the Jedi¨ , as George Lucas was a huge fan of the film . Excellent , powerful cast with sympathetic protagonists , many of them Disney ordinaries such as Janet Munro , James MacArthur ; in fact , Dorothy McGuire, Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran had previously played a family in Disney's Old yeller . However , Tommy Kirk considered quitting at one point as he was so desperately homesick . Colorful cinematography reflecting marvelous landscapes by Harry Waxman , filmed on location in island of Tobago ; although set in a tropical paradise, the filming was considerably hampered by almost constant rain . Lively and evocative music by Willyam Alwyn , conducted by customary Muir Matheson . It has abundant special effects and some matte painting by Disney specialist Peter Ellenshaw ; being Walt Disney's first film in Panavision . In fact , this is one of Disney's rare widescreen films, shot with Panavision lenses , previous widescreen efforts from Disney had usually been in CinemaScope. It's a winning Disney effort made by its usual director Ken Annakin. At the box office, the film took roughly $40,000,000 , around $367,000,000 in today's money, making it one of the most successful family films ever made . It's a must for the Disney fans but is beautifully released , being recommendable for all family and especially for little boys public . Rating : Good , entertaining and with great lots of amusement .

This fun picture was professionally directed by Ken Annakin , being enthusiastically funny though overlong . It was stunningly realized in splendidly amusing style , is all color , thrills and action . Ken was an expert on Adventure genre such as ¨The new adventures of Pippi Longstockings¨, ¨Pirate movie¨ , ¨Paper tiger¨, ¨The fifth Musketeer¨ , ¨Call of wild¨, ¨In search for the castaways¨, ¨Land of fury¨, ¨The Sword and the Rose¨, ¨The story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men¨, ¨Third man on the mountain¨ and Wartime genre as ¨Battle of the Bulge¨, and ¨The Longest day¨.

I loved this movie growing up, and had to get the recent DVD. It's great! The extras are wonderful and the movie is even better. I love Disney movies, but some of the older live-action movies get annoying to me after awhile. This one doesn't. I love to imagine myself on that island with all the animals and fighting pirates. It's great. I definitely recommend it!

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON is the ultimate family adventure film from Disney, photographed on the island of Tobago for some lush scenery and exotic settings. But that tree house rules!! Everyone's favorite fantasy is this sort of adventure whereby a shipwrecked family finds refuge on what appears to be a deserted island, only to find that they're not exactly alone.

DOROTHY McGUIRE and JOHN MILLS play the parent roles (played originally by Thomas Mitchell and Edna Best in the B&W '40 version), and the kids are played with equal skill by Kevin Corcoran, Tommy Kirk and JAMES MacARTHUR, who excels as the oldest son.

There's some rough going when the pirates invade, but it's all done in true Disney style and you know there's going to be a happy ending.

Summing up: The kind of film the whole family can enjoy. A lot more visually appealing than the old B&W version filmed on RKO sound stages.

1960. Panavision. Harry Waxman. We need to talk about the cinematography in this film, because OH MY! The shot composition, the lighting, the movement, I could go on! It's a visually stunning masterpiece - not even talking about the story! Which is also fantastic. Treat yourself and watch a fun family adventure that just happens to be eye candy!