Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure

This movie takes me back to my childhood reading the Mandie books. It was a good depiction of the books and is a good western film.

I made the big mistake of watching this film before I saw the first Mandie film. I was most confused on initial viewing of Mandie And The Cherokee Treasure. The producers assumed everyone saw the first when they made this one.

Saying that this was another charming juvenile adventure film set in 1899 Tennessee with Lexi Johnson as our teen heroine. She's now reunited with the mother she thought dead L.A. Winters and living with her uncle Terrall Andrew on that nice plantation.

There's a treasure hidden in a cave which has nasty sulphur fumes, hidden there by the Cherokee in their diaspora. The uncle wants to get it and return it to the tribe and he forbids Mandie and her posse to come along. That's not deterring the kids at all, nor are other and villainous treasure seekers.

Nice 1899 atmosphere recreated by the film once again. Johnson and her crew bear a faint resemblance to Disney's Lizzie McGuire and her friends.

Still a blue eyed blond Cherokee does not compute.

Fans of the Mandie books and the previous Mandie film (Mandie and the Secret Tunnel) will probably enjoy this offering as well. For others it is a marginally entertaining family adventure film that probably won't hold a lot of interest. Young Lexi Johnson is personable and lively and gives a solid performance in the lead role. Many of the supporting performances appear much more amateurish.

Fans of Hayley Mills will be disappointed to find that, despite major billing, she appears (as Mandie's grandmother) in only about 6 minutes of the film.

Overall, if you are looking for family adventure films, you can do a lot better.