None of the many cinemadaptations of Johan Wyss' The Swiss Family Robinson are as relentlessly enjoyable as this 1960 Disney feature. The film wastes no time getting down to business, with the shipwreck of the Robinson family occurring as the credits flash across the screen. Fashioning a raft, the family heads to a lush tropical island. While the mother (Dorothy McGuire) isn't too happy about being a castaway, the father (John Mills) and the sons (James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran) are
thrilled at the prospect of carving out a new life for themselves. In short order, the industrious Robinsons have constructed a treehouse with all the creature comforts and "utilities" of their home in Switzerland. Later on, the little party is joined by Janet Munro, the daughter of a sea captain who has been captured by pirate Sessue Hayakawa and his band. After a series of adventures calculated to arouse the envy of every man, woman and child in the audience, the film comes to a rousing conclusion as the Robinsons resourcefully fend off Hayakawa and his pirates with a variety of jerry-built booby traps. A box-office winner to the tune of $30 million, The Swiss Family Robinson proved beyond doubt that Disney's decision to emphasize the humor and adventure of the Wyss original, while downplaying the sociopolitical undertones, was a sound one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
It's hard to imagine how the picture could be better as a rousing, humorous and gentle-hearted tale of family love amid primitive isolation and dangers.
There's something for everybody in this Disney's live action adventure made for the entire family, which may explain why it was the most commercially popular film of 1960.
It's no Pirates Of The Caribbean but the spirit of adventure, and Disney's high production values, means that there's still some fun to be had watching this wholesome family adapt to island life.
Chock-full of exotic locations and animals, desert-island DIY ingenuity, and high-spirited excitement, with a poignant subplot involving the rivalry of the two elder sons.
With mom's parasols and dad's water wheel inventions, this family looks like the original inhabitants of Gilligan's Island. Of course, this is not meant to be a comedy...
It has atmosphere, wild animals, pirates, and most of all, an awe-inspiring sense of wonderment about creativity in general and about inventions in particular. Director Ken Annakin fashions an imaginative and special movie.
Next to 20,000 Leagues, I would say that this is one of Disney's best live action movies of the time. It's such a fun movie with everything you love about adventure. Pirates, tree houses, animal races, etc. It's just an extremely rich story that is told beautifully, there's no way you can't love this movie.
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